For Jean-Luc du Preez, snagging a Test start is as rare as a quiet day on Twitter, and after a long seven-year hiatus, he’s finally back in the Springbok starting lineup. Sure, he played in the season opener against the Barbarians in Cape Town earlier this year, but let’s not kid ourselves—that was just the appetizer, not an official Test match. To find his last real deal Test start, we have to time travel back to June 9, 2018, against England at Ellis Park.
In that 2018 clash, which was only Rassie Erasmus’ second game in charge, Du Preez was in the thick of it alongside then-injured captain Siya Kolisi, with Damian de Allende and Franco Mostert also braving the fray. Fast forward to today, and Du Preez has added a mere trio of Test caps to his resume, the most recent against Argentina before the 2023 Rugby World Cup.
"My first Test for seven years—that speaks for itself. I’d just like to do my best for the team and get us on the front foot and hopefully we can do a good job on Saturday."
With the upcoming match against the Wallabies at Ellis Park, the stakes are high, and Du Preez is feeling the heft of the moment. Yet, he’s focusing more on mental prep than the chatter that surrounds his long-awaited return.
"I’ve been thinking quite a bit this week because of the result last week. There is a lot of pressure on us and for me to come in, not having started in seven years—I’ve just tried not thinking about the outside noise too much. Just trying to get my prep right to do a proper job."
At 29, Du Preez is set to bring some serious heft from the scrum’s base, aiming to smash through the advantage line. But it’s not all about offense. He points out that defensively, the team needs to counter Wallabies’ ace fetcher Fraser McReight.
"We know he’s a very good fetcher but for us, we just need more urgency to the breakdown and we’ve worked on that this week, just getting in before the breakdown actually forms."
The Boks are gearing up for a fiery rematch in Cape Town, and with Du Preez back in the saddle, they’re hoping it’s the spark they need to dominate. So, grab your jerseys and a cold one—rugby drama is best served with a side of comeback story.
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For Jean-Luc du Preez, snagging a Test start is as rare as a quiet day on Twitter, and after a long seven-year hiatus, he’s finally back in the Springbok starting lineup. Sure, he played in the season opener against the Barbarians in Cape Town earlier this year, but let’s not kid ourselves—that was just the appetizer, not an official Test match. To find his last real deal Test start, we have to time travel back to June 9, 2018, against England at Ellis Park.
In that 2018 clash, which was only Rassie Erasmus’ second game in charge, Du Preez was in the thick of it alongside then-injured captain Siya Kolisi, with Damian de Allende and Franco Mostert also braving the fray. Fast forward to today, and Du Preez has added a mere trio of Test caps to his resume, the most recent against Argentina before the 2023 Rugby World Cup.
"My first Test for seven years—that speaks for itself. I’d just like to do my best for the team and get us on the front foot and hopefully we can do a good job on Saturday."
With the upcoming match against the Wallabies at Ellis Park, the stakes are high, and Du Preez is feeling the heft of the moment. Yet, he’s focusing more on mental prep than the chatter that surrounds his long-awaited return.
"I’ve been thinking quite a bit this week because of the result last week. There is a lot of pressure on us and for me to come in, not having started in seven years—I’ve just tried not thinking about the outside noise too much. Just trying to get my prep right to do a proper job."
At 29, Du Preez is set to bring some serious heft from the scrum’s base, aiming to smash through the advantage line. But it’s not all about offense. He points out that defensively, the team needs to counter Wallabies’ ace fetcher Fraser McReight.
"We know he’s a very good fetcher but for us, we just need more urgency to the breakdown and we’ve worked on that this week, just getting in before the breakdown actually forms."
The Boks are gearing up for a fiery rematch in Cape Town, and with Du Preez back in the saddle, they’re hoping it’s the spark they need to dominate. So, grab your jerseys and a cold one—rugby drama is best served with a side of comeback story.