Growing up with the Springboks

South Africa has a colourful past, writes SIMON HOFF

1. While other great rugby nations such as New Zealand and Australia are known for their attacking flair through the backs, the Springboks have built their formidable reputation on a forward pack full of burly and grim-faced giants who only speak Afrikaans to each other.

2. As Colin Meads is a legend to New Zealand rugby fans, so South Africa has its great names of the past - more huge forwards - locks Moaner van Heerden and Frik Du Preez, No 8 Morne du Plessis the darling of Newlands, flankers Piet Greyling and Tommy Bedford, hooker Uli Schmidt and Gert Smal.

3. Get the picture ... South African rugby is built on its forward power, always has been and always will be. Everybody knows (except John Mitchell) that test matches are won up front and if this is truly a Springbok revival then it will all start in the front row tomorrow with massive prop Os (ox) du Randt.

4. Okay, so there have been some fairly decent backs along the ages, halfback (still called scrumhalf everywhere else) Danie Craven played in three positions for the Boks and introduced the dive pass, Divan Serfontein was a favourite son at Western Province, Danie Gerber was a shock trooper centre in the De Wet Barry mould only much stronger and quicker, and Carel du Plessis was known as the 'Prince' of wings for his darting runs and electrifying speed down the touchline. His brother Michael, a dentist by profession in those glorious 'amateur' days, was as mercurial in the 1980s as Carlos Spencer is today - unbelievable vision, great flair, lovely tactical kicking and prone to go to pieces when the heat is really on.

5. And for those 20,000-odd South Africans living on the North Shore I'll add one more name to the mix and then duck for cover. He was simply known as 'Naasty Booter' and he had the meanest boot in town.

6. Growing up through the decades of isolation was not much fun and come Saturday afternoon me and my best mate Lennie would endure Currie Cup classics like Free State vs Eastern Province, Border vs Eastern Transvaal instead of us hosting the Lions, All Blacks or Wallabies.

7. And back to Naasty Booter. His real name, of course, is Naas Botha and what a boot this first five-eighth (still called flyhalf everywhere else) possessed. I think he played a couple of tests for the Boks before isolation but for the Blue Bulls of Northern Transvaal he was as close to a god as you could get on the Highveld. At Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria he would kick and kick and then kick again. His accuracy was unbelievable and he would have no hesitation in kicking for the 'pale' (goalposts) from 60m out. He never missed. I mean it, he never missed.

8. There was a joke at the time that Naas was on a flight from Joburg to Cape Town and the guy next to him tapped him on the arm and introduced himself as Koos and the bloke next to him as Piet. "Pleased to meet you," Naas said. "By the way," said Koos, "we are your centres." . . Naas did not pass the ball, ever.

9. As a young rugby writer for the The Star in Johannesburg it was my misfortune to have to call Doc Craven at 11pm for comment on various rugby matters when he was still president of the South African Rugby Football Union. Even well past the age of 80, Craven's bark down the phone was terrifying. I still get the shivers just thinking about it. And you guys thought John Mitchell was surly.

10. And finally, like New Zealanders believe the All Blacks are still the best rugby team in the world (even if the World Cup continues to prove elusive), so Springboks fans repeat the story over and over of how Joel Stransky dropped that goal in extra time to win the World Cup in 1995 and then Nelson Mandela (wearing a Bok jersey) handed the Webb Ellis Trophy to Francois Pienaar. Such sweet memories.

* Simon Hoff is a sub-editor with the Herald and grew up in South Africa.