Tighthead prop Wilco Louw played the last of his 14 Test matches against Argentina at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in 2021. FILE - Bulls tighthead prop Wilco Louw is looking to make that Springboks' No 3 jersey his own.
Image: Phill Magakoe / AFP
Wolseley is a small town about 130km outside Cape Town where a firm handshake is still regarded as proper greeting etiquette.
The Breede Valley town is renowned for its fruit, hot summer days, icy winters and the Trastevere butchery, which sells the most amazing steaks.
But it's now also known for producing Springboks tighthead Wilco Louw, whose handshake is appaerently almost as potent as his ability to scrum opponents into the dirt.
"Wilco has got an unbelievable handshake. Actually, it's frightening. He basically murders your hand when he shakes it,” André Cilliers, brother of former Springbok flyhalf and renowned kicking coach Vlok, and the man who coached Louw during his high-school days at HTS Drostdy, joked in an interview with the Cape Times in 2017.
“Everybody is afraid to shake his hand, even a guy like [former Springbok prop] Balie Swart is afraid to shake his hand.
"Vlok once told him 'you don't have enough money to fix my hand', and I think Frans Ludeke [former Bulls coach] once said that he will rather greet him with a kiss than with that handshake!"
However, his prowess as a powerful operator in the scrum is still overshadowing that rather debilitating handshake.
This weekend the quietly-spoken Louw made a big noise on the field when he had the Stormers’ scrum on the proverbial skates, pushing them backwards every time the set-piece was set. It was the platform for the Bulls' first-ever win against the Stormers in Cape Town, as Jake White’s side finally broke that hoodoo.
Louw is a massive guy, who tips the scales over the 130kg mark, which has earned him nicknames such as 'The Fridge' and 'QuadZilla' - for his love of shorts - during his time with Western Province and the Stormers.
Louw has a lot of raw power to go with that physique, which he uses to destroyed hapless loosehead props. Louw is rarely beaten in a one-on-one, mano-a-mano battle.
But he has also worked hard on his technique, which is required to be a top-class prop. Cape Town scrum expert Paul Day once said that Louw needs to be a bit more aggressive in the hit and engage a bit faster, and has certainly mastered that now with his big hits at the start of a scrum getting him into a position to attack the opposition.
It’s difficult to think that Louw spent over three years in the Springbok wilderness before being recalled to the Springboks following the injuries to Frans Malherbe and Jan-Hendrik Wessels ahead of the November tour. But such is the abundance of talent in South Africa in that position, that he hasn’t featured for the Springboks since 2021.
However, now Louw is chasing that No 3 jersey to make it his own. And, if his handshake is anything to go buy, then he is not easily going to let go of it after also putting in top performances last November, especially against England at Twickenham.
At 30 years old, Louw is definitely in the prime of his rugby career as a tighthead prop. He now also has the experience to go with the power and understands his game and technique.
Louw is essentially competing with Malherbe and Vincent Koch, who will be 34 and 35 respectively this year. There is also Thomas du Toit, who has never let the country down at tighthead and loosehead.
Both Malherbe and Koch are still looking to make it to the 2027 Rugby World Cup despite their age, and he re-emergence of Louw of Louw will give coach Rassie Erasmus another option to use in his rotation strategy.
The Springboks are blessed at tighthead. That calls for handshakes all around … except for Louw, he can rather get a kiss!
@JohnGoliath82