Springbok flank Pieter-Steph du Toit is currently the poster boy for the resurgence in the national team.
When the Boks beat New Zealand in Wellington earlier in the Rugby Championship, it was the images of him - the Man of the Match in that game - sharing a few tears of passion that gripped the nation.
He left nothing on the field, making countless tackles as the Boks registered a famous win.
Then when they faced Australia in Port Elizabeth last weekend, he repeated the feat with 17 tackles and yet another Man of the Match award.
Having won the Springboks’ Player of the Year in 2015 as a lock, Du Toit is making a case for that award once again in 2018 - in his secondary position.
Of the switch from the middle of the engine room to the side of the scrum, he says: “It was something that was new to me at the start of the season, but luckily I’ve been playing a few good games there and the coaches are backing me and making my job quite easy.
“We have a simple plan and I’m just trying to execute it, and luckily I’m playing well at the moment.”
Playing well is an understatement.
The tackling machine admits that he feels the hits after putting his body on the line for his country.
The Stormers second-row marauder explains: “After the game I ask myself why?
“But when I sit it’s actually a happy pain - all worth it, when we get the win it’s even more worth it. So I can’t complain about that.”
On Saturday at Loftus, Du Toit knows he has to be at his tackling best again if the Boks want to make it two from two against world champions New Zealand
He concludes: “We’re going to have to fix a few things. We didn’t play well [against Australia].
“We made a few mistakes - our exit and attacking.
“The All Blacks will come with everything they’ve got. We beat them there, so they’re going to try to prove a point.
“We also have a point to prove and have to show that we are capable of beating them over here as well.”