Boks have what it takes to really 'Rocket'
The time has come, one feels, for Springbok coach Jake White to give rein to his gambling instincts.
He must play his ace in the hole, and play it boldly in the very first match of the Boks' overseas tour at the Millennium Stadium against Wales on November 6.
That ace is a blond-haired, stocky 24-year-old who has set alight fields around the country in recent weeks with a string of sizzling performances at flyhalf. The young man, affectionately dubbed "Pocket Rocket", is, of course, the Sharks' Brent Russell. His Test career to date reflects just one in his six starts at flyhalf, the other nine of his 15 international appearances coming off the bench.
The Test most remember him for was the occasion in 2002 when he was rushed into service by Rudolf Straeuli after Andre Pretorius had pulled out injured on the morning of the Tri-Nations match against the Wallabies, a match the Springboks would go on to win 33-31 against all odds.
Until that day it seemed Russell's career was doomed to be confined to the role of "golden substitute". For all of his faults as national coach, Straeuli has never been given full credit for that Tri-Nations masterstroke.
Pretorius, by then, was entrenched as the Boks' first-choice flyhalf, and many believed his replacement by relative greenhorn Russell would misfire. But the young man's performance that day, with a try and several telling breaks that had the Wallabies clutching at thin air, stamped him as a performer of true class.
Then, just as Russell's rugby looked set to take off, injuries set him back. He missed last year's World Cup and, for a while, was somewhat depressed. Soon, however, that puckish smile that's never far from the surface, returned. Yet despite a lifestyle shift involving religious faith, his career still seemed doomed to jog along at half-pace as a habitual bench-sitter.
Then it happened. Suddenly in mid-season came a change in fortune as Sharks coach Kevin Putt decided to take a chance on the stocky flyhalf's mesmeric talents, which enable him to split defences. Earlier, as Conrad Barnard filled the role of Sharks flyhalf, Russell's appearances in the Currie Cup were being confined to the role of impact player. At times he didn't even manage that, having to content himself with mental calisthenics on the bench to keep warm.
Finally Putt decided to gamble because, as solid as his efforts were, Barnard's stepping into the boots of injured stalwart Butch James was not quite producing the spark the Sharks needed.
It's true the Sharks have continued to lose - at times by heart-breakingly small margins - but Russell has been an instant success.
Apart from scoring a glut of dazzling solo tries, he has also been the engineer of a good portion of the rest scored by the Sharks in an extended period on the road.
Many have pointed to his small stature, fearing he is not robust enough for the rigours of the international arena. Yet he handled himself admirably in that 2002 clash with the Wallabies, and now has a new maturity which includes tenacious defence as well as a much improved out-of-hand kicking technique.
How small is small? He's certainly more compactly built than, say, the stick-like Hannes Brewis, who played against all of the major rugby nations for the Boks from 1949 to the early 50s. Inevitably, Russell's attacking flair draws comparisons with the mercurial Jannie Barnard of the 1960s. The difference is probably that Russell is more serious about his rugby.
Consistency of selection is a policy White has stuck to with good effect. It's given his players new occasion for self-belief, which, in turn, has translated into a winning formula. But he's never failed to remind the players that good form in the Currie Cup would not go unrewarded.
Russell, who has been showing this sort of form - and is likely to do so again today in the Sharks' final Currie Cup encounter against the Eagles in George - is on a red-hot streak.
Now is the time for White to reward the trusty "Rocket" with a chance in his run-on XV. This doesn't mean turning his back on current No 1, Jaco van der Westhuyzen. Let him take Russell's place on the bench. A gamble? Yes, but one that's well worth taking.