There’s a funny list of rugby definitions that does the rounds every few years, that describes a four lock as “big hard lad who thinks he is the enforcer. Police describe him as a hooligan. Wears shorts and flip flops all year round. Lives with his mum.”
And while parts of this may be true, there won’t be many jokes told to the four locks in our list for the Springbok Dream Team XV as they are a group of hard men who all served as enforcers to their teams and played a vital part in Springbok success over the years.
They are the guys you look to when the going gets tough, the guys who relish a bit of physicality and the guys who can make the opposition take a step back and wonder whether they really want to be on the rugby field.
So here are your candidates for four lock for the Springbok Dream Team XV
Bakkies Botha (Springboks 2002-2014)
The ultimate hard man, soul of the rampant Bulls team in the 00s, a role which he often played for the Springboks. Bakkies wasn’t shy of getting on the wrong side of the law, but always did it with a smile on his face.
There are few teams that would not want Botha, despite his indiscretions on the field and he had a reputation of one of the toughest players ever in rugby. Botha won Tri Nations titles with the Springboks in 2004 and 2009, was part of Jake White’s massive World Cup winning squad in 2007 and helped the Bulls to their three Super Rugby titles in 2007, 09 and 2010.
He then became a vital part of Toulon’s all conquering squad that won the Champions’ Cup in 2013,14 and 15.
Botha played 85 tests in all for the Springboks and still remains one of the fan favourites to this day.
Eben Etzebeth (Springboks 2012-current)
What can you say about the man who has done everything and won everything in rugby? Not much without a bunch of superlatives. Eben Etzebeth is the ultimate Springbok - tough, physical and uncompromising, yet has a surprisingly excellent disciplinary record despite his physicality.
The most-capped Springbok is a double World Cup winner and is a fan favourite, and has no peer in World Rugby.
The man to take over from Bakkies Botha has racked up a massive 132 tests for the Springboks to date and is likely to come close to 150 by the time the Rugby World Cup rolls around. Etzebeth has won every international trophy and is a core part of the Bok success under Rassie Erasmus.
While he has struggled with injuries of late, he still remains one of the first names down on the Springbok team sheet and relishes the big games.
Krynauw Otto (Springboks 1995-2000)
Given the names around him in this list, Krynauw Otto was one of the quieter four locks in Springbok history but had a workrate that set him apart from his peers. While he didn’t inspire the same fear as perhaps Bakkies Botha or Eben Etzebeth did in opposition, Otto was a workhorse that brought the physicality and always played his heart out on a rugby field.
A key member of the 1995 World Cup winning team under Kitch Christie, Otto played 38 times for the Springboks and was part of the 1998 Tri Nations winning team under Nick Mallett.
Otto retired at the early age of 28 after a subdural haematoma was diagnosed on the front of his brain, playing his last game against Australia in 2000.
RG Snyman (Springboks 2018-current)
Even at schoolboy level it was clear that RG Snyman was a special player. Few are built like he is - 2.06m tall and 131kg strong - but still possess the skills of a backline player and an offload game that is unmatched in modern rugby.
RG’s viking look and his big smile have made him a fan favourite for the Bulls, Munster and Leinster and it isn’t at all surprising to see him leading the offload stats in the Vodacom United Rugby Championship.
Snyman is a double World Cup winner under Rassie Erasmus and was a key part of the now infamous Bomb Squad that demolished teams in the second half.
Snyman missed the 2021 British and Irish Lions tour because of an injury sustained in a firepit incident and would have had more caps to his name had he not missed almost a year of test rugby. He has played for the Springboks 40 times already and is set to be a big part of the 2027 World Cup squad.
Snyman can also play five lock if required and his height gives him a significant advantage in the lineouts.
Kobus Wiese (Springboks 1993-1996)
The original enforcer and key part of the 1995 Springbok World Cup winning group, Kobus Wiese never stood back for any opponent. Robust and physical, he became a key part of the Lions early success in the 1990s and took that on into the Springbok fold when he was a natural selection when South Africa returned to international rugby.
Wiese may have only played for the Springboks 18 times, but he was a force during his time in the Bok jersey. Cruelly dropped by Carel du Plessis when he became coach because he didn’t fit Du Plessis’ game plan, Wiese continued to play on for the Lions until he retired.
In 1996 he was slapped with a three match ban and a R50 000 fine (which was rumoured never to have been paid) for punching Welsh lock Derwyn Jones during the test match at Ellis Park. The ban and fine was highly contentious at the time.
Since then Wiese has become a well-loved television presenter and commentator and started his own line of coffee shops that have become a success.