Fully fixed on hitting highest standards

RUGBY: JOHNNY WATTERSONtalks to Leinster's South African hooker whose profile has risen as he has delivered more consistently with his high-energy style of play

THE TEMPTATION is to contrive a narrative along the line of rags to riches except Richardt Strauss, despite not knowing of him prior to Leinster, is no rugby peasant. Although he struggled – in a royal battle with his Springbok hooking cousin Adriaan Strauss – to lock down a regular starting place in the Cheetahs frontrow, the Leinster hooker claims a lineage of rugby blue blood.

If you cock an ear and close your eyes you could imagine a locker-room conversation between the Blackrock College players on the Leinster squad, Luke Fitzgerald, Leo Cullen, Brian O’Driscoll or Andrew Conway, and Strauss from the storied Grey College in Bloemfontein.

“We produced Ruan Pienaar and Francois Steyn,” Strauss might say.

“We got Fergus Slattery and Hugo McNeill,” Cullen could reply.

“Grey groomed Jannie du Plessis and Bismarck du Plessis,” counters Strauss.

“What about Brian O’Driscoll and Brendan Mullen,” Fitzgerald could chirp. “And Éamon de Valera and Michael Cusack.”

Strauss: “We got Morne du Plessis and Kepler Wessels, he’s a cricketer.”

Stalemate perhaps but Strauss, despite some frustrations with the Cheetahs, who were perhaps the least resourced of the Super 14 sides under coach Naka Drotske, made his debut for Leinster in December just over a year ago.

At 5ft 9ins his frame didn’t endear him to the South African traditionalists, who like their body mass massive. But when he left the Free State there was a sizeable hole and no small degree of angst. His departure was hard felt. But it showed something. The Leinster hooker, who will be Irish qualified after three years, is ambitious.

“I don’t know, it’s difficult,” says Strauss trying to explain his career under Drotske.

“I was fortunate when I started playing professional rugby (at Cheetahs), I’d the likes of CJ (van der Linde) there, Ollie le Roux was there, Os du Randt was there, Wian du Preez was there, and Jannie du Plessis, another South African tighthead, was there, so I was really protected in the frontrow.

“I was fortunate starting out there, but I don’t know what happened my career then to be honest. I had a good season in 2007 and then got a hamstring injury in the (next) pre-season and then from there I never really got good opportunities to prove myself. It’s something . . . ah you know, it happens, it’s good for me to get here and get some opportunities and hopefully I can justify that with some good performances.”

The former flanker, who because of his size was initially compared to England openside Neil Back, moved to the frontrow, when he was 20 years old. He is not a player unable to make change and has been in that permanent job four years now with his backrow days and mobility bringing an added value in the loose, defending or breaking forward.

In 2006 Strauss scored four tries in a Currie Cup match with Cheetahs.

But in his last season with the club his momentum slowed and in the Currie Cup final in 2009 against the Blues he started as the replacement hooker to Adriaan Strauss. Now, sitting in the stand at Donnybrook the compact frame oozes cautious satisfaction of having met the fresh challenge head on. There is little sign of bitterness.

“I don’t want to be negative and there is nothing for me to prove to them. It is more about me trying to prove myself in Ireland and get the respect of the people over here,” he says. “I have made the change. It is something I have committed to.”

The certainty of his break with the hard men of Bloemfontein presents possibilities. Someday playing for Ireland against South Africa is one that would appeal to his competitive nature. First there is building to be done. Strauss feels he needs to earn respect and modestly questions whether he has yet registered that around the beer halls of the RDS.

“That (playing for Ireland) is still some way off,” he warns. “There are a lot of improvements to make but if that happens and I am fortunate enough to get the opportunity it would be awesome and I would try to grab that with both hands.

“Respect is something you earn with hard work and you lose easily over a weekend or two weekends and I haven’t been playing the greatest this last couple of weeks. That is something I will have to pick up and hopefully I can change some peoples’ minds and get their respect as an all-round player.”

Adhering perhaps to his school motto of Nihil Stabile Quod Infidum (Nothing is steadfast if it is not true), successive man-of-the-match awards in November suggested Strauss was adapting to the change after a first season that lurched and waned. More consistency and regular game time has also helped him fit more snugly into Leinster’s style of play and his profile has risen.

“He runs extremely good lines. He’s a good set-piece player works very, very hard. Because of his height and his build if he gets on the ball he is very, very difficult to get off the ball,” said Leinster flanker Shane Jennings earlier this week.

His throwing has, particularly improved. Coach Joe Schmidt has seen that aspect become appreciably smoother since last season. But in the scrum and in his ability around the pitch, Strauss brings a broader range of assets to the team effort.

“A sense of humour,” adds Schmidt. “A dynamic ball carrier; his lineout throwing has got better and better. Defensively, he’s great on the ground. He’s very, very correct in the way he enters the tackle and gets over the ball and poaches the ball.

“There is a whole mix of those things, and he is one of those guys that, no matter who the opposition, no matter how many games he has played in succession, he just brings a constant energy to the side.”

For now the hooker is generally content although his own critical antennae have twitched in recent weeks and have detected a drop off in performance over the last few matches. It leaves Strauss feeling the urge to give a little more bang for his Leinster buck.

“I need to pick up my game or otherwise Ill be kicked out of the side,” he says plainly. “It’s not the lineout. I think it’s my overall play I’m not so happy with. It’s something I have to pick up this game.”

Saracens, a home from home for South Africans; 11 are on the books, four of them Springboks including hooker Schalk Brits. Now seems as good a time as any for a mid-season reboot from the Grey College graduate.