Gio Aplon hails ‘sensational’ Springboks star after ‘immense’ performance against All Blacks in Baltimore
Kurt-Lee Arendse in action for the Springboks against the All Blacks and former South Africa flyer Gio Aplon (inset).
Gio Aplon has praised Kurt-Lee Arendse’s display during the Springboks’ victory over the All Blacks during the fourth and final Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry Test in Baltimore.
The Springboks delivered an outstanding all-round performance en route to a deserved 43-28 triumph against the men in black at the M&T Stadium in Baltimore which meant they secured a 3-1 series win over the All Blacks.
The world champions’ attacking play was of an excellent standard as they eventually outscored their arch-rivals by six tries to four with Arendse‘s efforts being rewarded with a well-taken five-pointer.
Apart from his try, the 30-year-old wing was a constant threat with ball in hand and he finished as the top attacking player in terms of metres gained.
Aplon was appearing on the Behind The Ruck podcast with fellow ex-Springboks backs Juan de Jongh and Rudy Paige, and the latter complimented Arendse’s performance in Baltimore.
Brilliant attacking performance
“Kurt-Lee had 140 of those (metres gained in the Test). We were talking on the WhatsApp group and it’s something I don’t know when I’m going to have time for it,” he said.
“But while it’s on top of my mind, his performance and the fact that you (Aplon) are here tonight, I need to talk about it.
“Because it felt to me like his lights were on. He was absolutely switched on.
“There wasn’t doubt. The fact when he saw Ethan De Groot, you could see, he knew exactly, loosehead prop, 15 metres, one on one, execution, outstanding.
“But the ball bouncing, transition and then he’s into space, in the chaos and transition play. I thought Kurt-Lee was unbelievable in this match.”
De Jongh echoed Paige’s sentiments and said he was impressed with the Boks‘ speedster’s overall performance in the last clash with New Zealand after he delivered some underwhelming displays earlier this year.
“He had this very quiet Nations Championship. He was very quiet for me personally,” he explained. “I don’t know if other people felt the first couple of Tests. It looked like Ethan Hooker was outshining him a little bit in the last two Tests.
“So, for him to shine, to come through like this, it’s actually a good thing. I don’t know if he’s picking up his form. For me, it felt just a little bit, (like) he was too quiet in a couple of games.”
Aplon, who made 17 Test appearances for South Africa on the wing or at full-back between 2010 and 2012, revealed a conversation he had with Arendse ahead of his (Arendse’s) Springboks debut against Wales in 2022 which indicated to him that the 2023 Rugby World Cup winner would be successful in the international arena.
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“I was privileged to play with him at the Bulls. He calls himself ‘Die hond’ (‘The dog’),” he said.
‘Your house, my rules’
“And he liked to say “Die hond is lus” (“The dog is eager”). And he had a saying, in Afrikaans, he would say, ‘Jou huis, my reëls’ (‘Your house, my rules’). So I think he applied that.
“I always tell this story, I don’t know if I’m supposed to mention this but the first time he played a Test, I sent him a text in the week and he didn’t come back (to me). And I thought, ‘Oh, this guy is focusing or whatever’.
“And the morning of the Test, he actually phoned me. I’m like, ‘Why would this guy phone me?’ And he told me, ‘I’m not giving this jersey back’. And that’s the mentality that people don’t understand about him.
“He’ll be there, he’ll do the dirty work, but when it’s his time to shine and when he’s switched on, he can play.
“And Saturday (against the All Blacks in Baltimore), I think he was probably unlucky as Krappie (Morne van den Berg) also played well, but he was probably unlucky not to get man of the match, but he was sensational.
“That’s probably one of the best Tests I’ve seen him play against the All Blacks, understanding when to attack, (and) still doing his defensive work.
“I think he was immense. And like you say, 140 of those metres was his, but just pure instinct and playing.”
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