Tightheads & Loose Balls
● Tightheads this week caught up with former Cheetahs lock Ryno Opperman, who is currently the chairman of the franchise. Opperman told the story of how the Cheetahs’ tight forwards, after eating too much junk food, were ordered to slim down while on tour in Super Rugby. “They wanted us to eat muesli and pancakes for breakfast. It was awful, so we made sure we snuck down for breakfast when it opened at six o’clock and ate bacon and eggs to our hearts’ content. When the whole team went down at seven we’d go down too and eat muesli. Our assistant coach, Gysie Pienaar, walked past our table and excitedly told everyone: ‘Look at this. Just look at their commitment’.’”
● Bok forwards coach Matt Proudfoot wasn’t sure if he should be appalled or impressed when he learnt that members of the travelling media “went out” on a Monday night. “In Bloem?” he demanded to know. He was quickly schooled about what is possible and how the concept of time is left behind at the door upon entry at The Mystic Boer.
● Tendai “Beast” Mtawarira celebrated his 100th test yesterday. Congratulations to him. His decision to conduct just one interview in the buildup to yesterday’s test, however, was far less commendable.
● The Beast, and those who have watched him, disappeared down memory lane this week. His most memorable moment in his 100 tests arguably came in the first test against the British and Irish Lions in 2009. He literally scrummed Phil Vickery off the park. “The Beast was pretty impressive,” Graham Rowntree, the Lions’ scrumming coach, noted back then. “There was one scrum after nine minutes when we got lifted off the floor and if I was their scrum coach I would have retired and gone to Panama.”
Despite the efforts of coach Eddie Jones, the quote of the week has to go to England fullback Elliot Daly. “If you’re in short grass and smell curry, just run away.” Daly dispensed the advice on a video diary following the team’s visit to a reptile park in KZN this week. Apparently green mambas smell like curry and Tightheads is happy to take Daly’s word.