Willie le Roux and a Test career of two halves

For a player who uses feel and touch as prized commodities it is almost churlish to explain Willie le Roux's genius by numbers.

Le Roux, who will become the Springboks' eighth Test centurion on Saturday when they play Italy at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, has for a long time avoided the spotlight and the headlines, but it has curiously made him a more effective operator in the second half of his Test career.

Sure, he had devastating attacking qualities when he made his entry into Test rugby, but he has mellowed and has allowed his teammates to take the shine and accompanying adulation.

The fullback's currency in the second half of his Test career has not been tries scored, but assists. His first 48 Tests yielded 12 tries, but his last 51 saw him dot down only three times.

When he was at his try-scoring best in his first 48 Tests the Springboks' win percentage with him in the team stood at 64.58. That figure, however, jumps to a 72.54 across his last 51 Tests. Overall he boasts a 68.68 win percentage in Test rugby.

Le Roux, being more of an orchestrator, has paid handsome dividends for the Springboks.

He seamlessly transitioned from try-scorer to creator with his last Test try coming against Tonga at the 2023 Rugby World Cup.

His ability to read what is in front of him and make carefully calculated decisions have helped the Springbok cause no end, especially since 2018. His measured incursions into the backline are well timed, his kicking is delivered with guile and precision, while his positional sense is second to none.

When he slips into first receiver in multiphase play, Le Roux can be bewitching. His ability to sum up the moment and deliver the ensuing transfer whether by hand or boot with beguiling touch have become trademark.

His itinerant existence has helped him become the player he is. The initial part of his Bok career is perhaps explained by the groundwork done at the free-running Boland Cavaliers, Cheetahs and Eagles in Japan.

His time in Super Rugby with the Sharks, in the English Premiership with Wasps and more recently in the United Rugby Championship with the Bulls, have perhaps cultivated the need to run the numbers, before he does the ball.

This is a far cry from the player who took Springbok rugby by storm after he made his debut against Italy in Durban in 2013. A few games later he scored his first Test try in a performance of mesmerising quality at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane.

At a rain-soaked Murrayfield later that year he was even better. He walked on water on his way to the man of the match award in a whitewash of Scotland. He was named the players' player of the year for that year and the next he was nominated for World Rugby's player of the year award.

But Le Roux is not everybody's cup of tea. It is easy to describe his occasional on-field body language as petulant. Nagging, if not remonstrating, with the referee has found its way into the Le Roux playbook. Bok coach Rassie Erasmus explained earlier this week Le Roux's on-field demeanour is entirely rooted in the deep care he has for the team and its fortunes.

Erasmus, in fact, admitted to having misgivings about the player's ability when he was Stormers coach. “I didn't rate him in the beginning and let him go to Boland. I don't know what his win percentage is [68.68] but he is really important in our team environment. It is tough to judge someone in the beginning trying to put their hand up. We in the team understand how emotional he is and how much he cares about the team.”

Willie le Roux may not be everyone's cup of tea, but he has fitted the Boks to a tee.