John Smit: Evergreen Beast Mtawarira has still got it

Former Springbok captain John Smit said on Friday that current South Africa loosehead prop Tendai Mtawarira is unfairly perceived to be heading over the hill because of the exceptional standards of mobility The Beast has set during his lengthy career.

Mtawarira is the most-capped Springbok prop, having played 92 Tests since his debut against Wales in 2008 and is the third most capped forward after hooker Smit and lock Victor Matfield.

But the 32-year-old has been in fine form, anchoring the South African scrum and still making a big contribution in the tight loose.

The Beast’s performance in his last game, against Argentina in Salta, was exceptional and he was many observers’ man of the match.

“Beastie has been one of the guys who has really stood up in the pack. His big challenge is that he plays like a loose forward, making a dozen tackles per game. But most looseheads just scrum and lift at the lineout, so he’s actually at a disadvantage almost because of his athletic ability. Everybody just expects him to be playing like a flank now,” Smit, South Africa’s most-capped captain, said at Kyalami at the announcement of Land Rover as the Springboks’ official, vehicle supplier.

“His scrummaging and work-rate have been phenomenal, he’s still making the same number of tackles as a flank and hitting lots of rucks. He’s one of the most valuable players on the field and there aren’t many 120kg players who can cover holes in the defence like he can.”

Smit picked out current Springbok hooker Malcolm Marx as the other star up front during their five-match winning run in 2017.

“Malcolm has the potential to be the best hooker in the world when he gets older. He balances aggression and staying cool for when he has to throw the ball into the lineout under pressure really well. I just love watching him play,” Smit said.

The 2007 World Cup-winning captain marked out the Springboks’ defence as the area that will be most under pressure as they head to Australasia to take on the Wallabies and All Blacks, with both teams having attacking backlines that can run a team silly.

“Their challenge over the next fortnight is going to be that they’re up against far superior attacking systems. Their defence stayed intact against France and Argentina, but the French finished second-last in the Six Nations and the Pumas are ranked 10^th in the world.

“They are tough sides to play against, but the Springboks will now face organised attacks that can keep their shape all the way from their own tryline, so there’s no relief in defence. It’s going to be interesting to see how they’ve come on in that respect, because defence takes the most time to get right,” Smit said.