Asenathi Ntlabakanye opens up on attending ‘Kamp Daandraad’ and an ‘eye-opening experience’ with Springboks
Springboks scrum coach Daan Human (inset) and rookie prop Asenathi Ntlabakanye celebrates after a game with experienced centre Jesse Kriel.
Asenathi Ntlabakanye has given his verdict on the personal training sessions which he received from Springboks scrum coach Daan Human on his farm in Bloemfontein earlier this year.
At the end of June, in the build-up to South Africa’s mid-year internationals against Italy and Georgia, Boks head coach Rassie Erasmus revealed that Lions tighthead prop Ntlabakanye and Bulls and Boks utility forward Jan-Hendrik Wessels were both put through their paces on Human’s farm and that the former eventually shed between 15 and 18 kilograms.
And Ntlabakanye, who would go on to make his debut for the Springboks in their 45-0 triumph over the Azzurri in Gqeberha in July, has now opened up on how it happened that he ended up at Human‘s farm for the training sessions, which Erasmus dubbed ‘Kamp Daandraad’ in a Twitter post at the time.
“Coach Daan, the first time I went to his camp, not his camp, his farm. I think (it was) somewhere in May because we (the Lions) got knocked out early out of the URC,” he told the Behind the Ruck podcast.
“So I spent some time down in Bloem (Bloemfontein) with him. So I’m kind of nervous going down there because I didn’t really know what to expect.
“Because the first time we got there, I was like, ‘Ok, what time are we going to gym?’ and he was like, ‘Gym? Ons gaan plaas toe’ (‘We’re going to the farm’).”
The 26-year-old went on to explain that he ended up on Human’s farm due to the Springboks management.
‘Keep yourself active’
“So, it was like a message through coach Ras (Erasmus) and coach Challa (Springboks team manager Charles Wessels), (saying) just to keep yourself active because the other guys were playing. (URC) Play-offs. It was still play-offs.
“So, the Sharks were busy, the Stormers were busy and the Bulls were also busy.
“The Lions were the only union that were knocked out. And I didn’t really want to go on holiday for two or three weeks and then join up (with the Boks).
“So I was like, ‘No, I might as well just keep myself busy for the next two to three weeks and try to better myself in the part where I think I can really improve on’.
“And then coach Daan said, ‘I can bring him down to Bloem for a few weeks and then see how he handles it’.”
The 26-year-old went on to explain in detail what was then done during those training sessions with Human.
“We created kind of our own space in a way, because we didn’t really want to be in public,” said Ntlabakanye.
“So, we used what we had around us. The routine would look like this: Early morning, obviously stayed inside Bloem and then drive (to the farm).
“It is a bit of a distance. So, we drive in in the morning and then cycle, not literally cycle, the bike around the farm to see how things are going and just to keep yourself busy and do some ball work as well.
“Core stuff, you know, those are pull-ups. The holding ones (which) are pretty tough.
“But then he’s actually got a lot of stuff in his farm as well that you can make a lot of, you know, with scrummaging and stuff.
‘It was pretty tough’
“There’s a lot of carrying stuff. There’s a nice hill where he made me kind of run up and down. But it was pretty tough. But he made it very enjoyable.
“He’s a very, very good human being. He’s a very good man. I met his family as well. Lovely family. So I got to spend a lot of time with him as well. And he’s a very, very good man.”
Ntlabakanye said Human is a man of action who has played a massive role in his personal development as a player and he is grateful for the impact which the coach has made on his career.
“He really is not a big believer in talking stuff. It’s really all about action,” he explained. “You know, you say you want to get better. How do you get better? It’s by working. So that has improved for me. And especially in that aspect of the game.
“Because I always thought that’s something that’s probably missing from my game. And to have such a good coach that has worked with me. Now just to improve my game in that aspect of the game.
“He was very special for me. And he still is very special. I’m still learning to this day.
Rassie Erasmus reveals Daan Humanās role in Springboks newbie shedding 18 kilograms
“But like you said, he’s not a big believer in talking. Let’s get the work done. Then you reap the rewards.”
Human has become a cult-like figure amongst South African rugby fans due to his love of the scrum, which was brilliantly captured during the Chasing the Sun 2 docuseries.
During the series, he famously stated that he does not believe in scrum machines as they ādonāt push backā with the Springboks forwards always performing live scrums in training.
Human, who played as prop for the Boks, Cheetahs, Stormers and Toulouse during his playing career, has also done some radical things during his time as the world champions’ scrum coach, like jumping onto the players’ backs while they were scrummaging.
Good advice from Ox Nche
Ntlabakanye revealed that he wasn’t aware of what to expect from Human’s coaching methods, although some words of advice from fellow Boks front-row Ox Nche during one of his early scrummaging sessions with the world champions gave him a hint of what’s to come.
“So we did that, actually, funnily enough, when we were here in Joburg for the pre-season. Pre-season thingy for the Boks,” he said.
“When you have two sessions a day. One session would be the early morning, one would be the scrums and the set-piece. So, it was my first rodeo.
“So I didn’t know what to expect but Ox told me, ‘Hey, look, you better byt vas’ (Hang in there). So, I didn’t know what to expect.
“Then we went three on three, then five on five, then went six on six and then went to the full pack. And he (Human) says, ‘Slide in’. I was like, ‘Ok’.
“This is something that you’re used to as props. Something we do as warm-ups. Slide in and then I just see him climbing.
“He’s climbing on top and he’s pulling other oaks (guys) from the side. He’s asking guys to pull the flankers. He’s just trying to make sure everything is as tight as possible.
“And that’s when for me, I was like, ‘Yo, Ok, there’s still a lot of work to do. There’s still a lot of learnings to do’.
“So, it was an eye-opening experience for me to be in that environment.”
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