REVEALED: What convinced Bok prop to move from the back row to the front row
It is not an anomalous metamorphosis.
Several prominent players have successfully converted from the back row (flank or No.8) to the front row (hooker or prop).
The reasons for this move differ, but often it is driven by the need for increased mobility, ball-carrying ability, and better line-out throwing in the modern game.
The most notable converts include Malcolm Marx (started as a flank/No.8 before transitioning to hooker), Agustín Creevy (converted from back row to hooker), Mario Ledesma (played in the back row as a young player in Buenos Aires before shifting to hooker), Steve Thompson (switched from back row to hooker), Schalk Brits (while he had a varied youth career, he was known for his incredible speed and ball-handling skills at hooker), Deon Fourie (moved between hooker and back row throughout his career, but famously played 75 minutes of the 2023 World Cup Final at hooker) and Keven Mealamu (started as a ‘little Otahuhu loose forward’ before becoming an All Black legend at hooker).
There are fewer conversions to prop (No.1 or No.3) than at hooker, but the most recent converts include Tendai Mtawarira (played No.8 in school before transitioning to loosehead prop) and current Bok Jan-Hendrik Wessels (who is a front row hybrid, hooker and loosehead prop, but also played lock and No.8 at school).
It didn’t start in the 2000s.
Naka Drotské played as a hooker in his 26 Springbok Tests between 1993 and 1999. Drotské played as a flank for the Free State schools team at the 1989 Craven Week tournament and gained selection for the South African Schools team. In 1992, he made his provincial debut for Free State, also playing as a flank and in 1993, he converted to the playing position of hooker.
Ntuthuko Mchunu, who still played No.8 when he captained the Maritzburg College First XV in 2018, first thought it was a joke when a coach suggested he moved to the front row.
The former Maritzburg College Head Boy has now played in three Tests, all as a prop.
(Continue below ….)
Stormers assistant coach Rito Hlungwani spoke about his “excitement” when the news of his move to the Stormers, from the Sharks, was confirmed in March 2025.
“It is nice to see his growth,” Hlungwani said, adding: “I challenge him a lot and he embraces it.
“There is plenty more [growth] coming, and I am happy with where we are.”
The 27-year-old front row convert said he enjoyed the ‘welcoming environment’ at the Cape Town franchise.
Asked about his try-scoring prowess, including a masterful forward-planned move in the 48-12 demolition job of Glasgow Warriors, the prop said it is more about “contributing to the team”, rather than being an individual star.
“I’ve been fortunate that I scored in recent games, but it is more important that the plans we put in place during the week is reflected in our performance on the weekend.”
(WATCH as Springbok prop Ntuthuko Mchunu explains who and what convinced him to move from the back row to the front row…..)
A mobile front row forward in the mould of Bok legends like Os du Randt and Tendai Mtawarira, he said he would like to bring his own ‘bag of tricks’ to the game.
“One of my strengths is certainly my ball-carrying,” the former loose forward said, adding: “The more I improve that and [something that] gives me an edge over other players, I will continue doing it.
“It is good to look at those guys, but it is more about writing my own story.”
Speaking about adding to his three Test caps, all off the bench, he said his focus is on helping the Stormers win some silverware.
“Should I play well enough and the people there [Bok coaches] feel I belong, I will get a shot.
“However, my main focus is on the Stormers.”
Asked about the challenges of converting from loose forward to the front row, Mchunu revealed it was Sean Everitt, then the Sharks Under-21 coach, now the Edinburgh boss, who convinced him the pathway at loose forward was very congested.
With ambitions of higher honours, he first thought of it as a joke, but then the proverbial penny dropped.
“Weeks and months went by, but then he [Everitt] pulled me aside again and said I think you should move to prop.
“After the third time [he mentioned it], I asked him if he was serious.
“I asked from the perspective of: ‘Am I a bad loose forward?’
“He said I was not a bad loose forward, but that I would be a great prop.
“He said the pathway at prop was a lot better.
“It was a bitter pill to swallow, because I conditioned myself and looked at the game as a loose forward.
“In 2019, I saw how the [Bok] props were conditioned at the World Cup, and I got an appreciation for the scrum.
“It was tough in the beginning, but the more I was put in those positions, the more I became confident.”
The front row convert announced himself when he was barely two years out of school and still just 21.
Coming off the bench – along with Fez Mbatha and Michael Kumbirai – they earned the Sharks three crucial scrum penalties – which saw the Durban outfit come back from trailing 12-28 at half-time, to grab the lead (38-36) with just over 10 minutes remaining.
A late Frans Steyn penalty saw the Cheetahs claim the win, but the young Mchunu showed enough in his cameo to ensure he will be ‘in demand’ for a long time to come.
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