Why is the number 7 flank such an important player in the team. Because often he is the player the opposition marks down first as a threat. Normally shorter than your four lock, but just as powerful. Probably your fastest flanker on the park, your fastest forward and a player with an ability to go forever.
Think about the engine - the likes of Ardie Savea or Pieter Steph du Toit - the player who can make an opposition 10’s night a nightmare. The player who can turn up in the tramlines and the player who often does all the work, tops the stats and is the guy that his teammates look to.
Nowadays there isn’t a blindside role, as most teams play left or right flankers depending on what they need, but the seven jersey is still as feared as ever.
So with that in mind, here are your candidates for the Dream XV for the seven jersey.
1. Ruben Kruger (Springboks 1993-1999)
Ben, as he was known to his teammates, was as tough as nails. He emerged out of the Bok factory at Grey Kollege, looking like a grizzled elder when only out of school. He had an engine that never quit and was as physical as they came. A natural leader who never spoke much, the Boks moved him to seven to accommodate Francois Pienaar, but he moved back to six when Andre Venter came into the side. Although he only played 36 matches, Kruger was feared all over, and scored a crucial try in the semifinal of the 1995 World Cup. The jury is still out if he scored in the 1995 World Cup final, which referee Ed Morrison said was held up (Afterward Kruger said he had scored but it was never given). Kruger was a key part of the World Cup winning squad and was universally respected, but his career and life was cut short by a brain tumour that claimed his life in 2010.
2. Pieter-Steph du Toit (Springboks 2013-current)
Two time World Rugby Player of the year, and the man who made Jordie Barrett’s World Cup final a nightmare. Pieter-Steph or PSDT (not to be confused with PTSD - but almost the same) is a player that has very few equals in world rugby. The big blond flanker from Riebeek Kasteel is known the world over and has become a legend of the game.
Known for his stamina and tackling ability, Du Toit was also the man of the match in the 2023 World Cup final where he made an astounding 28 tackles - many of them on Barrett and continues to be the player that is the heart and soul of the Springbok pack.
Du Toit was also a member of the 2012 World Junior Championship winning side and has so many accolades that it is almost impossible to list them, other than to say that he is a massive part of any Bok team he plays in.
3. Danie Rossouw (Springboks 2003-2011)
Possibly the most decorated player in World Rugby, Rossouw was for so long such a key member of the teams he played in but never stole the limelight. Despite not being the high-profile star that some of his teammates were, Rossouw was one of those players who simply got on and did the work. His ability to switch between lock and flank, coupled with his physicality was a sight to see, and many coaches would single him out as a silent assassin in teams he played against. Rossouw has won a startling three Currie Cup titles, three Super Rugby titles, a Japanese League title and Cup, a Heineken/European Cup, a Top 14 French title, a Tri-Nations title, and was part of the 2007 World Cup winning side and part of the team that beat the British and Irish Lions in 2009. A truly remarkable feat.
4. Juan Smith (Springboks 2003 - 2014)
The blond Free Stater was another to terrorise opposition teams across the world, making his debut in 2003 against Scotland. He then was a regular in the Bok team from then on, using his incredible consistency and stunning ability to put in a large amount of work across the park to become one of the Boks’ key men in this time.
Smith was part of Jake White’s side that won the Tri Nations in 2004 and the World Cup in 2007 and played 70 times for the Springboks during his career, even though his time was cut short by a bad achilles heel tear in 2011, which made him miss the World Cup that year.
His injury troubles plagued him, and he was forced to take a long term break in 2012, and eventually to retire in 2013, but then surprised everyone by returning late in 2013 to play for Toulon, where he scored a try in the final to help Toulon beat Saracens to win the European Cup. He was recalled to the Springbok side in 2014 for the Rugby Championship, and helped Toulon defend their title in 2015.
His career ended with a short stint in Japan but with a lifetime of memories.
5. Andre Venter (Springboks 1996-2001)
There have been fewer players as tough as Andre Venter in a Springbok jersey and rightly so. The Free Stater was known to be hard as nails and never took a step back for anyone in his 66 tests for the Springboks. Although he played initially in a turbulent time for the Boks, he never played a bad game for the team, and was often considered the fittest Springbok on the park.
In 1998 he became only the third Springbok to be sent off in a game when he received his marching orders against New Zealand in Auckland.
Other than the Boks Venter played more than 100 times for Free State and surprisingly announced his retirement in 2002.
He was later diagnosed with a degenerative syndrome of the central nervous system, later revealed to be transverse myelitis, which causes damage to the spine, and forced him into a wheelchair.
His son Andre-Hugo Venter, made his debut for the Springboks in 2022 in Bloemfontein with his father watching.