South Africa’s Jean Kleyn: ‘I’m just glad I’m one of the guys they thought was a warrior’

South Africa are world champions for a record fourth time. Truly, this will be one for them to tell their grandchildren about. Never have a World Cup-winning side come through such adversity and, surely, never again will the ultimate champions do so by dint of three successive one-point wins in the knock-out stages.

Without a quartet of their World Cup-winning “warriors”, and handed a brutal draw, they became the bêtes noires of the French supporters while hooker Bongi Mbonambi was caught in the eye of a storm after allegedly calling England’s Tom Curry a “white c***”.

Typically though, every setback only made them stronger. Handré Pollard replaced the injured Malcolm Marx and steered them home with unerring kicking displays. The gambles on having one specialist hooker and the 7-1 bench split were paid off as Deon Fourie played 77 minutes of the final at hooker.

Rather than seek to diffuse the “Bongi-kant” affair, the Springboks let the World Rugby investigation run its course until Thursday, while making “kant” the buzzword in training – as it was during the match and by their supporters in the crammed metros and RERs en route to the Stade de France.

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Asked how much it affected their build-up, former Munster centre Damian de Allende said: “Nothing at all. We never spoke about it. Bongi was very relaxed. He knows he did nothing wrong and Rassie [Erasmus], our Director of Rugby, sorted it out and we never brought it into the team. So, we were quite relaxed.”

Similarly, players being booed by the French crowd fuelled the us-against-the-world mentality cultivated by Erasmus.

Describing this World Cup win as tougher “emotionally” and “physically”, after playing five of the other top six sides in the tournament, De Allende said: “We played against France, the World Cup hosts, in the quarter-finals and we beat them by one point. I know the French weren’t happy with it but that’s rugby. We tried to move on from it and we eventually did.

“We know we got booed a lot and people weren’t supporting us here in France but it was a tough week after that.”

Ireland not only remain the lone side at this World Cup to beat the Springboks, but the champions also have strong Irish ties, be it De Allende, the current Munster locks Jean Kleyn and RG Snyman and four former Munster coaches including Erasmus, the Leinster-bound Jacques Nienaber, the England-bound Felix Jones and the Ulster-bound Steven Kitshoff.

For Kleyn, capped five times by Ireland before being discarded, this has been dream-like, as he rewound to the final four years ago.

“I was on a flight from South Africa to Ireland after getting engaged to my wife. We were watching the World Cup final on the plane. It’s been a long journey since then, a lot’s happened, but I wouldn’t change it for the world.”

Even after a change in World Rugby’s eligibility rulings, his call-up at the start of July was a bolt from the blue.

“It’s been a whirlwind,” said Kleyn, one of the game’s good guys. “I think something Rassie said to me when he called me was: ‘I’m about to screw up your holiday’. And he definitely screwed up my holiday, but he gave me an opportunity I never thought I’d have.

“I’m incredibly grateful to Rassie and Jacques, the entire coaching team for believing in me and giving me this opportunity, and all my teammates. It’s been such a privilege and a pleasure in being part of this amazing dream.”

“It was as easy as anything, it was riding a bike. It was coming home,” said Kleyn. “I had zero expectations, I just thought it was an opportunity I couldn’t pass up.

“What a privilege to be able to play for my country of birth. It’s a dream you grow up thinking: ‘one day, I’d like to do that’. It’s a little boy’s dream. It’s incredible.”

He was also inundated with messages from Munster.

“I haven’t checked my phone, but to be honest it was very tough keeping track of everything before I started. Listen, the support from home as I call it – Limerick is my home now – is incredible and I wouldn’t have been able to do this without the support I’ve received, it’s been unreal.”

Munster have also made him a better player.

“One hundred per cent, all credit to them. The way they coach, the system they’ve implemented. It showed in the URC final, in the way we turned our season around at the death, after seven games and we brought it back and ended up winning.

“You don’t see that often. It shows that everything they’re doing is working. There’s massive buy-in, massive belief at Munster as well. It’s endemic to Munster now, it’s part of our culture, our belief; we’re there to win trophies. Hopefully, this season will show that again.”

As with Deon Fourie becoming the oldest Springboks debutant last year at the age of 35, Kleyn’s just before his 30th birthday demonstrated how much Erasmus and Nienaber never believe a player is too old.

“Rassie, Jacques, [and] the coaching staff pick players that are right for the team. They always say they pick warriors, I’m just glad I’m one of the guys they thought was a warrior, to be here and to wear this around my neck,” said Kleyn of the weighty gold medal hanging off him.

With one of those grins which are the preserve of newly-crowned and immensely-contented world champions, he added: “I don’t think I’ll take it off for at least a week, I hope the strap lasts!”