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Dylan Richardson (Gallo Images)
- Dylan Richardson’s versatility means he has arguably been the Sharks’ MVP since the resumption of hometown rugby.
- The 21-year-old former Junior Springbok has been excellent as a hooker and open-sided flanker, recalling Deon Fourie’s similar role on the Stormers years ago.
- Given how Covid-19 has hampered the team in recent weeks, Richardson is an ideal player for a pandemic, so to speak.
Versatility will be a different topic when the Sharks face the Pumas in the first game of the Currie Cup on Friday night at King’s Park.
The selection of the burly second rower JJ van der Mescht on the blind side has understandably garnered most of the attention in this regard, but it’s also notable that Dylan Richardson continues his relatively regular tap dance between hooker and open flanker.
Despite the fact that South African rugby remains a bit wary of the proverbial off-roaders (one still struggles to put up with the dissatisfied talents of men like Pat Lambie and Francois Hougaard), the 21-year-old former Junior Springbok has been extremely productive.
In fact, Richardson reminds one, in a pertinent way, of the former prostitute and wing of the Stormers, Deon Fourie.
Fourie, who would later forge a successful season in France, initially made a name for himself as a live wire if the mercurial number 2 in Newlands before coach Allister Coetzee sought to channel his enthusiasm and attacking skills more efficiently into the flank.
One of the highlights of his career, being the Western Province captain of the 2012 Currie Cup title, came from being employed almost strictly as an open runner.
History, although without knowing it, seems to repeat itself.
Equipment:
15 Manie Libbok, 14 Yaw Penxe, 13 Jeremy Ward (captain), 12 Marius Louw, 11 Madosh Tambwe, 10 Curwin Bosch, 9 Sanele Nohamba, 8 Thembelani Bholi, 7 JJ van der Mescht, 6 Dylan Richardson, 5 Hyron Andrews, 4 Ruben van Heerden, 3 Thomas du Toit, 2 Kerron van Vuuren, 1 Ox Nche
Substitutes: 16 Dan Jooste, 17 Khwezi Mona, 18 Hanro Jacobs, 19 Zain Davids, 20 Sikhumbuzo Notshe, 21 Cameron Wright, 22 Werner Kok, 23 S’bu Nkosi
Pumas
15 Devon Williams, 14 Morne Joubert, 13 Erich Cronje, 12 Ali Mgijima, 11 Etienne Taljaard, 10 Theo Boshoff, 9 Ginter Smuts, 8 Francois Kleinhans, 7 Phumzile Maqondwana, 6 Daniel Maartens, 5 Pieter Janse van Vuren (captain), 4 Darrien Landsberg, 3 Ruan Kramer, 2 HP van Schoor, 1 Liam Hendriks
Substitutes: 16 Marko Janse van Rensburg, 17 Wikus Groenewald, 18 Brandon Valentyn, 19 Heath Backhouse, 20 Chriswill September, 21 Wayne van der Bank, 22 Tapiwa Mafura, 23 Dewald Maritz
Richardson, equally compact but significantly taller than Fourie, has been arguably the Sharks’ MVP since the home game resumed.
As a hooker, he had an outstanding performance in a dismal 14-41 loss to the Bulls at Loftus, scoring one try and committing two turnovers.
When Kerron van Vuuren returned, Richardson went to No. 6 with minimal fuss and continued to be an annoying presence in the breakdown.
It was his loss behind the cover-up and a vital replacement loss that helped turn the tide two weeks ago in a narrow 34-33 comeback win over Griquas at Kimberley.
“Dylan has really done well for us,” said Sean Everitt, the Sharks’ head coach.
“I think we can all agree that his overall game overall has been outstanding, whether it’s hooker or flank.”
Given how pronounced Covid-19 infections have altered the Sharks’ charts over the past two weeks, especially among their loose forwards, Richardson’s value just skyrockets.
In other words, he is the ideal player for a pandemic.
“I still see him as a long-term prostitute. We have three very good No. 2s in the Sharks, so it’s all about managing resources,” Everitt said.
“He has a good chance against the Pumas next to the scrum, where he feels very comfortable. It’s a position where he can get playing time and gain experience at the senior level.
“At the moment, he is playing very well there.”
The start at King’s Park is at 7:00 p.m.
