Ruan Nortje is looking forward to starting alongside RG Snyman for the first time and making their mark for the Springboks.
Springbok lock Ruan Nortje is looking forward to the opportunity to start alongside RG Snyman for the first time in his career, as the two locks aim to leave their mark in the second Rugby Championship Test against the Wallabies in Cape Town on Saturday.
Nortje and Snyman have been backed to start, ahead of the experienced Eben Etzebeth and Lood de Jager, who will be playing off the bench as part of a super charged “bomb squad”.
It is thus a big opportunity for the new second row partners to impress and they will be eager to make a big impact during the time they have on the field, although Nortje doesn’t see himself making the same offloads that Snyman has become synonymous with.
First time
“This is the first time I’ll be starting a game next to RG, and I’m excited about the opportunity. He was also at the Bulls a few years ago, and I always wanted us to play together,” said Nortje at a Bok press conference on Wednesday.
“So the key for us this week will be to do our utmost to work well together. I think given our playing styles we can feed off each other a lot.
“I wish I could offload like RG does but he is one of a kind. If the opportunity is there for a clear offload I would always do it but RG is just at another level.
“RG gets the ball away sometimes when it appears there is no chance of that happening. That’s one of the things that makes me excited to work with him.”
The Boks battled in the lineouts during the first Test loss against the Wallabies at Ellis Park last weekend and Nortje admitted they had to pay them their dues, as it was not just the players who were on the field, but also the ones that helped in the build-up, that had to take ownership of the struggles.
“We have to give credit to Australia. I thought they were brilliant in that department (the lineouts). But it’s not just the guys on the field that take responsibility for what happened last week, it’s all of us as locks,” explained Nortje.
“We make plans together on Sunday evening (ahead of the build-up to a match). So it’s not just the guys who play, but the guys who weren’t playing in that game, like myself and RG, that were also involved.
“That was one we will definitely have to take on the chin and make sure this week we execute our plans a lot better.”
Stood up
During the Bok lock crisis last year Nortje stood up and impressed, and has carried that form into this season, playing superbly with the chances he has been given, including being named man-of-the-match against Georgia.
Although he is extremely fit and one of the players that can easily go all game, it is likely that he will come off early in the second half for De Jager, but despite that, he is confident that he will empty the tank with whatever time he has on the field.
“When I put the Springbok jersey on, whether it is for 10 minutes, 20 minutes or 80 minutes, what makes my game is my work rate,” said Nortje.
“I aim to empty my tank whenever I play. For me it is always so special to play for the Boks. A lot of these guys (the Bok locks) have been my heroes, people I looked up to and idolised when I was at Bulls at U19 level.
“Each opportunity to work with them is something to be taken with both hands. If my game does get better then credit must go to the guys who push me so hard and make me get better as a player.”
