Ex-Bok powerhouse still close to rugby

IT WAS at the foot of the Andes that prop Lawrence Sephaka not so much moved mountains as shifted something perhaps as deeply embedded - perception.

After watching the Springbok midweek team being mauled in the scrum by Argentina A in Tucuman in 2000, Sephaka ran on as a second-half substitute, turning not just the tide against a dominant pack but also inexorably the course of the match.

Sephaka in the process dented the reputation of formidable Pumas front ranker Roberto Grau. But the grunt and craft he displayed that night paradoxically also became his curse.

It created expectation - the kind Sephaka failed to entirely live up to in the eyes of others. But, more importantly, he did not fail himself. "I never grew up wanting to play for the Springboks. It later became something I could achieve," he said succinctly.

After his performance in Tucuman, Sephaka had to wait a year to make his test debut in Houston, but he never grew restless.

"I was a youngster just enjoying the moment and what it had to offer," he explains.

It says as much of his inconsistency as that of the three Springbok coaches he played under that Sephaka's 24 tests were stretched out over the Springboks' next 58.

He has no regrets and he isn't about to point fingers. "Even if I played just one test, I would have felt very privileged. There are always external factors when it comes to selection, but I have learned not to dwell on them.

"My path dictated that I would play in 24 tests," said Sephaka

Still, he never got to show testosterone-fuelled upstarts what grizzled, more cunning props are capable of.

"I would have loved to play until I was 35. I played at Toulon for a season and went back in 2010, but I injured vertebrae in my neck and then I pulled a hamstring. I decided to retire."

It wasn't as if he had nothing to do. "We established our company in 2008 and I got more involved towards the end of my playing days in 2010. I started with two engineers. BMH Africa is an infrastructure company - construction, planning and design - and I'm the head of marketing and new business.

"At school, I was very good at technical stuff and if I didn't end up playing rugby, I would probably have been a boilermaker."

Rugby, however, remains close to his heart. "I'm in process of doing my practicals for level 2 coaching. I help Soweto Rugby Club once or twice a week, as well as UJ's under-20s. I started helping Kaya Malotana with the women's national under-20 team and now I'm a technical adviser to the women's national teams."

He would like to stay close to the game, whether in coaching or broadcasting.

"I don't think it will be a problem in my day job as it would boost my and the company's profile."

Sephaka is unmarried but says he would love to be. "I am in a relationship. I haven't procrastinated, but it is one of those things you have to be sure about."

On the whole, Sephaka is content and takes life's vicissitudes in his stride. "Rugby has given me everything I have. If I could do it again, I'd do it in a jiffy."