This monster beard means love

Loose forward Joshua Strauss might be a lion on the rugby field, but he's a "pussycat" when it comes to matters of the heart.

The 24-year-old's signing with the Lions in August last year meant he had to relocate from Bellville in Cape Town to Gauteng and leave behind his girlfriend, Tami-Lee Otto.

The beard that he started growing soon after - which has earned him several nicknames, including Caveman - is actually a declaration of love and devotion to Otto, 26.

"When I left home, we agreed I would let the beard grow until she's able to join me here in Johannesburg," Strauss explained this week.

The 1.92m Strauss, who towers above the petite Otto, said growing the beard had started as a joke.

The pair met after a friend of Strauss's suggested he have his hair cut at a salon owned by Otto in Stellenbosch.

"Tami cut my hair a few times and we became good friends. I finally asked her out and we started dating in January last year," he said.

Otto said the idea cropped up while Strauss was packing to leave.

"I told him not to shave his beard until I was able to be with him, and joked that I wanted him to look unattractive for the Johannesburg girls," she said.

Strauss said after Otto told him to "look as ugly as possible", his beard just grew and grew and, after a dare by one of his friends, he decided to leave it. "It has been trimmed a couple of times, but this look has really grown on me, even though I'm often teased about it and told that I look like a bum," said Strauss, who lives on a smallholding in Springs, on the East Rand.

The big man even credits Otto with his rugby prowess.

"I definitely have been playing better since I met Tami," said the 114kg player, often referred to as the "Gentle Giant" by his teammates.

He makes sure he gets to see Otto once every three weeks and flies her to Gauteng to be with him.

Otto said: "Josh really is an amazing person and he's very loyal, as you can tell by the beard. While you can't really tell with the beard, he is very good-looking without it.

"He's also very into his rugby and doesn't have time for much else. I will move to be with him as soon as I sell my salon," she said.

Strauss said his new team had been extremely friendly and welcoming. "It's been fun, and the guys are great."

Strauss started his career with Boland, but his performances at Maties grabbed local and international attention. He moved to France for a year to focus on his game before returning to South Africa.