Dillyn Leyds and Raymond Rhule were made in South Africa, but given the freedom to flourish in France, writes SIMON BORCHARDT.
When chatting to the double Champions Cup winners for the next issue of SA Rugby magazine – on sale this Friday – I expected them to say that playing their club rugby for La Rochelle, under coach Ronan O’Gara, had made them better rugby players.
But both former Springbok wings said it was more a case of French rugby allowing them to express themselves in a less-pressurised environment. A bad performance in South Africa results in a barrage of criticism from fans and the media, but at La Rochelle, it’s quickly forgotten. Win, lose or draw, fans continue to fill the Stade Marcel-Deflandre and cheer for their team. The support never wanes.
Both players also made a point of saying they had matured while in France and learned how to deal with the ‘downs’ in rugby.
WATCH: Leyds gives winner’s medal to crying kid
Leyds and Rhule’s comments shouldn’t be misconstrued as an admission that they couldn’t handle the heat in South Africa, because they certainly did, most notably Rhule after the Springboks’ 57-0 defeat to the All Blacks in 2017. The winger was battered in the media and on social media, but that relentless criticism never broke him. In fact, it made him stronger, and he’s since proved his critics wrong in France, even if he insists doing so was never a motivating factor.
However, playing ‘under a magnifying glass’, as Leyds put it, in unforgiving, rugby-mad South Africa did inhibit both players at times, which is why a move to France has been so beneficial for them.
It also shows that while we would love to keep all of South Africa’s top players in the country, there are times when it’s good to wish them bon voyage.
There’s a long list of South Africans who have become better rugby players abroad, whether it’s because of a better rugby environment, working with coaches who know how to get the best out of them or less politics.
Recently-retired Jono Ross comes to mind. Ross was considered an average loose forward (by South African standards) while at the Bulls, yet went on to play more than 150 games for the Sale Sharks, captaining them to this season’s English Premiership final.
Other South Africans, like Leyds and Rhule, don’t necessarily become better rugby players while overseas, they’re just given the chance to fulfil their potential in a more suitable environment.
Another Bok wing, Cheslin Kolbe, is a prime example. The pocket rocket shot the lights out for Toulouse and then Toulon after leaving South African rugby, where he had been regarded by many as being too small.
In France, his size didn’t matter and he was encouraged to play his natural attacking game. As a result, Kolbe played himself into the Bok squad in 2018 before writing himself into rugby history a year later.
While Leyds and Rhule admit they are highly unlikely to use French club rugby as a springboard back into the Springbok squad, the fact they are part of the Bok conversation again is a testament to their performances.
South African rugby’s ‘player drain’ has always had a negative connotation, but when it results in great gains for players, like with this Bok duo, it should be regarded as a big positive and their success celebrated.
– Read our in-depth interview with Leyds and Rhule in the next issue of SA Rugby magazine, on sale Friday, 23 June