KEY POINTS:
The smile is back, and so are the wheels and the flip as Breyton Paulse makes a late dart to win a Springboks jumper at the rugby World Cup.
One of the most popular figures in the world game, Paulse burst back into the limelight with a classic
intercept try - followed by the customary body flip - as South Africa opened a 17-0 lead against Australia last Saturday.
He also nipped several promising moves in the bud with some timely rush defence.
It wasn't enough to prevent the Wallabies over-running the understrength Springboks but Paulse was content that he had at least enhanced his Cup prospects.
It is a significant step for the man who is second behind halfback Joost van der Westhuizen on the all-time South African test tryscoring list - with 26 from 63 tests - and more of the same against the All Blacks in the Tri-Nations test here on Saturday may make his case impossible for coach Jake White to ignore.
"I've been with Jake for four years, he knows what he's got with me. At the end of the day it's up to him whether he takes me with him," Paulse said.
"It's hard to say. You never know what the coach wants.
"Having the experience (of playing) in France might be a step in the door."
Paulse, 31, finished a season with French club Clermont last year, after which many in South Africa believed there would be no way back for the lively winger.
However, Paulse said White had warned him about the plan to rest 20 top players in the second half of the Tri-Nations and he knew he would have a chance to push his claims.
Assistant coach Allister Coetzee said Paulse's energy and experience proved invaluable in Sydney last weekend.
"Breyton stood out, he made it a bit more difficult for the Aussies," Coetzee said.
"People at home sometimes say 'Breyty has had it' and then he bounces back with a performance like that."
Paulse grew up on a farm on the Western Cape, where his father and grandfather made their name in farm rugby competitions.
The farmer who employed his parents as workers saw sporting talent in the youngster and paid his fees to attend university.
"With the farm being so far away from the city, I never had the opportunities unfortunately," Paulse said.
"It was only when I went to Stellenbosch University that I realised there was a massive opportunity for me."
An allrounder, he enjoyed cricket and soccer and represented the Boland region in athletics over 200m and 400m before throwing his light frame into rugby.
He began a long association with the Stormers in 1998 and made his debut for the Springboks a year later, scoring a hat-trick against Italy.
After the final try, his old gymnastics skills came to light as he produced a body flip that sent the Port Elizabeth crowd into a frenzy.
"My dad and the farmer came with his family," Paulse recalled.
"When I scored my third try I was just overjoyed and I did it in an act of appreciation that they got there.
"I only ever do it on special occasions."
- NZPA