When
Cameron Hanekom appeared in front of an EPCR judicial committee this week to
answer for a complaint of foul play against him in the Bulls' Champions Cup
quarter-final against Northampton, he was so charming and forthright Jake White
believes it made a material difference in the eventual verdict.
To be honest, the 21-year-old rising star's incident - a tip-tackle on Fraser Dingwall that went past the 90-degree threshold but didn't see the Saints centre being poleaxed - was arguably mild enough to have warranted the citing being dismissed anyway as the yellow card he received during proceedings was sufficient.
Still, Hanekom's impassioned plea to the panel that he has a burning desire to go through his career without any red card to blot his record was further affirmation to White his gifted prospect truly is the real deal.