Twenty-one-year-old five eighth David Horwitz enjoyed his first season in Super Rugby this year for the New South Wales Waratahs, winning 13 caps, mostly off the bench or at inside centre.
Horwitz enjoyed a fairly mixed introduction to professional rugby. After coming up form Randwick, playing mainly as a fly half, he at times showed glimpses of the future player he could be, and at other times displayed the uncertainty you’d expect from a rookie playing out of position.
It will be interesting to see how Horwitz comes along next season, given a year to adjust to the rigors of professional footy and a new position.
However, his prospects for success for 2017 will have greatly improved given his form in this year’s NRC.
Horwitz has been one of, if not the form player in the second tier of Australian rugby this season, all coming at the even more unusual position of outside centre.
Playing outside fellow young stars Andrew Deegan and Kyle Godwin, Horwitz has shown why he was one of the most highly rated prospects coming out of the Shute Shield in 2015.
Whilst he has been just one of many big winners so far in this year’s NRC, the recent rise of David Horwitz would be exactly what the ARU had in mind when it envisioned take two on the middle child of Australian rugby.
But Horwitz is far from resting on his laurels of what is already a pretty successful start to the season.
“I’m happy with how I’m playing but I think there’s a lot more I can be doing. My work off the ball last week wasn’t good enough so that is something I need to improve,” Horwitz said.
Either way, what NSW Waratahs coaching staff have seen from Horwitz so far will be mightily encouraging, as it will be for those considering the NRC’s future and weighing up the pros and cons.
Horwitz has regained the total confidence for his football we saw with the Galloping Greens and for Scots College. If the NRC can prepare a few David Horwitzes a year for life in professional rugby, it’s well and truly done one of its’ jobs.
