Wise ‘Flo’ has two new Springbok heroes he’s worshipping
Ironically, the experienced if somewhat underappreciated flanker himself is doing heroic deeds in the Green-and-Gold.
Francois Louw. Photo: Gallo Images.
Over a nine-year international career where his worth to the Springbok cause remains underappreciated and even questioned, it’s unsurprising that Francois Louw has stopped worrying about being considered a hero in the Green-and-Gold.
The stalwart flanker is now more preoccupied with worshipping some of his teammates.
He even admits he found two new heroes in South Africa’s 35-17 victory over the Wallabies at Ellis Park at the weekend.
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“I told Pieter-Steph (du Toit) after the game that I have a new hero in my rugby book,” Louw, a 66-Test veteran, said with a smile.
“I mean, this is a 2m tall blindside flanker that made a blindside break on the scrum and did a chip-and-chase. I think he watched a video of Victor Matfield doing that a few years ago. He caught it and managed to offload. The try (for Lood de Jager) came from that.
“He’s a phenomenal player, an absolute workhorse. He’s a great guy to have in your team.”
As the man who invariably had to feed him from the Boks’ dominant scrum, Louw also singled out debutant Herschel Jantjies for an outstanding debut at halfback.
“It was a huge occasion for him. We had a three-week pre-season camp and he was in the mix,” said Louw.
“He was nervous as it was his first time among the boys and for him to play his first game like he played was phenomenal. I don’t doubt the fact that he’s got a bright future ahead of him. I hope to see more of him in the No 9 jersey in future.”
Yet Jantjies is the one man who’ll acknowledge what a vital cog his grizzled and wise teammate remains in the national machine.
It was Louw’s canny steal at a breakdown that led to the nifty counterattack that gave the 23-year-old his maiden Test try.
In all, the 34-year-old Bath star poached possession three times and made 11 tackles to boot.
But Louw remains phlegmatic over his form.
“I don’t think you ever want to rest on your laurels. I’m pleased with how I performed in this game. It’s good to be back. I’ll definitely try to still improve my game. Everyone does a lot of personal analysis nowadays,” he said.
“I want to still improve and play myself into contention for the World Cup.”
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