TRAIL RUNNING
Schalk jokingly hints that he is ready to go
John and Hanyani in deep conversation about front row tactics
Springboks Tackle First Leg
In their playing days , John Smit , Schalk Brits and Hanyani Shimange all played in the front row . John was the 50th captain of the South African national team and led them to wins in the 2007 Rugby World Cup and the 2004 and 2009 Tri-Nations tournaments , as well as a series victory over the British and Irish Lions in 2009 . He played most of his career at hooker , but was also capped 13 times at prop for the Boks , and when he retired in 2011 , he was then the most-capped South African player ever , with 111 caps , including a record-setting 83 games as captain . He currently sits fourth on the all-time list for Springbok caps .
Hanyani played in nine tests for the Boks , with all of his appearances coming from the bench . He was an unused sub in a further 12 tests , being kept out of the starting line-up by John . Schalk only recently retired from top flight rugby , having not only played 15 tests for South Africa and captaining the side against Namibia at the 2019 World Cup , but also carving out a highly successful career in England with the Saracens club , where he helped them win four English Premiership titles and two European Champions Cup titles . The team was managed by Butch James , himself a veteran of 40 Tests for South Africa and a member of the 2007 World Cup-winning team .
In the modern game , tight forwards need to be very fit and highly mobile , and as a result , both Hanyani and Schalk could be deployed as a loose forward , and actually played in that position for the Springboks . Another modern trend has been for many retired rugby players to take up mountain biking or trail running , and John has even run a standard marathon on the road , so when Team Rugby set out on the challenge , there was genuine pressure to put up a competitive time that would set the benchmark for the other teams to chase .
Keeping it Tight
The rugby trio managed to do 70km in the first 24 hours , but according to team leader Erik , reality then began to set in . “ Days two and three were particularly tough , with the team not only having to put up with the heat , exhaustion and blistered , bleeding feet , but also tyre punctures from thorns on the saltpan .” Having said that , Erik adds that he was completely blown away by the way the players jelled so quickly , and the close camaraderie that developed between them . “ They really were an amazingly strong and efficient team , and it was incredible to see how they translated the lessons and disciplines they practise on the field into this new environment .”
Schalk echoes this sentiment , saying that in rugby they are always taught to push boundaries , but he feels they came out too strong on day one . “ We quickly realised how important it was to conserve our energy levels in the beating heat , so we regrouped quickly and definitely learnt a lot from the challenge . With a rugby game , at least you have an end when you can recover . Here there is no recovery time , and we were constantly up against the clock . You felt guilty every time you needed to take a short rest !”
John adds that team spirit really helped keep them going . “ Overall , this has been such a great team experience and definitely like nothing we have ever experienced before . We are so proud of what we have achieved , and how the team remained firm in their commitment to support one another and finish strong for such a good cause . When things got really tough , the banter would start to keep us distracted and motivated , and Shimmy was a constant source of amusement . Another saving grace was our four playlists . Each of the guys had put one together , and the music really helped us through the dark times . Our biggest challenge was if our speaker batteries ran flat !”
Team Rugby pop the bubbly after finishing
Images : Courtesy BrightRock Battle of the Sports
Team Rugby taking on the challenge
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ISSUE 135 NOVEMBER 2020 / www . modernathlete . co . za