Springboks Star Receives Huge Praise As the World’s Best Rugby Player
- Former Scotland international Jim Hamilton made a bold claim about Springbok hooker Malcolm Marx on The Rugby Pod
- Hamilton compared Marx directly to Ireland captain Dan Sheehan, who scored in his side's 42-12 win over Argentina last Friday
- Marx is set to face France in Paris on Friday and could line up against Sheehan in Round 6 of the Nations Championship
PAY ATTENTION: Mark Briefly News as a preferred source, and our content will appear higher in your Google feed!
Springbok hooker Malcolm Marx has been declared the greatest to ever play his position by former Scotland second-row Jim Hamilton, who asserted on The Rugby Pod.
Hamilton, now a prominent rugby podcaster, was effusive in his praise for the Springbok forward, describing him as a physical force unlike any other at hooker level. Fellow former internationals Andy Goode and Dan Biggar were also present during the discussion and did not object to Hamilton's view.
"Malcolm Marx is the best hooker who's ever played," Hamilton stated. He added: "He has got a bigger head, and he's bigger. I remember seeing him in [the Springbok jersey] and how big he was. He is like a concrete block."
Marx vs Sheehan: A fine margin
Hamilton was asked to weigh Marx against Ireland captain Dan Sheehan, who delivered an impressive performance in Dublin last Friday, scoring in Ireland's convincing 42-12 victory over Argentina. Despite Sheehan's form, Hamilton still preferred the Springbok.
PAY ATTENTION: You can now search for all your favourite news and topics on Briefly News.
"As players in the open field, they're a little bit different. Malcolm Marx is heavy over the ball, he's bigger, though not by much. Dan is world-class, and he's on the bench of [my world team]," Hamilton said.
He acknowledged how close the two are overall, but pointed to Marx's superiority in set pieces as the deciding factor. "From a hooker's point of view, in fantasy terms, you'd be very close. It'd be about 0.5 of a difference, I imagine. But if you think about what wins World Cups and championships, it's the lineout and the scrum, and that's the 0.5 for me, because Marx is in the middle of that."
Marx closing in on 100 Test caps
Marx, who is approaching 100 Test appearances for South Africa, has been named in the Springbok starting lineup to face France in Paris on Friday evening.
The Nations Championship campaign continues the following week, with South Africa scheduled to host Ireland at Allianz Stadium ahead of finals weekend, a fixture that could pit Marx directly against Sheehan.
PAY ATTENTION: Follow Briefly News on Twitter and never miss the hottest topics! Find us at @brieflyza!
Source: Briefly News
