Rassie Erasmus has revealed the behind-the-scenes conditioning work that has earned Asenathi Ntlabakanye his Springbok debut against the Barbarians on Saturday, reports DEVIN HERMANUS.
Speaking during Tuesday’s team announcement conference in the buildup to the Cape Town Stadium clash, Erasmus credited scrum guru Daan Human for helping to prepare the hulking Lions tighthead prop for Bok duty.
“When we started looking at him two years ago and we started tracking his actual tackle stats, it’s up there with the other guys. We then got him in with the help of Rudolf [Straeuli] and the Lions, and we said we’ve got to get this right,” Erasmus told reporters.
The 26-year-old’s transformation included intensive sessions at Human’s Bloemfontein farm, where conditioning took precedence alongside technical scrum work.
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“He went a few times up to Daan’s farm and stayed there for a week, and Daan worked with him really well, with the Lions coach and CEO’s blessing, and whenever there was a break he drove to the farm,” Erasmus said.
According to Erasmus, Ntlabakanye’s commitment has yielded dramatic physical changes, and emphasised how Human’s specialised approach extends beyond traditional alignment camps.
“He’s dropped 15 to 18kgs and let’s hope he can do what he does at Test match level, which will be great,” Erasmus said.
“Don’t want to mention names but we’ve done it with three or four other players, also in the front row specifically because that’s something we struggle to get right in an alignment camp because Daan loves to work the core.”
Ntlabakanye’s inclusion comes amid injury concerns around two-time World Cup winner Frans Malherbe. “Franna is unfortunately out for a pretty long time until we get clarity there, and all of a sudden your number one No 3 [are unavailable],” Erasmus added.
The Bok tactician drew parallels with other players who overcame perceived physical limitations to excel at Test level for South Africa.
“If you look at players in the past, like Cheslin [Kolbe], people used to say he’s too light and then you go and say, ‘what area of the game does Cheslin not man up, or Kurt-Lee [Arendse]?’ They make their tackles, and tackle guys back,” he said.
“And it can be the other way around for one of the heavy guys; you look at a guy like Frans – nobody would say he’s a front-page model or something like that but hell, Franna can play! He’s solid in the scrum, gets up and makes his tackles… maybe he’s not the most athletic guy.
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“In Asenathi we’ve got someone who we see has got an unbelievable touch and feel for the game, just like Neethling [Fouche], Ox has got an unbelievable feel for the game.
“Obviously he’s a phenomenal player, has got the talent, it’s the moment understands that there’s a helluva lot to work on to be a part of the Boks at this stage and [take over] from the world’s No 1 [tighthead],” Erasmus added.
“And when a guy like Rudolf comes to you and says to you can work with him, and Daan says ‘come to Bloemfontein’ and from getting on a bicycle, carrying stuff there, gym sessions and scrum sessions… It’s been going on for three-and-a-half weeks, and even prior to that.
“These two weeks [in camp] were great, but those previous three weeks will benefit him even more.”
Erasmus also expressed satisfaction with the front-row succession planning finally bearing fruit with the emergence of Ntlabakanye as the Boks build toward the 2027 World Cup in Australia.
“The nice thing is when the media and supporters start talking about the World Cup squad and comparing ages and what the squad will look like in 2027 – we never had that in 2022, so this is the first time and it’s fantastic.”
Photo: Daniel Hlongwane/Gallo Images
