Frans Steyn is a player for any Springbok rugby crisis. He will flourish at No 10 against the Pumas in Durban in the Rugby Championship’s final match.
Steyn is a rare talent and among the most gifted backline players in the history of the sport. His track record is without comparison among his South African rugby peers. He has lost 19.7% of the 76 Test matches he has played. Historically, SA’s Test win record is 63%.
Steyn, a two-time World Cup winner, is the youngest player to win the World Cup and the youngest player to debut for the Springboks in the professional age.
In his first 10 Tests, seven of which were won after his career started with successive away defeats to Ireland in Dublin and England at Twickenham, Steyn played fullback four times, wing three times, centre twice and flyhalf once. In his 76 Tests, 42 as a starter and 34 as a finisher, Steyn has won 59 times and drawn twice. That is just 15 defeats. He has scored tries, kicked penalties, conversions and drop goals and he has been influential in some of the Springboks’ most significant wins, be it as a 19-year-old or as a 35-year-old.
Steyn has only ever started once at flyhalf for the Springboks, back in 2008 at Newlands. When he took to the field that day, Canan Moodie, who will play outside Steyn on Saturday, was five years old.
Steyn is a winner, with a playing pedigree that made him the hottest property in France after the 2007 World Cup and still has him in demand internationally. His role has changed significantly over the years, from pacey winger to midfield monster and from starter to finisher. He is in his final 12 months of Test rugby and, if fit, will go to the 2023 World Cup in France.
There hasn’t been one quite like Steyn in a Springbok jersey. He remains as popular in SA in 2022 as he was in 2006 when he made his Test debut. He remains as influential.
It will only be appropriate that it all finishes for Steyn on the World Cup stage at the Stade de France, where he won his first World Cup in 2007. It will be the most fitting finale, if he comes off the bench to blast over one last 50-plus metre penalty strike.
That romance will only play out in a year. For now, Steyn has been tasked with marshalling the Springboks in a Test that could prove the Rugby Championship decider. He will bring physicality, strong carries, equally powerful defence and a long line-kicking game. His legs may only have 60 minutes in them, but in that hour Steyn will again make a statement of his value to the Springboks.
There hasn’t been one quite like Steyn in a Springbok jersey. He remains as popular in SA in 2022 as he was in 2006 when he made his Test debut. He remains as influential. His start at flyhalf against the Pumas is a short-term fix for the Springboks. It was forced through injury and unavailability of Handré Pollard, Elton Jantjies and Damian Willemse.
Willemse, who started at flyhalf against Australia in Sydney and against Argentina in Buenos Aires, left the field because of concussion in Buenos Aires. Enter the veteran Steyn for the final quarter for his seventh (overall) flyhalf appearances in 76 Tests. The result was a captivating cameo and two touchline conversions. A fortnight before that, he banged over a touchline conversion in Sydney with the last kick of the game.
There have been so many “big play” Frans Steyn Springbok moments since 2006. Expect to see a few more in Durban. Enjoy watching Frans Steyn in a Springboks Test jersey while you can because you won’t easily see his equal in the next few decades.
• Mark Keohane is the founder of keo.co.za, a multiple award-winning sports writer and the digital content director at Highbury Media. Twitter: @mark_keohane
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