Vodacom Bulls boss Jake White says Harold Vorster is one of South Africa’s most underrated inside centres, and that he should be challenging for Springbok selection.
White was still waxing lyrical after the Bulls’ nine-try savagery of Scarlets in the Vodacom United Rugby Championship at Loftus Versfeld on Friday.
Captain Marcell Coetzee scored a brace for the Bulls on the night to raise the chorus for his national recall, while youngsters Elrigh Louw and Ruan Nortje enhanced their reputations with similar standout performances.
But, White credits Vorster’s unsung work behind the scenes for his side’s 55-12 victory over Scarlets, saying: “Harold is the kind of player who simply doesn’t receive the praise that he deserves.
“Whether he plays with Morne Steyn or Chris Smith inside him [at flyhalf], he’s the voice of that backline. I don’t want to take anything away from a guy like Cornal [Hendricks], who’s played extensively for us there previously but is performing so well at 13, but Harold [is our general].”
White added: “I’ve known Harold a while because he played for Panasonic Wild Knights when I was in Japan, where he learned a lot from [former Crusaders coach] Robbie Deans.
“You can see he’s not just a basher. He can pass and he talks well. He understands space and sometimes his kicking boot is really important for us, too.”
It will take some doing from Vorster to split up the incumbent Bok midfield of Damian de Allende and Lukhanyo Am, but White says the 28-year-old midfielder shouldn’t give up hope of impressing the national selectors.
“Harold’s all-round game is just getting better and better. His strength is that defensively and attackingly he’s got such a great way of communicating with the players around him,” the coach said.
“I think he’s just going to keep improving and I hope someone higher takes note of him, because Harold is one guy who really would like to play at a higher level.”
