Springbok fullback Willie le Roux during South Africa training session ahead of their 2023 Rugby World Cup final against New Zealand.
Image: David Rogers/Getty Images
More accustomed to drawing defenders before delivering the final pass, Bok fullback Willie le Roux on Wednesday tried to draw the sting from another flashpoint in South Africa's Rugby World Cup semifinal win over England last Saturday.
After the final whistle an exuberant Le Roux, some might suggest in a fit of triumphalism, ran towards and celebrated wildly close to England players before captain Owen Farrell pushed him away.
A mini scuffle ensued but nothing further materialised.
“It was just emotion,” Le Roux said when asked to explain his actions. “I think I had the same emotion as everyone back home, I was excited. The margins in those big games are so small, I just jumped up out of emotion, of happiness as we'd just got through a World Cup semifinal.
“There was no disrespect to any of the English players. I think they thought there was and I immediately told them there wasn't and then it stopped. There was nothing, nothing about that.”
Farrell was asked about the pushing and shoving directly after the game and he too drew the sting out of the incident, saying it was a misunderstanding.
The gravity of the win certainly resonated with Le Roux who, should he be selected in the match 23 will play in his second RWC final.
Playing New Zealand, South Africa's greatest rivals, in the final perhaps makes this occasion more special.
“That would be unbelievable. I was six years old in 1995 (the last time the teams faced each other in a Rugby World Cup final) and I can just remember my dad and mum screaming in the house and I couldn't understand exactly what was going on.
“But to be able to have a chance to play in the final against them would be amazing.”
While things got a little tetchy in the match against England, the Boks and the All Blacks have always had a healthy rivalry and tend to focus all their energy on the combat.
“There's always respect,” said Le Roux. “The rivalry goes back a long time. The games that have been played against each other, always it's hard fought and after the game you can see the guys, they gave it their all.
“It's just a hard battle out there, there are no friends when you are on the field.”
Le Roux, who is often credited for his well-honed positional sense when threats need to be snuffed out, will have to be on high alert if he makes it onto the field on Saturday.
New Zealand's Will Jordan has been the tournament's most potent try scorer with eight. He needs one more to break the record held jointly by Jonah Lomu, Bryan Habana and Julian Savea.
The Boks somehow found ways to contain the juggernaut that is Lomu whenever they encountered him and it would appear a team effort will be required to keep Jordan in check.
“I think the 23 that go out there on Saturday will all buy into our defensive plan, stick to what we think is best. We can stop them — everyone — from scoring, not just him, stop all the All Blacks from scoring.
“He's an amazing all-round player. He chips and chases, he can do anything, scores from anywhere, creates something out of nothing. An unbelievable ballplayer,” said Le Roux.