Percy Montgomery back in his early days with the Boks. Photo: Ian Stewart/AFP
BOKS’ BEST: Selecting a Springbok dream team – FULLBACK
In a new series, we will look to select the greatest Springbok team of all-time in a hypothetical selection starting with fullback.
Percy Montgomery back in his early days with the Boks. Photo: Ian Stewart/AFP
There are still a few months to go until the Springbok team will be back in action, but in the meantime, and in a new article series, we undertake the challenging task of looking to select an all-time Dream Team.
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*Note: These selections will only take players from the professional era post-1995 into consideration
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Andre Joubert: Of course, the ‘Rolls Royce’ of fullbacks has to be right up there in this debate.
Joubert played in 34 Tests, having earned his first start against Australia in 1993. However, his greatest claim to Springbok fame undoubtedly came at the 1995 World Cup as he played the latter stages of the tournament with a broken hand.
As a a cult hero at Kings Park and the unequivocal first choice as Springbok fullback during that time, Joubert still sits third on the list for most Springbok Tests started at fullback (32).
He was a player ahead of his time, and after making his final Test appearance in 1997, there is no doubt that he had secured his place among the Boks’ greatest-ever players.
Percy Montgomery: The Springboks’ ultimate ‘Ice Man’. Montgomery’s composure and class in the big moments set him apart, and his clinical goal-kicking at the 2007 World Cup was such a crucial component to the Boks’ success.
Montgomery played 102 times for South Africa between 1997 and 2008, having burst onto the international scene against the British & Irish Lions in July 1997 as an outside centre, while he also featured at the 1999 Rugby World Cup.
The former Stormers and Sharks star undoubtedly secured his place in the Springboks’ Hall of Fame when he was recalled by former Bok coach Jake White, and went on to slot four penalties in the World Cup final against England in 2007.
He would only play one more year with the Boks before retiring in 2008 at the age of 34, but by then the Springbok centurion had already cemented his place among the best Test players to have ever donned the No 15 jersey.
Willie le Roux: This could be a selection that gets some people up in arms, but the fact remains that Le Roux has started 63 Tests for the Boks (second on the all-time list).
In addition, he has World Cup and British & Irish Lions series gold medals in his collection of achievements, and has been one of the Springboks’ unsung heroes across 73 Tests.
Le Roux’s form at international level has been a bit up and down over the last couple of seasons, but he has enjoyed some stunning periods in the Bok jersey during a career that started in 2013 and is far from over.
The Bok stalwart is still just 32 years old, and when he decides to hang up his Springbok boots, there is every chance he could be close to the figure of Test caps earned by Montgomery. With that in mind, there is no doubt that he deserves to be among the list of contenders.
Final Springbok dream team pick at No 15
Ultimately, while there is a temptation to select Joubert, he did play much of his Test rugby before 1995. It leaves Percy Montgomery as our obvious first pick in a hypothetical Bok Dream Team.
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