Prince Harry granted Lood an exclusive interview!
Daniel Gallan talks to Sale Sharks lock Lood De Jager about World Cup memories
One of Lood de Jager’s most prized possessions from the 2019 World Cup is an ill-gotten photo with a member of the British royal family.
After the Springboks’ 32-12 win over England in the final, the players were congratulated by Prince Harry who stepped into a dressing room soaked with beer and champagne. After a few measured handshakes, the Duke of Sussex was suddenly gripped around the neck by De Jager’s meaty arm as Eben Etzebeth flexed a bulging bicep in the background.
“His security guard told me off for that,” De Jager recalls for The Rugby Paper. “They also told me I wasn’t allowed to take a photo with him. I said, ‘too late’. No one else in the team got to take a photo with him with their own phone. I’m the only guy in the squad who has one and stuck it on my Instagram.”
Sale Sharks-signing De Jager can be forgiven for forgetting himself in that moment. Not only was he high on the adrenaline of becoming a World Cup winner, he was also high on a large amount of morphine. Just after 20 minutes into that one-sided contest at the International Stadium in Yokohama, De Jager’s already vulnerable left shoulder met a rampaging Billy Vunipola and dislocated from its socket. The 6ft 9in Bok crumpled in a heap and was substituted.
“I’m actually proud of that,” he says. “We promised each other before the game that we’d put our bodies on the line and that’s exactly what I did. I gave everything I had for my country.”
That heady night in Japan was the last time the Springboks were in action. While the rest of the world’s top nations have given their fans something to cheer (or complain) about, those loyal to the leaping antelope have had to slake their rugby appetite with domestic fixtures played behind closed doors.
De Jager has kept a keen eye on the Six Nations. He describes France as “the team to beat in world rugby”, and has been surprised by Wales’ turn in fortune. “They couldn’t buy a win in the autumn,” he says. “They’ve been lucky with a few refereeing decisions but that’s how it goes. You can’t take anything for granted in this game.”
This is why De Jager struggles to state with any certainty what the British & Irish Lions will look like when Warren Gatland assembles his squad: “Had you asked me a few months ago I’d have said it would be mostly English. Now I’m not so sure. They’re still filled with match winners but I’m not sure all of them will be as confident of making the Lions as they were a few months ago.”
We spend some time talking about Maro Itoje: “He’s world class,” De Jager says. “He’s such an incredible athlete and is always on the edge. He’s a bit different to South African locks. He’d more likely play on the flank in South Africa. It would be fantastic to go against him if we’re both selected.”
Like all Springboks sides this current batch relies on its strength at set-piece. It was the scrum that decimated England 16 months ago but the lineout was just as effective throughout the competition with De Jager leading the calls.
“I love the little details and working out how to beat the opposition in those tight spaces,” he says. “Lock is a position that we have been blessed to have so many great players. John Smit once said that you never own the jersey you wear, you’re just looking after it until you hand it to the next guy. Our job is to make sure we leave it in a better place than when we received it. That’s difficult though at lock with Victor (Matfield) and Bakkies (Botha) having been here before.”
De Jager is right to single out those two imposing giants with 214 Test caps between them. Matfield and Botha formed one of the most formidable second row unions in the game’s history and helped turn the Springboks and the Bulls into dynastic forces. They won 11 major titles for club and country across a 12-year period including the 2009 Lions series.
“If we could win it this year, we would put ourselves in the conversation of being a great team,” De Jager says. “We’re not there yet. Any team that holds a World Cup and a Lions series at the same time deserves recognition. We all know how big this contest is and how important it is for our sport.”
Uncertainty still abounds concerning the location of this iconic fixture. The smart money is on history being made by the Springboks travelling north to take on the best of the British Isles on their own turf. While De Jager is unfazed from a professional standpoint – “It will still be 15 red jerseys playing 15 green jerseys,” he says – he has sympathy for his compatriots back home.
De Jager’s journey is somewhat exceptional given he never attended a top sports school nor did he play agegroup representative rugby. He enrolled at North-West University to study industrial psychology and played the game recreationally. But his towering physique and natural know-how soon saw him elevated to the first team. Within two years he was part of the broader training group at the Cheetahs.
“I don’t intend on finishing my degree,” he says. “I’d love to get into coaching and work with young men. A lot of guys lack role models and the most important figure in their life is often their sports coach. Working with kids is something I’m passionate about.”
De Jager and wife Candice had their second child six months ago. He describes a helter-skelter environment familiar to all parents but says it has been a blessing in more ways than one.
In September, in just his sixth game for Sale Sharks, he sustained yet another injury to his shoulder in a game against Leicester Tigers. Two pins put in place after the World Cup had bent almost 90 degrees: another surgery and more time off the field.
“Luckily my little ones kept me busy,” De Jager says. “I didn’t have any time to think about lockdown or my rehab. I got to spend real quality time with my family. But when the body was ready I couldn’t wait to get back.”
De Jager returned to a transformed outfit. Steve Diamond had made way for Alex Sanderson and the Springbok lock noticed an immediate change.
“Alex is more modern in his thinking and approach,” De Jager explains. “There’s a real buzz around the club. There’s no right or wrong way to do things in this game and I respect Steve, but he was more old school. It’s been refreshing what Alex has done. He’s made a massive difference.”
With stronger, thicker pins in his shoulder, and the rest of his 28-year-old body in prime condition, De Jager is slowly returning to his best rugby. He’s played all 280 minutes since coming on as a second half substitute in the defeat to Harlequins on February 20, and rounded off a superb team effort with a try in the 31-16 win over Newcastle two weeks ago and added another yesterday in defeat to Northampton.
“I’m loving my time here at Sale,” he says. “It’s great being around so many Saffas but most importantly it’s great being a part of such an ambitious team. The Premiership is the most competitive club competition in the world and we have plans on winning it. We’re not far off. I’d love to leave my mark here.”