Stormers coach John Dobson and All Blacks flyhalf Beauden Barrett have both spoken glowingly about youngster Yaqeen Ahmed ahead of Friday’s clash.
One of the most compelling subplots of Friday night’s Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry clash at Cape Town Stadium involves two flyhalves separated by 15 years.
Stormers coach John Dobson has backed 20-year-old Ahmed – a junior World Rugby champion – to front and handle the occasion against Barrett – World Cup winner – in the tour opener between the sides.
DOBSON’S BOLD CALL ON AHMED
Dobson made no attempt to downplay the scale of the opportunity he is handing his rookie flyhalf. Ahmed has been tasked with marshalling the Stormers attack against the All Blacks on Friday in what amounts to his senior provincial debut, with Dobson and co making a deliberate choice to back the exuberance of youth over their more experienced campaigners.
“I think, to be honest, I can give him credit that he’s come through much faster than we thought,” Dobson said. “One’s loathe to make comparisons, but it reminds me of a few years ago when Sacha was coming through; that same commitment, composure, excitement. He’s pleasantly surprised us, and I think it’s a fantastic opportunity for him.”
“Yaqeen’s in for a big ride, hopefully 80 minutes. And that’s just because of the faith we’ve got in him. He’s special.”
BARRETT’S RESPECT FOR THE KID WHO ONCE ADMIRED HIM
Barrett’s reaction when told that Ahmed had looked up to him was one of the more genuine moments of Thursday’s media engagements. The 35-year-old All Blacks veteran, holder of 144 Test caps and a two-time World Rugby Player of the Year, smiled broadly at the detail.
“I feel honoured that I was once looked up to by him,” Barrett said. “As All Blacks, we’re always trying to do our best to inspire kids across the globe and not just in New Zealand. So it’s pretty cool that we have a chance to go head-to-head, and I will certainly make sure that I chat to him after the game and share a cold drink with him afterwards, because he’s certainly the future.”
Barrett also placed Ahmed’s emergence within a broader picture of Stormers flyhalf development.
“With him and Sacha, I guess the Stormers are in pretty good hands going forward,” he said. “The success of the Junior Boks in recent times has been superb.”
That did not mean Barrett was taking the looming battle between lightly. He confirmed the All Blacks had focused primarily on Stormers’ patterns during the week but planned a sharper individual focus now that the team had been named.
“Both nine [Imad Khan] and ten [Ahmed] are very talented, with great skill sets and running ability,” he said. “We’ll have a little bit more of an individualised focus on who we’re up against.”
AHMED’S ROADMAP TO A STARTING SPOT AGAINST THE ALL BLACKS
Ahmed’s rise has been swift by any measure. He stepped into the Junior Springboks’ starting flyhalf role after Vusi Moyo was called into the senior squad and helped South Africa defend their World Rugby U20 Championship title. He then featured for South Africa A against Zimbabwe before Dobson handed him his Stormers opportunity with the All Blacks as the opposition.
The context around Feinberg-Mngomezulu’s own breakthrough makes Dobson’s comparison particularly apt. Sacha was thrown in young, performed with composure beyond his years and became indispensable. Ahmed’s challenge on Friday night is to produce something similar against considerably more experienced opposition than most young flyhalves face at this stage of their careers.
WHO WILL WIN THE FLYHALF DUEL BETWEEN AHMED AND BARRETT?
On paper this is no contest. Barrett has started 144 Tests, played in World Cup finals and produced some of the most influential individual performances in All Blacks history. Ahmed has not yet started a competitive senior provincial match.
But rugby at this level is rarely decided purely on paper. Ahmed’s composure under the pressure during South Africa’s title run at the Junior World Championship, his work alongside established senior players in the SA A environment and Dobson’s repeated insistence that the youngster has exceeded all expectations suggest he will not be overawed.
Barrett’s experience, however, should prove the difference. He will control territory, manage the game tactically and create width for the All Blacks’ dangerous outside backs in ways that a 20-year-old starter will find difficult to match across a full 80 minutes. Ahmed will have his moments – that much seems certain given everything those around him say – but Barrett is likely to edge this particular personal battle on the night.
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