Vodacom Bulls captain Lood de Jager is on the cover of the new SA Rugby magazine, on sale this week!
De Jager was having a brilliant 2018 season for the Bulls before being struck down by a pectoral injury in May.
At that stage, the second rower was the odds-on favourite to wear the Springbok No 5 jersey during the Test series against England in June. Instead, he was forced to watch the Boks on TV and keep himself occupied with a coaching role during the Currie Cup.
De Jager returned to action on the Boks’ end-of-year tour, coming off the bench twice, before scoring a memorable try for the Barbarians against Argentina at Twickenham.
In this issue of SA Rugby magazine, the 26-year-old talks candidly about dealing with the ‘dark times’, developing his skills and the competition at lock.
Also in this issue:
– Opinions are split over who should start at flyhalf for the Sharks, Robert du Preez or Curwin Bosch
– A rare break from rugby in the off-season may allow Elton Jantjies to realise his potential in the lead-up to the 2019 World Cup
– Sikhumbuzo Notshe is the first Springbok to hail from Nyanga in Cape Town. This is his story, in his own words
– A World Cup year always throws up any number of unexpected events in New Zealand that ensure Super Rugby is never dull
– Pat Lambie‘s shock retirement has brought the subject of concussion-related injuries starkly into the spotlight
– Francois Hougaard talks about being a man-child, building a business empire, getting tattoos removed and buying a Lamborghini
– Player poaching in South African schools rugby continues despite measures put in place to prevent it
– Paul Willemse once dreamed of playing for the Springboks. Now he is fully committed to France
– Why do France place more importance on the scrumhalf than the flyhalf? And why can’t they settle on a halfback pairing?
– In extracts from his autobiography, Dark Arts, former Leinster and Ireland tighthead prop Mike Ross reveals the secrets to coach Joe Schmidt’s success
