Memes, kicking and Wales: Bok scrumhalf calm before Wales RWC semifinal

Faf de Klerk has become an integral part in the Springboks brains trust over the past two years. 

The live wire scrumhalf has evolved into a well-balanced player in that time having moved to England to ply his trade in the Premiership. 

De Klerk has been openly honest about his overall improvement since his departure from South African shores. 

The halfback's kicking game is perhaps the most improved aspect of his game, but De Klerk puts his development down to getting the unequivocal backing from his most recent coaches. 

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"The main thing for me when I got to Sale was I got put in a role where I needed to make a difference in the team. A lot of responsibility came my way in terms of how we want to play, how we want to kick, how we want to play our running game," De Klerk said. 

"I started kicking for poles a lot more, started doing kick-offs. That all helped me a lot to get to where I am now. I played a lot of rugby, got a lot of starts. The head coach, Steve Diamond, backed me continuously.

"Playing with a lot less pressure and just enjoying yourself and getting into the groove again. Then, coming back into the South Africa squad with coach Rassie (Erasmus) and coach Stokke (Mzwandile Stick) and everyone we worked with in 2016, it was just a similar thing – the coach backing the players and knowing what they can bring."

Memes and kicking 

Ironically the improvement of his tactical kicking game has become the inspiration of a swathe of memes over the past few weeks. 

De Klerk has copped some criticism by fans for the amount of kicking he has been doing in games - leading to the creation of some pretty comical memes. 

This writer asked De Klerk if he has seen the lighter side in the public's meme-making and if the attention he has been getting online has been a distraction ahead of the semifinals.

"The players always say they try to stay away from it, and we do try. But it’s impossible not to see most of the stuff that has been put out there.

"Some things are really funny, and I enjoy some of the stuff people come up with. But also, some guys get a bit personal. It’s not personally just on us or a player – people love the Springboks and are very invested in the team.

"So, if they see something go wrong or don't agree with it, it’s not because they are negative, but because they are very invested. We know we have great supporting people behind us.

"When we win, they will still be happy we got the job done. We know in the camp what works for us and what doesn’t. We try to listen to the coaching staff and players around us – that’s probably the main thing.

"There is a nice funny picture where it says I can spin a ball and kick, so it’s a spinnekop (spider).

"That was pretty funny for me to see. So, there is a lot of humour in it, and if you get caught up in that stuff, you are losing focus on what you need to do."

The Welsh challenge 

One more opponent stand between the Springboks and a shot at lifting the Rugby World Cup. 

The meet Wales in Yokohama this Sunday. It is the first time in years that the Springboks have not had to play Wales in Cardiff and a neutral venue may well prove to be a leveller. 

That has been a contributing factor in Wales winning five of the last six matches played between the two sides. 

Nevertheless De Klerk believes the Springboks have a far better understanding of how to go about dismantling their opponents strengths. 

"Looking back at 2016, when I last played them, we had a completely different way of playing and attacking, and we didn’t really get into what makes them tick and the way they play.

"Now, in just one session, I’ve got a much broader view of what they bring and what their threats are. So, as a team, we are more in tune with how they want to play, and we are getting into stages where we want to find ways to counter the stuff they bring.

"It’s going to be a slippery one for us, but it is a semi-final and they are going to pose threats."

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