Butch James and Bismarck Du Plessis

‘Ready to rumble’ was how burly Bismarck du Plessis described the frame of mind of the herd of Springboks returning to action this weekend for the Tri-Nations match against the Wallabies, and there have been similar calls to arms from the other Springboks that have spoken to the media this week.

Butch James, showing admirable maturity in his senior years, has called on his teammates to “walk the walk now that they have talked the talk” while elder statesman Victor Matfield said “The team full-stop, not just the so-called seniors, must stand up and do full justice to the jersey.”

The Boks are making the right noises alright, but as James pointed out, that is the easy part.

“Everyone in our group, from the youngest player to the coach, is talking about the importance of wining this match. That was a Springbok team overseas, no matter who played in it, and we are all feeling the pain. But you can speak about it as much as you want in team meetings … it is the talking on the field that counts, so we must all ‘arrive’ on Saturday and do the business.”

Bismarck said that every time the Springboks lose a match it “feels like a disgrace for the players”. And while he will make his comeback from a shoulder injury off the bench, he is determined to make as big an impact as possible.

“I am 100 percent at last. Back in December on our farm I fell off a shed we were building for the cattle and the shoulder played up during Super Rugby.”

The shed, fortunately, is okay, too, he said. A more successful stint on his farm than the shed business was a biltong gathering expedition last weekend with his brother Jannie and a few other Springbok mates.

“We reckon we do biltong well in the Free State so felt we needed to stock up for our fortnight on the coast,” Bismarck smiled, adding that the hunters had shot an eland and a springbok and perhaps not appreciating the irony, or rather the omen, of potting a bok a week before wearing the animal on his chest!

The 27-year-old said that while ideally any player wants to start every game, it does not pan out that way in the real world.

“Different coaches sometimes have differing views on how they want to use you, and I am happy just to play my role in hopefully beating Australia on Saturday. The team winning every Test match you are involved in is all that counts,” he said.

And continuing his Sharks rivalry with John Smit onto the international stage can only benefit the team, Du Plessis said.

“Competition brings out the best in you. I have respected John from the first days I arrived in Durban (six years ago) and I give him a lot of credit for helping me become the player I am,” he said. “Nobody can rest on their laurels. That does not do the team any favours.”

James agrees, and he said that now that he is an older player fighting for a position in the team, he appreciates being picked all the more.

“I don’t want it (his career) to end, I bite the bullet Monday to Friday (through injury niggles) so that I can play at the weekend. I “byt vas” and push through.

“Being called up to the Boks is special second time round after a period in the wilderness,” James continued. “Also, the older you get, the more you realise that you not going to be around forever. Every time you get together with the Springbok team you treat it like it is the last time. As a youngster, you tend to take it for granted.”

*** There was good news for the Boks yesterday when loose forwards Ryan Kankowski and Ashley Johnson were released to play Absa Currie Cup rugby this weekend, having been called up as cover to the Springbok camp in Durban.

The pair were drafted in as a precaution after Pierre Spies (groin) and Danie Rossouw (gastroenteritis), were unable to train on Monday. Both players had recovered sufficiently to take part in practice on Tuesday and reported no adverse effects yesterday and will be available for selection. The team will be announced today.

BY Mike Greenaway