Springbok hooker Malcolm Marx is a teddy bear off the field, but a beast on it according to teammate Faf de Klerk.
Marx will play in his 50th Test for the Springboks when they tackle the All Blacks in the Rugby Championship opener at the Mbombela Stadium on Saturday and De Klerk has been there every step of the way.
With the two having played together for the Lions when the 28-year-old Marx made his professional breakthrough, De Klerk says: “I started playing with Malcolm when he was still a boy at the Lions coming through.
“His ball-carrying ability and ability on the ground was always there, but he wasn’t always the best lineout thrower when he started off. But then worked unbelievably hard on it, and now I can’t remember when he last missed a lineout. His work rate is immense.”
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Marx made his debut under former national team coach Allister Coetzee against New Zealand in Christchurch in 2016, when he warmed the bench for then-captain Adriaan Strauss.
Since then he has played in 49 games, scoring 11 tries - most often coming off the bench for Bongi Mbonambi.
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Off the field, De Klerk, 30, and Marx are also groot pelle, with the scrumhalf saying of his No.2: “His off the field stuff is immense, he is a great guy and everybody loves him. He’s a big teddy bear, but once he pulls on that Springbok jersey he becomes an animal. So I’m really proud of him.
“I think he’s going to play a lot more Tests for the Springboks.”
Marx and De Klerk are two of three changes to the Bok side that beat Wales 30-14 in the series-deciding third Test last month, with the other being the inclusion of Kurt-Lee Arendse on the wing in place of the injured Cheslin Kolbe.