South African rugby fans were stunned and enamoured in equal measure earlier this week following one of the most interesting post-match television interviews in a long time.
17-year-old Johan 'JG' Wasserman, son of former Springbok tourist and flanker Johan, on Friday endeared himself to many when he acted as translator for Baptiste Britz, his French captain, following the France Under-18 team's 26-23 victory over the SA Under-18 'A' in the Under-18 International Series in Paarl ... in Afrikaans!
Clearly taking his responsibility very seriously, Wasserman listens intently to Britz before relaying his words to former Bok Gcobani Bobo, who conducted the interview in English for SuperSport.
One particularly memorable quote has the nippy winger saying: "We played against a very good team, it was very tough. We kept our eye on the flyhalf [Western Province's Liam Koen] because he combined well with the forwards and backs. It's great winning against a team like this."
Wasserman senior, a Bulls stalwart, packed his bags for Montpellier back in 2007 and ended his career at Nevers, where the family still lives.
JG and his twin sister, Jané, moved to France as three-year-olds and subsequently became citizens though it's clear they've remained fluent in Afrikaans, evidenced by JG ending the interview with: "Baie dankie en sien later. [Thanks, see you later]"
The teenager is a wing and considered a prospect for the future.