Yaqeen Ahmed

Didn't really talk about him after the Stormers' game.

One is always apprehensive about putting stock into U20 results and performances. Yaas-queen was instrumental in helping his team lift the trophy.

But he was calm as hell on Friday night. Unnervingly calm, and that's almost more impressive to me than the silverware he helped win.

If I'm not mistaken, it was an injury to Jurie that caused Yaqeen to start at 10. He and Imad had probably been working together for two weeks straight, and then Imad gets injured very early in the piece and departs. Nobody would blame a guy that young, and with basically no experience, for making nervy errors given the occasion and what had transpired.

Yet he was very very cool. Of course it's early doors but there's a sense of hardnosedness and determination about how he handled things. Extremely impressive, all things considered.

Now, i know there are people that complained about Moyo being capped by the Boks. But the reality is that he also provided a calm performance against Wales, almost entirely free of error, without even a handful of pro starts to his name.

There is talk about how the school system in SA rugby has been turning into something akin to the college football system in the US. Are these babies with minds of steel evidence of that system producing the goods?

Absolutely.

It started with the advent of the Varsity Cup years ago.
Now the universities are looking for prime schoolboy talent. So there is a lot of impetus and motivation for schoolboys to produce.

The results are alarmingly great! If there is such a thing.

The thing is… Yaqeen is one of many coming through.

Any one of Moyo, Muller, Adams, Norton and or Jooste could step in to the ok setup and play at the expected level.

It is hard not to brag, but this is something that we have got perfectly right.

However we need to keep innovating because other countries will try to replicate what we have.

I hear you 'right in the' Plums. We normally don't have that much expectations on boys. We expect more when they hit 23 and by 26 they are a journeyman.

YasssQueen definitely has his worked cut out for him. Did well given he has had no first class games to speak of. I you compare that to the Irish team, Pendacast has already played 20 odd first class games before he hit 20.

That said, I always set the standard for a Rook and Frans Steyn, at 20 he was winning world cups and carving up the midfield when he had to stand in for De Villiers and was the revelation. Well, he fell out of favour, picked up weight, deemed to be to hard to work with and so on and the became only the 2nd player behind Os to win two World Cup medals.

As for YasssQueen, don't think he is at that level. Nice hit out for the kid, but did looked rushed, lacked that extra half a second on the ball. The best players always look like they have all the time in the world.

One player he reminds me of Richi Muaga, very compact build quick feet and great hands. So I do hope to see more of him, now time to cut him lose in the currie up along with the other youngsters and hopefully we can see him at number 3 in the pecking in order.

Yaqeen is the real deal his performances for the Baby Boks were next level. Not only his ability to make sensational breaks but also his ability to create for those around him. Shit he is good.

Add the fact that he is muscled up and adds plenty of value physically.

I’ll say this now he is twice the talent Moyo is in every department - this lad is the closest prospect to Sacha that I have seen and the fact that he has come so soon after Sacha made his sensational entry is a bonus for us

He was good against the AB’s but that was just a fraction of what he is really about

Sacha starting with Yaqeen on the bench is going to be our go to for years to come

Everybody seems very keen on underestimating Moyo.

I have a feeling that's a mistake.

Don’t get me wrong Moyo is good - but nothing special, no ways did he merit a test cap yet.

He is a big guy with a big boot on him. He has a good head on him. He is solid, is not going to rip defences apart or set the world alight

He is not a Sacha, Ahmed or Libbok

More a poor man’s Pollard

He is good not special