- Former Springbok wing Kaya Malotana has cautioned observers and fans not to expect the national team to produce fireworks in the series against the British & Irish Lions.
- He believes the challenges of a rugby environment caused by the pandemic means the Boks will have to revert to 'ugly' but 'winning' rugby.
- Malotana is also proud to see a man like Lukhanyo Am anchoring the Springbok midfield.
Covid-19's logistical hurdles will probably mean the Springboks don't come up with fireworks in the upcoming series against the British & Irish Lions, believes Kaya Malotana.
The former international, who has the groundbreaking honour of becoming the first black African Bok to play Test rugby, however, notes that focusing on pragmatism instead of new tricks won't be a problem.
"I'm very excited about what the series and tour can deliver, but we're in for a surprise if we think the Springboks are going to pull rabbits out of the hat," Malotana told Sport24.
"My feeling is the national team is going to play solid, 'ugly' rugby. But the important thing is that it will be winning rugby and that's all that matters."
The 45-year-old, who played at the 1999 World Cup and has laid a marker as head coach of TUT Vikings in a successful Varsity Shield campaign, points out the potential reversion to their so-called traditional strengths is simply down to the disrupted nature of the playing calendar over the past months.
"I have no doubt that Rassie Erasmus and Jacques Nienaber have done their best in terms of planning and trying to keep the alignment camps as uniform as possible," said Malotana.
"Yet I don't believe we can blame some people for thinking the Boks' preparation looks a bit disjointed. It's no-one's fault, just reality. Hopefully the warm-up Tests against Georgia provides the team with some rhythm, but if the window is too short, the team has a proven game plan they can fall back on."
While the former Border and Lions centre and winger was a history-maker, his international career would only last 80 minutes as he became a victim of South African rugby's sketchy implementation of transformation in the mid- and late-nineties.
Twenty-two-years later, the prospect of Sharks captain Lukhanyo Am anchoring the Springbok midfield against the most famous touring side in the world gives Malotana reason for hope that things are changing.
"Lukhanyo becoming a key international player and a guy like Wandisile Simelane also emerging is definitely encouraging. It's validation that our efforts to effect real change in the game isn't going unrewarded," he said.
"It was difficult being a black player two decades ago. Opportunities obviously increased, but there were many obstacles in our way.
"There's much more to be done and that's one of the reasons why I stayed involved in the game after my playing career. But there are some signs we're heading in the right direction."