How do you say his name again? Cloete is it?
Munster openside Chris Cloete has made Irish Rugby fans sit up and take notice over the last month.
After breaking into the side in Rassie Erasmus’ last game in charge of the province against the Dragons last month, the South African flanker has quickly established himself as one of Munster’s very best players.
Watching the games, it has been very interesting keeping track of the conversations surrounding the 26-year-old thus far.
They invariably start something like this –
‘Who’s your man?’
Chris Cloete.
‘What?’
Chris Cloete. Or at least I think that’s how you say his name. Klu-te. Klo-te.
‘He’s good isn’t he? Do you know who he reminds me of?’
Michael Hooper?
‘Yeah. He’s like a poor man’s Michael Hooper!’
Over the last six weeks, Cloete has transitioned from a poor man’s Michael Hooper, to he plays a lot like Michael Hooper, to when did the Wallabies captain move to Munster?
Hooper still plays for the NSW Waratahs, but Cloete signed for Munster from the Southern Kings and the Currie Cup’s Pumas during the summer.
His path to Thomond Park is a road less travelled, and includes a stop in Sri Lanka, where he spent some time with the Kandy Rugby Club in 2014, before eventually returning to South Africa to play for the Western Province, the Kings and the Pumas.
But, as with all sports, it’s not necessarily how you get there that matters, it’s what you do when you arrive, and suffice to say, Cloete has made the most of his five months in Limerick.
Through the last five games, he’s averaged over 3.4 metres per carry, 0.8 linebreaks a game, 1.2 turnovers won, 1.4 defenders beaten and 9.8 tackles at a 96% success rate.
His performance in Sunday’s win over Leicester was his best game thus far in a Munster jersey.
Statistically speaking, he fared better in the win over the Ospreys, where he scored a try, made three linebreaks and made 10 tackles, but against Leicester, he did everything that you could possibly want to see from an openside flanker.
He carried, he tackled, he got over the top of the ball, he broke the line, he filled in at scrum-half when needed, he beat Jonny May to the kick chase – I’ll put that one in again – he beat Jonny May to the kick chase, and he had that trait that all great openside’s possess, he showed some fire.
He snatched at Jonny May’s arm, he got in the face of Dan Cole, he talked and barked orders.
In a highly intense affair, and at a ground where the hosts had never lost back-to-back games in European competition, it helped to have a player like Cloete that could help Munster in a multitude of ways.
The oft-injured Tommy O’Donnell (shoulder) was a late scratch from the Munster A side that defeated the Bedford Blues in the British & Irish Cup last weekend, but in a backrow of Peter O’Mahony and CJ Stander, Cloete offers Munster something different. He’s a true seven.
As Donncha O’Callaghan alluded to in commentary: ‘The guy’s favourite players are [Heinrich] Brussouw and David Pocock – that tells you everything’.
Ugo Monye added: ‘What a break from Jonny May but he’s not the only superstar on the pitch here. Footwork, ability [in] open spaces, off the left, but then watch Cloete, out of nowhere, supercharged, gets himself back to the ball and beats Jonny May.
‘Yes he had the angle, but the workrate to get himself back there and diffuse that problem there. Not just over the ball, in the rucks, but also in the open… outstanding.”
There was one play in particular in the second-half that highlighted Cloete’s doggedness, workrate and competitiveness.
Leicester were beginning to press forward in the Munster half after Ian Keatley had kicked the ball out on the full.
The Tigers were making good metres through Mike Williams and Tom Youngs, and they were presenting scrum-half Ben Youngs with clean ball.
After a couple of phases, the England half-back hit 6’4, 17 st 9 lb, Tongan flanker Valentino Mapapalangi with the ball as the monstrous backrower made a b-line for the 5 ft 9, 15 st 4 lb, Cloete.
The Munster flanker managed to divert Mapapalangi with a low attempt at a tackle, and although he could not initially bring the powerful Tigers backrower to the ground, he did manage to get back to his feet and make a play at the ball five metres away from where initial contact was first made.
Cloete was cleaned out without retrieving the ball by the tag team of Dan Cole and Matt Toomua, but if you want to endear yourself to the Thomond Park faithful, that’s how you do it.
Take the challenge on, and if you fail, take it on again.
Cloete will be challenged for his place in the Munster pack with the return of Tommy O’Donnell looming, and as good as the Ireland international is, and he is good, it’ll be hard for him to displace the dynamic Cloete.
CJ Stander’s Ireland future is currently up in the air, but if one powerful South African ultimately swaps the southwest of Ireland for the southeast of France, at least Munster have another long-term dynamo waiting on the wings of the scrum.
