Coaching appeal reignites fire in former Bok

Balancing the books is part of Keith Andrews's career as an accountant and financial planner. But for the former Bok propthe term has taken on a rugby flavour once more

Andrews, who turns 48 next month, anchored the Springbok scrum in nine Tests from 1992-1994, tasting professional rugby in the twilight of a colourful career. When the flank-turned-tighthead retired it was on his own terms - as an amateur, for the club where he first learned the dark front-row arts.

"I went to school at Selborne College in East London and came to Cape Town to study," said Andrews. "I played flank for WP under-20 but in my first year at UCT my coaches, Gus Enderstein and Basil Bey, said: 'You're too short, too fat and too slow. Go to the front row.'"

Andrews started his first match at prop in 1983 and admits to getting "stuffed up for two years". Few would have believed then that, 15 years later and at 36, he'd become an Ikey once more, having played over 100 games for WP and 31 for SA.

"I finished against Free State in the 1997 Currie Cup final," said Andrews. "But I decided to play for UCT the following year to give something back. I learnt the ropes in club rugby but today's youngster is learning at Loftus Versfeld, getting popped out the scrum and waving to his mom in the fifth row of the grandstand."

After retiring, he concentrated on his accounting career and raising a family - he and Sandy have been married for 21 years and have a daughter, Catherine, 17, and son Matthew, who captains the St Andrew's College under-14A team.

After 12 years with no involvement with rugby, Andrews received a call last year from False Bay head coach Brendan Fogarty.

"I love the game but never had the passion to coach," he said. "False Bay had been promoted to the first league and asked me to help the forwards with their scrumming. I said it would be only a pleasure."

Andrews, who is Springbok lock Mark's cousin, now spends his spare time brushing up on a game that has changed dramatically since his playing days.

"You have to be up to date with mauling techniques and new lineout and scrumming laws," he said. "I haven't got any desire to be a coach but it's a way for me to give something back, maybe be a different voice. I'm not paid and I don't want any money, so if they bullet me one day, I've lost nothing."

Ironically, False Bay is the team against whom Andrews made his propping debut as a 21-year-old.

When SA returned from isolation, the front row was dominated by heavyweights such as Heinrich Rodgers and Guy Kebble. Andrews found his mobility and ball skills were suddenly in demand, and he made his Test debut against England at Twickenham in 1992.

"I just remember how beautiful the pitch was," he laughs. "You could check out your footsteps in the grass. And then I had to stop myself from singing God Save The Queen!"

Andrews played against France, Australia, Argentina and New Zealand over the next two years, but he is probably best remembered for being sent off for punching during the infamous "Battle of Tucuman" on the Boks' 1993 Argentina tour.

"It was a fight at every scrum and lineout," he recalls. "The worst was sitting inside the fence and not realising until I checked my tracksuit that the spectators had been spitting on me the entire game.

"I was only on for 20 minutes when I got sent off and my mother was pretty upset. I had to convince her I was just protecting myself."

Andrews' foray into coaching might have started off as a bit of fun, but that old competitive fire was sparked again when False Bay upset national club champions Hamilton on the opening weekend of the season.

"The players knew they had to step up because it's their first year back in the premier league," he said. "I'm proud to have played a part in that."

Andrews's coaching career may only just have started, but False Bay already look to have made a wise investment.