AUDIO: How Daan's farm got Lions prop Springbok-ready

SPOTLIGHT: Springbok head coach Rassie Erasmus has credited assistant coach Daan Human for playing a pivotal role in preparing Asenathi Ntlabakanye for the upcoming Test season.

The Lions prop, Ntlabakanye, will make his first appearance in the Springbok jersey this Saturday when the side faces the Barbarians at Cape Town Stadium.

The 26-year-old has undergone a remarkable physical transformation, shedding over 15 kilograms and heading into this fixture at 140 kg.

Erasmus expressed both anticipation and confidence in the tighthead’s readiness, while also addressing common misconceptions around body image in elite rugby.

He referenced the effectiveness of players like Cheslin Kolbe and Kurt-Lee Arendse, despite their relatively smaller frames, as examples of performance outweighing size.

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“There were comments in the past where players were said to be too light, like Cheslin Kolbe,” Erasmus told reporters in Cape Town.

“But what area of the game do Cheslin or Kurt-Lee Arendse not man up in? They make their tackles, they excel in the aerial contest, they tackle players back, and they beat defenders. But it can also go the other way if you’re one of the heavier guys.

“A guy like Frans Malherbe is not a front-page model, but hell, he can play. He does his job in the front row. He may not be the most athletic, but he gets the job done.

“In Asenathi, we see someone who has an unbelievable touch and feel for the game, just like Neethling Fouché and Ox Nché – and we’re not necessarily talking about scrummaging here.

“So when we started looking at Ntlabakanye two years ago, we began tracking his battle stats, and they’re up there with the best.”

Erasmus revealed that with the green light from Lions head coach Ivan van Rooyen and CEO Rudolf Straeuli, the prop had a couple of intensive training sessions at Human’s Bloemfontein farm, with a focus on conditioning and endurance.

“We spoke to Cash [Ivan van Rooyen] and said, ‘We want to get this right.’ He [Ntlabakanye] went a few times to Daan’s farm and stayed there for a week.

“Daan worked with him with the blessing of the coach and CEO, after the Lions were knocked out of the URC.”

Erasmus added that Ntlabakanye showed immense commitment, taking the four-hour trip from Johannesburg to Bloemfontein to improve his game and manage his weight.

“When Asenathi was playing for the Under-20s and Sean Roux was the coach, we already had a program in place. It didn’t succeed back then.

“But we don’t give up on a player if he has the talent.

“However, he knows now there is a hell of a lot to work on to be part of the world’s No. 1 team.

“Whenever there was a break, he drove to Bloemfontein, went to the farm, and dropped 15 to 18 kilograms.

“So let’s hope he can now perform at Test-match level – that would be great.”

The World Cup-winning coach noted that this kind of personalised development is not new to the Springbok system.

“I 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. Daan loves working on the core.

“These two weeks were great, but I think the previous three weeks will benefit him even more.”

Kamp Daandraad!! pic.twitter.com/NNPlkZ5i4c

— Johan Erasmus (@RassieRugby) June 24, 2025