The Bold and the Beautiful Boks

There they were, sharing the limelight: the outspoken toughie and the quiet former model who were selected on Wednesday to play rugby for South Africa writes Liam Del Carme for Beeld.

With SA Rugby at times resembling a soap opera, it was hard not to be reminded of The Bold and the Beautiful when the two new Springboks addressed the news media after the announcement of the team to play Samoa on Saturday.

Luke Watson, as has been predicted for some time, is in the starting line-up for the match at Ellis Park.

Waylon Murray’s march towards his international debut has been true to his nature: quiet and unobtrusive.

But while the 21-year-old Sharks centre is not one to use a loud hailer, his pride was unmistakable at Wednesday’s news conference.

“I am unbelievably excited about the challenge,” Murray said.

“I am grateful for the opportunity to play for the Springboks, because it is something I have been dreaming about. It will be a very special moment for me.”

Murray, another product of the Sharks Rugby Academy, has earned his inclusion in the national team by performing well in this year’s Super 14 competition.

He and Brad Barritt set tongues wagging with their midfield performances in a team that did not change much during the series.

“It helped a lot that the coach stuck with certain combinations. I benefited a lot from playing throughout,” Murray said.

“I was also given the freedom to do what I think I can do on the field.”

His Springbok dreams were still rather vague at the start of the season. After all, he had to first secure his position in the Sharks team.

“Before the season, I focussed only on getting into the Super 14 team. I did not want to aim too high.”

His partnership with Barritt was impressive but now he has to achieve the same in a Test match with Wayne Julies at his side.

Julies is experienced in the sense that he made his Test debut, against Spain, in the previous century. However, his nine Test matches do not make him a veteran at international level.

“It will be the first time that Wayne and I play together,” Murray said. “The backs have worked hard this week and I think we combine rather well.”

Derick Hougaard may have other thoughts, but the fact that tough Brian Lima is absent from the Samoan squad, does not make much difference to Murray’s approach.

“One does not necessarily look after your direct opponent but you also cannot underestimate them. You can only really focus on what you have to do during the run-up to the match.”

Murray, whose mother named him after the country singer Waylon Jennings, is determined to sing a cheerful song after his Test debut.