Veteran Springbok fullback Willie le Roux in training with the team prior to Saturday's Test against Ireland in Pretoria. Picture: Anton Geyser/Gallo Images
Springbok veteran Willie le Roux has no plans of giving up rugby just yet.
The 34-year-old double World Cup winner earned a 94th Bok cap in Saturday’s Test against Ireland at Loftus Versfeld and is now just six Tests away from joining the 100-club.
“I’m not going to say I’m going to be done this year or the next, I’ll just take it season for season, but the one thing I can guarantee is that it won’t be soon,” Le Roux told SportsBoom.com.
“I look at guys like Willem Alberts and Ruan Pienaar, who still played in their 40th year. That motivates me, why not try and get there too?
“It’s definitely my love for the game that keeps me going, I’m not ready to watch from the sidelines yet. I’m still just always learning and trying to get better.”
Le Roux also helped the Bulls reach the United Rugby Championship final this season, after he joined the Pretoria-based team after last year’s World Cup in France. He previously played for the Cheetahs and Sharks in South Africa and Wasps and Toyota Verblitz overseas, among other teams.
“I was a bit nervous coming back to South Africa because I didn’t want to disappoint anyone. When you sign for a union like the Bulls, there are expectations, and I didn’t want people to say I’ve just come to Pretoria to retire. That’s definitely not me,” said Le Roux.
“There are a lot of young, good players at the Bulls and the Springboks and they can learn from me and I learn from them because they bring a different energy and they see the game differently. Your age and the number of caps you have don’t matter, you can always still learn.”
Eight players have become Test centurions for South Africa; the first man to get to 100 Tests being former fullback Percy Montgomery, who helped the Boks win the World Cup in 2007 as a member of Jake White’s team. Le Roux is also four Tests away from breaking the record for the Boks’ most-capped starting fullback, currently held by Montgomery (80).
“I know I’m close to those milestones, but that sort of thing can also catch you out,” said the fullback.
While retirement might not be something Le Roux is thinking about right now, he is fully aware he will have to do something with his life when he does decide to hang up his boots.
“I can’t see myself doing something other than rugby once I finish playing, so I’ll have to sort that out. Coaching is something I’ll look into, do the courses in the meantime because you don’t want to think about finishing playing, but you have to be sorted for life after playing rugby,” Le Roux said.
As one of the more divisive figures in Bok rugby in recent times, Le Roux has seen and heard it all.
Reflecting on his career up to now he said: “I’ve always just wanted to express myself, experience the same joy I had as a kid playing next to the field.
“Andre Joubert was definitely a hero of mine and I used to love Brent Russell and the way he just accelerated into the game. And Carlos Spencer, the way he played – passing through the legs, banana kicks, crosskicks – I love to try those things.
“When you start playing, you want to attack from everywhere. When you chip-and-chase and it comes off, it looks cool, but there is always an error-rate attached to that sort of play. If it’s coming off 1/10 times then you must obviously not do it anymore, but if it works 7/10 times then you know you can have a go.”
“One can always improve on one’s decision-making and I like to play more attacking rugby, but when it’s on.”
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