DREAM TEAM: Who owns the left edge?

The left wing - often one of the most celebrated positions in rugby - and a try-scorer’s paradise. 

This position requires strong defensive skills, including a high work rate and aerial ability, and often a left-footed kick to keep play closer to the center of the field. To hear team-mates tell it, often they’re referred to as the “loneliest position in the team” as they can go full games without seeing the ball. It gets worse, others call them the “lottery winner” because by the time they get the ball, every other member of the team needs to have done everything right, and they get to score, thereby winning the lottery.

They’re known for their bright boots and try celebrations - often also called the team cheerlader or professional sunbather - who spends most of the time in one corner of the field, waiting for the ball to come their way, like a tourist on the beach.

Those are all flippant examples from the net and team-mates though, and the left wing is a key position, often known for speed. They need to possess exceptional aerial skills, a good boot and the ability to turn defence into attack.

So here are our five candidates, all exceptional finishers in their own right.

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Kurt Lee Arendse (Springboks 2022-present)

Scrumcapped wingers and Springbok jerseys are such a combination. KLA as he is affectionately known is a hotstepper of note, and a finisher beyond comprehension. The fleet-footed winger made his name at Sevens and then moved to the Bulls where he was exceptional, forcing the selectors to bring him into the Springbok setup and he has never looked back.

An exceptional try scoring record sees him with 20 tries from 27 test matches, which is phenomenal given the opposition he has scored against and Arendse, often seen as diminutive, punches far above his weight on the international stage.

And the best is he can only get better.

Bryan Habana (Springboks 2004-2016)

When Bryan Habana made his debut against England at Twickenham in 2004, it was the famous “men against boys” test and the Boks lost comprehensively. But even then it was clear that there was a special player on the field. He scored a try and started a road to 124 test matches where he is now considered one of the greatest players in the history of the game.

A superb finisher, an interception expert, whose trademark dive will be remembered by many across the world, Habana was part of the golden era that won the 2007 World Cup and beat the British and Irish Lions in 2009.

In 2007 following the Boks World Cup win he was named World Player of the year after equalling Jonah Lomu’s tournament record of 8 tries during the World Cup.

By the 2015 World Cup Habana had equalled Lomu’s overall record of 15 tries in World Cup matches and scored 67 tries in his illustrious career.

Makazole Mapimpi (Springboks 2017-current)

The scorer of the first try ever for a Springbok side in the World Cup final, Makazole Mapimpi, or Drex as his team-mates know him, is a player that will forever be in the hearts of Springbok fans.

A supreme competitor, Mapimpi literally had to fight his way to get to the top and is the perfect example of someone you just can’t keep down. From fighting his way up from being born in a rural area outside East London, through the Border Bulldogs, Southern Kings and then to the Sharks, Mapimpi has never had it easy, but he never gives up.

Mapimpi’s try scoring record for the Springboks sits at around 70 percent and is exceptionally high for an international player.

Mapimpi made his test debut for the Springboks on 2 June 2018 against Wales in Washington, D.C. at the age of 27.

A double World Cup winner, Mapimpi’s name will always be etched among the legends in a Springbok jersey.

Pieter Rossouw (Springboks 1997-2003)

“Slaptjips” as he was known, apparently because the sight of his running legs was like potato chips slapping together, Pieter Rossouw was an exceptionally gifted finisher who made his mark for Western Province, the Stormers and the Springboks. 

A terrific finisher, and great at escaping tackles as well, he became one of South Africa’s most prolific try-scorers of the era. One of his best remembered tries was the one in Wellington in 1998, which gave the Springboks their first victory in New Zealand since readmission.

An SA player of the year nominee in 1997, Rossouw won Tri Nations in 1998, and three Currie Cup titles with Western Province in 1997, 2000 and 2001. 

In coaching, he won a Currie Cup and two Super Rugby titles with the Bulls.

Chester Williams (Springboks 1993-2000)

The original Springbok poster guy - Chester Williams - was known as the “black pearl”, coined by international journalists ahead of the 1995 World Cup. Williams was the face of the 1995 event, and was the first non-white Springbok since his uncle Avril and Errol Tobias appeared for the Springboks in the 1980s.

A groundbreaking star, Williams was soft spoken but did some big talking on the field. 

He made his debut for the Springboks at the age of 23 against Argentina on 13 November 1993 in Buenos Aires, a game that the Springboks went on to win 52–23 and in which he also scored a try. Williams was on the Springboks team that won the 1995 Rugby World Cup, notably scoring four tries against Western Samoa in the quarter-finals. His Boks career, hampered by knee injuries in 1996 and 1997, ended with a 23–13 win against Wales on 26 November 2000 in Cardiff. In total he played 27 games for the Springboks, scoring 14 tries and a total of 70 points.

He later became a very successful Springbok Sevens coach. He passed away in 2019 at the age of 49.