Elrigh Louw was chosen as the Bulls’ URC Forward of the Year last week, and in all his rampages downfield, you were likely to see him barge his way through defenders.
But being part of the Springbok team brings about something extra in every player’s make-up – and last week against the All Blacks at Ellis Park, it was the Louw sidestep. The hard-running loose forward even chuckled quietly when asked this week about his fancy footwork in the 31-27 victory in Johannesburg, where he stepped past Mark Tele’a from a kick-off in the 76th minute.
“We are always trying to evolve our game. The people were shouting at me, why don’t I pass! But I just told them one thing at a time – I can’t step and then pass as well,” the 24-year-old said.
Thought the restarts were fascinating yesterday and this was pretty special from Elrigh Louw. Lovely footwork on landing to beat Mark Tele'a and then great poise on the ball to make another 15 metres or so. pic.twitter.com/GPqSzonNCS
Whether Bok fans can expect more of the same in Saturday’s massive showdown against New Zealand at Cape Town Stadium (kick-off 5pm) remains to be seen, as there are a whole host of loose forwards vying for starting and bench spots.
Louw made a difference to the world champions in the second half, having replaced Jasper Wiese at No 8 in the 43rd minute. The Boks rallied from 27-17 down in the final quarter to grab a memorable victory against the run of play, and will hope to repeat the feat at Cape Town Stadium on Saturday.
“Personally for me it was a massive dream come true to play the All Blacks, and for it to be at Ellis Park,” Louw said.
“I think we did our homework and knew what to expect, but the quality side that they are, they will always bring something different on the day. We were caught out once or twice, but I think we expected most of the things that we got.
“It will mean a lot to us to beat the All Blacks twice, but we will take it as it comes this weekend and not think too far ahead.
“Competition in a squad is always healthy, and I think that is what we have at this stage. We are building something special – three guys can slot into one position at any time.”
Louw said that the Boks won’t be deterred by the support that the All Blacks always enjoy in Cape Town, and that he hopes to follow the example set by star utility forward Pieter-Steph du Toit this weekend.
“I think Cape Town is renowned for all of their All Black supporters. The people’s support means a lot to us on the field, but I don’t think we can really distinguish between who’s shouting for us and against us. I don’t think that will be a big factor in our motivation and the way we perform on the field,” he said.
“We were prepared to play 80 minutes. We had good energy from the bench, and I don’t think they were tired. I just think that we were prepared.”