Wilco Louw wants to honour his late father every time he plays for Springboks

Wilco Louw plays for South Africa when he dons the Springbok jersey — but the tighthead prop says he’s also wants to honour his father, who died recently.

The 31-year-old, in the starting team against Scotland in their Nations Championship showdown at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday, spoke about the tough time he has had coming to terms with his father’s death in April following a short illness.

“My father and I were incredible friends and it’s tough not to have him around any more because he was always there for me,” Louw, who grew up in Ceres in the Western Cape, said this week.

“He was the one who made me mad about rugby when I was a kid. I played rugby with him. I did things with him — not just rugby; life things. If I ever needed anything, he would be the first person I’d call. If I had an idea I wanted to discuss, I would call him,” said Louw, who was part of the Bulls side that lost in the URC final to Leinster last month.

“There’s a lot to be grateful for. My mother played just as big a role in my life and now that my dad’s no longer here, she still does.

“It’s my privilege to carry on representing him and I’ll do my best to make him proud.”

Louw spoke about the honour of pulling on the green-and-gold jersey, saying the team and its needs are greater than individual competition for jerseys.

“It’s much bigger than just fighting for a spot to play. We play for a much greater cause than just myself or just the player. We play for our incredible country and the team that gets selected has got a big responsibility to do that.

“And if whoever it is can do it the best that weekend, then they deserve to play. We do it for a much greater cause than just myself or for any player.

“Like I said, it’s an incredible honour to put on that jersey and a privilege to play,” added Louw, who is returning to the Stormers after three seasons in Pretoria.

During his previous stint in the Cape he worked with Pieter de Villiers, now the Scottish scrum coach, and he is also familiar with Pierre Schoeman, one of the Scottish looseheads.

“Pieter is a good scrum coach and they’ve got proper boys in their front row and their whole pack. They’re a physical pack. If you look at the tries they scored against Argentina, a lot came from the forwards and their direct play, and they had a good weekend scrumming.

“They’re a good pack to scrum against. There’s so many British and Irish Lions guys with Pierre and other guys in their pack. It’s going to be a tough one. They definitely stepped up … It’s going to be a proper challenge and we’ve prepared for that.”

But Louw suggested there wouldn’t be much conversation — in Afrikaans or any other language — in the scrums.

“There’s not a lot of talking going on normally. It’s a bit dark in there, but it’s always nice to come against Pierre. He’s a good friend and an incredible rugby player. And hopefully there can be a bit of chat afterwards.

What happened last week doesn’t matter. It’s a fresh opportunity when you put that jersey on again.

—  Wilco Louw

“But it’s obviously a big game and a big moment. It’s always nice playing against Pierre,” he added, declining to talk about his previous tussles with Schoeman, who plays for Edinburgh.

“What happened last week doesn’t matter. It’s a fresh opportunity when you put that jersey on again.”

Louw, who was given time off to be with his family, paid tribute to his teammates and coaches for the support he received this year.

“I appreciated the time to be with my family. It was a difficult and challenging year from January. It’s incredible being part of a team that supports you — not just when you’re wearing rugby boots and the rugby jersey but through all phases of life and wherever you are.

“You’ve got not just your family supporting you but an incredible team and people who really look out for each other.

“It’s been a tough year but it’s a massive honour to be here and to have another opportunity to play this weekend.”

TimesLIVE