Elstadt to stake a claim
In his latest column for Sports Illustrated, Quintin van Jaarsveld highlights five of South Africa's top rising stars to keep an eye on in the 2012 Vodacom Super Rugby season.
Van Jaarsveld believes that Super Rugby is the perfect stepping-stone to Test match rugby saying, "The standard, pace and intensity of Super Rugby is the closest thing to Test rugby, making it the ultimate proving ground for players who aspire to play at the highest level.
"Only the strongest survive and continue their path to prominence. Victor Matfield, John Smit, Fourie du Preez, Richie McCaw and Dan Carter, modern legends of the game, were all groomed for greatness at Super Rugby level."
With that in mind, he believes Elstadt is one of South Africa's most promising players, "While Siya Kolisi is an equally exciting young talent, South Africa’s lack of quality enforcer locks and wealth of back row depth afford Elstadt an opportunity to build on the good form he showed in 2011 and stake a claim for the vacant Springbok number four jersey."
