After seizing his moment to outshine Ricky Januarie, Danie Rossouw now faces the next challenger in the series to determine the most unheralded Springbok.
Rossouw won an overwhelming 73% of the vote in last week’s showdown with Januarie, having previously stolen the limelight from Frans Malherbe, who barged over Butch James following his duel with Albert van den Berg.
Now, Rossouw faces the original Bok pocket rocket with flick-flack touchdown celebration Breyton Paulse, who stood out as a try-scoring machine in a professional game dominated by big men.
ICYMI – Unsung Hero: Januarie, Rossouw seize the moment
Blessed with electric pace, a poacher’s eye for a loose ball and a tireless work ethic across the field, the diminutive wing scored 26 tries in 64 Tests for the Boks from 1999 to 2007 that included selection for the 1999 and 2003 World Cups.
He garnered attention from the start of his top-flight career with a hat-trick of tries in a Currie Cup match in 1996 for Western Province – for whom he averaged nearly a try a match in 80 appearances – and announced himself in the green and gold with a hat-trick against Italy on debut.
At the end of the 2000 domestic season, Paulse became the first player of colour to be named SA Rugby Player of the Year, capping a season in which he scored two tries in WP’s Currie Cup final win over Natal.
Paulse was also an integral member of the Stormers’ ‘Men in Black’ era before he moved to France and played for Clermont Auvergne in the Top 14 until his retirement in 2007, aged 31.
ALSO: Unsung Hero: Rossouw tackles Malherbe
Photo: Touchline/Getty Images
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