The mind is willing and ready, while the body… Well, Faf de Klerk doesn’t know for sure, but he is prepared to give all he’s got to the Springboks as he closes out his illustrious career.
De Klerk will turn 36 during the 2027 Rugby World Cup, and although he would not speculate if he is aiming to help the SA team defend the world title in Australia, he is looking to work his way back into the set-up as quickly as possible.
The scrumhalf suffered a thigh injury earlier this year, which has denied him game time in the Rugby Championship thus far.
“It is very much body dependent,” De Klerk admitted yesterday at the launch of the Castle Lager Rugby Championship, regarding the longevity of his career. “If the body keeps going, I’ll probably keep going.
“Before this injury, I was actually feeling really good and young again on the field. I don't want to put a date on it... At least another two years,” he added.
Double world champion De Klerk has collected 58 caps in a career that began in 2016 against Ireland, starting his debut match in the starting XV.
At the World Cup in 2019, De Klerk was the undisputed No 9, holding the jersey at the expense of Cobus Reinach and Herschel Jantjies.
Four years later, the Boks famously shipped De Klerk, Reinach, Grant Williams and Jaden Hendrikse to France as halfback options. Most recently, Morné van den Berg has been added to the scrumhalf stocks.
There is, then, fierce competition at nine, while a victorious veteran De Klerk still has the hunger to perform.
Said De Klerk: “You still want to get that starting position every week, so you're doing everything you can in training to stand out.
“Working with a guy like Van den Berg and Grant, it is great. If they play better than me, or perform better than me, I am happy for them to do it.”
Under the renewed tenure of coach Rassie Erasmus, the Boks have recognised that they must evolve, if they are to dominate world rugby and successfully defend the Webb Ellis Cup.
Tony Brown has, therefore, been brought in as an assistant coach in the hope of helping facilitate that evolution.
“The Boks’ main pillars are still our scrum, our maul, our physicality and our kicking game... No matter who we play, or where we play, those are always going to remain the big ones.” – Faf de Klerk
The new ideology has De Klerk recalling his earlier playing days.
“I enjoy what Tony has brought about,” he said.
“It is the way I sort of used to play back at the Lions, and it is something that I am really enjoying being part of. There are a lot of things, small little details, that we need to sort out to make it really flow well.
“Our main pillars are still our scrum, our maul, our physicality and our kicking game ... No matter who we play, or where we play, those are always going to remain the big ones.”
De Klerk’s injury will be assessed next week, with a clearer picture developing of his recovery. He will more than likely sit out the All Black Tests at Ellis Park and Cape Town Stadium.
In 2022, De Klerk watched from the sideline as the New Zealanders upset the Boks 35-23 in Johannesburg, and although admitting that it is always tough facing the Old Foe, he remained positive that the Boks won’t repeat the same mistakes this time around.
“The Boks are definitely going to speak about how we were dominant in that whole game, and then we still managed to lose it at the end. I think it is going to be about not letting the pressure off them at all, and just sticking to what we do well.
“It is going to be tough, no matter where you play them or how you play them. We also now have that edge where we can come back from behind. So, on the day, it will be about who is willing to keep fighting,” he concluded.