Speedy Lappies gives Cheetahs an extra gear

It's seldom that a fitness coach has to ask a player to slow down, but Pieter "Lappies" Labuschagne is no ordinary player and his work ethic would make almost any other professional sportsman blanch.

The Cheetahs flank sprung to prominence this season after three eye-catching displays, including a superb performance against the Highlanders in Invercargill last week that spearheaded a rare Cheetahs win on the road.

Labuschagne made an incredible 27 tackles in that match and cleanly broke the line once while often forcing himself over the gain line with several tacklers clinging on to his explosive 1.89m, 105kg frame. Simply, he was at the heart of everything good the Cheetahs did.

On Friday, the Cheetahs maintained their away form, beating the Waratahs 27-26.

Currently, a Cheetahs team sheet without the name Lappies Labuschagne would be inconceivable, but 18 months ago, he was on the fringes of professional rugby - and happily so.

"In 2011, Lappies didn't have a contract with Free State and was playing Varsity Cup simply for the love of the game," University of the Free State and former Grey College coach Jaco Swanepoel says.

"And he was playing incredible rugby, just as he did as a lock in the 2007 Grey College first team. But after a few weeks, fitness coach Professor Derik Coetzee called him in and told him to slow down or he would burn out.

"That's not something you find often - a player who does far more than is required."

It's why the 24-year-old is excelling at the top level, because physically he is ideally too small for an openside flank or lock - two positions where he's made his mark.

He played lock at Grey College despite his relative lack of height and fluctuated between both flank positions at under-19 and under-21 level.

But the experience he received as a lock at the best rugby school in the country added several more weapons to his already impressive arsenal.

"He understands lineouts and has a great ability to read the opponents' throw, which gives him an added advantage as a No7 flank," Swanepoel says. "Obviously he's being used as a blindside flank now, but I believe he will end up as a No6 flank in time, although the roles are quite blurred these days."

Last week, Bok coach Heyneke Meyer theorised that the role of the out-and-out fetcher had become obsolete, which makes Labuschagne's rise timeous for the player and fortunate for SA rugby.

Bok No6 Francois Louw is a hybrid between an openside and blindside flank and Labuschagne is just as malleable in the back row - skills that could see him rise to the top faster than he could imagine.

He's a late bloomer on the professional stage, but it's not something he dwells on. He spends more time pondering his ideal position.

"I'm very happy at blindside flank, but I think I'm probably more suited to openside," Labuschagne says. "To be honest though, I'm not really sure of my best position myself.

"I've heard that some coaches are talking about the end of a specialist fetcher and that might be true, but I still look around and see great fetchers and feel there is a role for them.

"But if I can cover both positions then maybe it will be to my benefit.

"For now, it's simple, though - I want to keep playing Super Rugby and complete the two subjects for my degree. Anything else, like selection for the Boks, is out of my control."