Bok fullback Willie le Roux opens up on criticism, 100 Tests and World Cup

Springboks stalwart Willie le Roux‘s career in the green and gold jersey will see him considered one of the greats when it’s all said and done.

Le Roux has won every major international title; his trophy cabinet includes a Rugby World Cup medal, Rugby Championship winners’ medal and a British and Irish Lions series winners’ medal.

Currently on 86 caps he is on his way to becoming a centurion in Tests played for the Boks — something that will almost certainly cement Le Roux’s status as a great.

Reaching 100 Tests for the Boks is a goal the fullback is aspiring to. Only seven other South African rugby players have gone beyond the 100-Test mark.

‘Very special’

“I’m thinking about it, hopefully, I can play the best rugby this year, next year and as long as I can to get there,” Le Roux said ahead of Saturday’s Test against Argentina at Ellis Park, which the Boks narrowly won 22-21.

“I think playing one game for the Boks is something, when I got my 50th it was very special. If you get a 100, that’s something!

“But for now, my focus isn’t on how many games I’ll play. It’s a World Cup year, and there are a lot of other things coming, so if that time comes we’ll cross that bridge then.”

The journey has not been easy for Le Roux. He’s been a hero and villain, his form has been up and down.

Criticism

On the way to winning the Webb Ellis Cup in Japan in 2019, there was a lot of criticism of Le Roux and calls for him to be dropped. The intensity of the criticism bordered on abuse, but Le Roux took it on the chin and he said this last week that it is part of the game.

“We always say bad criticism and good criticism is good for the Boks, you want that, it means the people care. If they don’t say anything then they don’t care about the Springboks,” said the 33-year-old.

“It’s part of the game, you have to live with it. You can’t let it get you down, you have to move forward, that’s what I say to myself.

“I know my support staff around me back me, as long as they back me, if half of the people like me and the other half don’t, it’s just what it is,” said the man who’ll run out for the Bulls in franchise rugby later this year.

World Cup

Le Roux is set to take part in his third World Cup after being part of the 2015 and 2019 teams. In this year’s Rugby World Cup in France, the Boks will be out to defend their title. Comparing the current squad and the 2019 one, Le Roux believes the team has evolved.

“You’ve got the core of the squad still together from 2019, I think we had a certain purpose and game plan for 2019 that we went in with and stuck to it.

“It’s just evolved since then … you can see how we are better now at organising certain things, so I think we are better but there’s also a lot we can still learn.”

The Boks finished second in this year’s shortened Rugby Championship, behind New Zealand, with two wins and a defeat.

They’re next up in three World Cup warm-up matches — this weekend against Argentina in Buenos Aires, then Wales in Cardiff (19 August) and New Zealand in London (26 August).