VIDEO: Door open for 'forgotten' Bok lock
SPOTLIGHT: Springbok assistant coach Deon Davids said he is pleased with the return of a 2019 Springbok World Cup winner.
The rise of the new generation of locks, such as Ruan Nortje and Salmaan Moerat, alongside utility forwards Ben-Jason Dixon and Ruan Venter has been immense, but there is one Bok stalwart who can still add tremendous value to their quest for a World Cup three-peat.
The 32-year-old Lood De Jager missed out on selection for the 2023 World Cup after being diagnosed with pericarditis, which is an inflammation of the lining around the heart.
He has since recovered and returned to his Japanese club team, the Wild Nights, but suffered a rotator cuff injury in the 2024 Japan League One Final.
De Jager has not featured for the Boks since 2023, but assistant coach Deon Davids is particularly pleased with his return to the Wild Knights.
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“He’s such an experienced player and has proven the value he can bring.
“He’s been unlucky due to all his injuries.
“What he brings on and off the field for the Springboks in terms of his leadership and his willingness to share is worth gold to us.
“If you think back to the 2021 British and Irish Lions tour to South Africa and in the [2023] World Cup, a guy like Franco Mostert took charge during that period.
“That was another example of how we do things.
“How we work together as players and coaches share ideas.
“What we learn there and how players experience it brings confidence to the players to shift [positions] should it be required.”
Davids also said that despite the challenges the Boks faced at lock in 2024, he is looking forward to seeing more players returning from injury to strengthen their available depth.
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“We had challenges in our lock and hooker positions last year.
“A lot of the injured players are on the right track coming back.
“Players in Japan like Lood [de Jager] and Franco [Mostert] are doing well.
“Guys like Ruan Nortje got an opportunity, and Pieter Steph [du Toit] made the switch from flank to lock.
“Salmaan [Moerat] took the leadership when Eben [Etzebeth] wasn’t there from a defensive point of view.
“We are in a fortunate position with our depth at lock.
“We are hoping to have everyone back on the park so that we can start doing things the way we would like.”
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