Oupa Mohoje is still in the fight to stake claim for Bok jersey despite the high traffic in the blind-side flanker lane
● There are many cabs in the South African loose forward rank and Teboho Stephen “Oupa” Mohoje is one of them.
He’s been out of the rank 19 times since his debut against Scotland in Port Elizabeth four years ago, but this is a department where you don’t want form to desert or injury to strike at the most inopportune time.
The South African loose-forward conveyor belt is one of the most productive in world rugby.
If there’s one that falls off or moves overseas, there’s always a ready-made replacement to fill the void.
The fact that Mohoje has started 14 of his 19 Tests is a good thing for him, but in the England series, tearaway Sharks blindside flanker Jean-luc du Preez featured in all three Tests while Mohoje busied himself with the one-off Test against Wales in Washington DC.
Mohoje, who not only turned 28 on Friday, but who will be captaining the Cheetahs in the 2018/19 Pro14, understands how the South African loose forward rat-race operates but also made peace with the fact that Pro14 rugby hasn’t pushed him out of the selection circle.
“If you play in the Pro14 and you produce solid performances, your chances of making the Bok team will still be good. Being in the Pro14 tournament will not deprive you of being in the national team and that’s something we’ve reconciled ourselves with while playing in this tournament,” Mohoje said.
“At the end of the day you also have to control what you can and everything else often just follows from there. You can’t be worried about things that you can’t control. When you are picked, you have to perform because that’s you handing your CV in because you’re picked to perform.”
With Mohoje absent from Super Rugby, Du Preez impressed throughout a disappointing Sharks campaign, and the likes of Cyle Brink (Lions), Cobus Wiese and Sikhumbuzo Notshe (Stormers) have asked serious selectorial questions this year.
Notshe in particular operates at No 8 and while the Stormers were unflattering this season, Notshe played out of his skin and gave a good account of himself in the green and gold. Then there’s also the persistence in using Pieter-Steph du Toit as a blindside flank when he’s clearly a better lock.
The recent depth in the No 7 berth isn’t something that worries Mohoje.
“The depth is tremendous and South African rugby has always been blessed with very good loose forwards and that won’t change.
“At the end of the day it all comes down to grafting and if you graft the hardest you’ll get the opportunity of representing the country,” Mohoje said.
“If there’s one thing we know, there’s definitely healthy competition and you strive to get better. You want to be the best and you play to be the best.”
Transformation in South African rugby is still a tentative work in progress but with Siyamthanda Kolisi being a franchise and national team captain, the baby steps are there from a leadership perspective.
Mohoje has reasonably big boots left by Francois Venter that he has to fill. In their first attempt, the Cheetahs made the Pro14 playoffs but fell at the first hurdle
Mohoje, whose international career has neatly intertwined with that of Kolisi, understands the societal nuances of having and being a black captain in a game that continues to grapple with transformation.
“It’s an honour leading the Cheetahs and I understand the responsibility that comes with it. Frans Venter was a good leader and the shoes he left are big. The one thing that makes me happy is that the players buy into the leadership,” Mohoje said.
You must perform because you’re handing in your CV Oupa Mohoje
Cheetahs captain