Elstadt shows dreams do come true

Rynhardt Elstadt knew the moment he stepped onto the plane to travel to Toulouse as a medical joker that his career in South Africa was over.

That was why he was gobsmacked when Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus came knocking on his door with a call-up to the national team.

“Its been a great honour to be included into the squad. I only knew in the last week before the end of the season that I would be here in the squad. To be honest when I left South Africa I never had any thought of playing for the Springboks, so it was a surprise to me to be honest. I made a name for myself on that side, and it shows that you should never give your hopes up,” he admitted this week after being given his first test start against Australia in Saturday’s Castle Lager Rugby Championship match at Ellis Park

But the Elstadt that moved to France was young and angry, and by his own admission he has matured a lot, become a more complete player and calmed down a bit in the process.

“Since I moved to France, the rugby in the northern hemisphere is totally different to the rugby in the Southern Hemisphere and I think my rugby evolved to be better. I wish I could learn more and whatever I’ve learned I want to bring down to the south and to the squad and see what I can do to show the guys differently,” he explained.

“Nothing has changed as a person or player. Probably I’ve calmed down a bit, playing more to the ball and not the man as I used to be. I’ve evolved as a better player in France, I think I’ve matured and I’d like to do the same on Saturday and play a new brand of rugby.

“I went over as a medical joker and you know in life how you don’t get a lot of opportunities? And when you do get opportunities you grasp it with both hands. And that is exactly what happened for me.

“Since I got there everything started happening for me. I struggled at first with the language but since I learnt the language, a few doors opened for me and I haven’t looked back since. Every game was just better and I could expose myself and develop as a player. You never know what the future holds but it can only be good.

“It is a very long season, it is not like the Southern Hemispehre. It is a 10-month season and you prepare differently to the south. That is one of the things I’d like to introduce to players this side. You just take the next game as it comes, you prepare. For myself and Cheslin, when we got to the semifinals and finals, we took it as just another match. We finished it the way we wanted to and we got over it over the next two days and then we were ready to play the next game.”

With the French Top 14 noticably slower than Super Rugby and the ball-in-play against Australia traditionally a high paced affair, Elstadt knows the challenge on him is to take the step up and make sure he is at the pace of the game.

“It was quite a good step up in training this past few weeks. Coming from Top 14 the pace is a lot slower there, and the contact is a lot higher. But the space is quite slow and I’m used to working harder and that is what South Africans are known for on that side. Nothing has changed in terms of workrate and I’ve slotted in with two weeks to adapt, I feel good so Saturday will be a good chance for me to show what I can do.

“Rugby is rugby I guess, but I am super excited. It is an honour to wear the Green and Gold, but at the end of the day it is still rugby and I have a job to do and need to do the best I can in my position.”

On Saturday Elstadt will start at openside, with Francois Louw at eight. But while he will be physical, he won’t be a classical fetcher, and has never been. Still, he thinks the entire debate on the openside flanker is often overstated.

“I reckon we make quite a big fuss about being either blindside or openside. To me being an openside flanker I need to secure the breakdown first and that is the reason for me on that side. I am not a fetcher, but it is more to secure the ball for us.”

But on Saturday there will be no hiding place. Elstadt joins a prestigious club and knows all eyes will be on him. Now he has to show his call-up was worth it. And that dreams do come true.