Lood de Jager knows what it means to put his body on the line. The Springbok lock pushed through the pain of one serious shoulder injury to star at Rugby World Cup 2019 in Japan, before overcoming another career-threatening dislocation to help South Africa to beat the British & Irish Lions in 2021.

What’s more, the 30-year-old knows what it takes to survive on the unforgiving treadmill of professional rugby. De Jager played for the Cheetahs and the Bulls during the Super Rugby era, before joining the Sale Sharks in 2019. For two years, he was among the South African contingent that played year-round for club and country.

Nowadays, De Jager plies his trade for the Panasonic Wild Knights in Japan. In a frank interview with DM168, he reveals how much has changed in his lifestyle and wellbeing since he swapped Manchester for Tokyo. 

Respite for overplayed Boks

Gone are the days when De Jager competed in taxing European club competitions such as the English Premiership and the Champions Cup from December to June before representing the Boks from July to November. If a player avoids serious injury – as Bok No 8 Jasper Wiese did between July 2021 and June 2022 – he can end up featuring in 40 games in the space of 52 weeks.

De Jager confirms that a maximum of 18 games – 16 league matches plus two possible playoffs – are staged over a period of six months in Japan League One. Given the restrictions on foreign players in matchday squads, players like De Jager and other South Africans are unlikely to feature in most of those matches.

The upshot is that Boks based in Japan play far fewer games than their counterparts in Europe and South Africa. They have more time to spend with their families, and more time to rest and condition their bodies – a luxury that few elite players enjoy.

Why is this particularly relevant to the Boks, who will attempt to defend their world title in France this September?

First, steps have been taken by SA Rugby to mitigate the never-ending rugby season. A 32-game cap was implemented before July 2022 – the start of the South African season – and provisions were made for a rest and conditioning block across February and March this year.

This is why so many top Boks have not featured for the local franchises in recent weeks, and why a group of 14 has gathered in Cape Town for a national conditioning camp.

Second, nine RWC 2019 winners are playing their club rugby in Japan. Damian de Allende (Wild Knights), Pieter-Steph du Toit and Willie le Roux (both Toyota Verblitz), Jesse Kriel (Canon Eagles), Franco Mostert (Honda Heat), Malcolm Marx (Kubota Spears) and Kwagga Smith (Shizuoka Blue Revs) have been in the Far East for some time.

De Jager and Faf de Klerk (Canon Eagles) made the move before the 2022/23 season. All nine players are expected to travel with the 33-man Bok squad to the 2023 World Cup.

“The biggest reason I came across to Japan was for my body,” De Jager confirms. “I want to play for the Boks for as long as they’ll have me.

“I don’t think I would last if I continued to play for a European club and then the Boks, in what is ­effectively a never-ending season.

“In Japan, there are probably half as many games staged in League One, and the foreign players are rotated across the season, so there’s little risk of burnout.

“Maybe the other players in Japan don’t realise it but I know, having come from a South African and English setup, how good this situation is.

“You have a lot more time to spend with family, and to put extra work into your game. I can gym three times a week over here. I wouldn’t be able to do that if I was back in South Africa and England, where there is a game every week.

“I can rehab small niggles, and I can spend more time on analysis. Over a longer period, I can get myself in the best possible shape to be ready for the Boks – if they come calling.”

Our interview is interrupted by laughter in the background. De Jager takes a moment to speak to his young son and daughter before returning to the conversation. It’s lunchtime in Japan, and his schedule allows him to shoot home for a meal with the family before rejoining his teammates at the club in the afternoon.

Lood de Jager of South Africa during the Rugby Championship match between South Africa and Argentina at Hollywoodbets Kings Park on 24 September 2022 in Durban, South Africa. (Photo: Darren Stewart / Gallo Images)

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Well-oiled machine

The set-up in Japan is no less professional than it is in Europe and South Africa. De Jager’s team – the Wild Knights – have won the past two domestic titles and lead the 2022/23 competition log after nine rounds. The club boasts several world-class players, and a former Crusaders and Wallabies coach in Robbie Deans.

“Damian de Allende and I are fortunate to be part of such a professional set-up,” De Jager says.

“The facilities are some of the best I’ve experienced, and director of rugby Robbie Deans is really hands-on.

“I can’t claim to have contributed to their current position on the log; it’s just such a well-oiled machine.

“It’s a different style of rugby in Japan, and very different to what I experienced while playing for the Bulls, Boks or even Sale. I’m used to a focus on set pieces and physicality.

“Over here, there is a lot more emphasis on attack and keeping the ball alive.

“It’s been a great challenge for someone like me, who’s perhaps not used to so much running.

“It does actually remind me of my early days at the Cheetahs, where we’d try to keep the ball for as long as possible.

“Don’t get me wrong, under Robbie there is still a lot of structure and kicking, but the amount of time that is dedicated to attack in training is something I haven’t experienced before,” he says.

“It’s opened my eyes to a new way of playing, and if given the chance I would certainly try to implement some of the ideas into a more traditional South African style.”

Lessons learnt

On the topic of the Boks, De Jager insists that progress was made by the national team in 2022. South Africa blew hot and cold in the Rugby Championship, and went down to trendsetters like Ireland and France in November.

Rousing performances against Italy and England, however, ensured that they ended the year on a high.

“We had our ups and downs, but it felt like we added something new on attack, particularly on the end-of-year tour. We were playing a more balanced game,” he says.

“We learned a helluva lot about ourselves and about the teams we may face at the World Cup. We’ve got a big pool to get through and, if we do that, we’ll be up against New Zealand or France in the quarterfinals.

“In a sense, it’s a good thing that we were pushed so hard by those teams last year. We have a good idea of what to expect.”

Perhaps most significantly, the players will be in better physical and mental shape when they line up against the likes of Ireland, New Zealand and France later this year. DM168

This story first appeared in our weekly Daily Maverick 168 newspaper, which is available countrywide for R25.