Faf de Klerk

“A World Cup is always a bit of a watershed for teams, so there will be new faces and players given the chance to perform at a higher level.”

“You need to adapt your game for what the team needs.”

“One of my goals is to become the perfect player but you'll never reach that goal if your mindset is not right, I think.”

“At Sale we're an up and coming club, wanting to draw bigger crowds. You can't just run everything, though, you need a balance.”

“I'm pretty excited when I get a good kick up in the air and our wings start chasing, because I know it's a 50-50. When you kick well and compete well, the odds fall on our side.”

“You need to be aware of what you're putting on social media and what you're talking about.”

“When I joined Sale I thought that if I did well there I would have a chance of making the World Cup squad. What I did not expect was how quickly I got back into the frame.”

“You can always improve as a player; there's never a time when you can say anything is perfect.”

“You can have size but to be physical is a different story.”

“As nines in our system, we need to make sure that we come off the line and that we have numbers correct on both sides.”

“A multi-racial team with a black captain means a lot to the country. There will always be negative political parties in South Africa, but hopefully it's something to take forwards.”

“If you have heart and you are ready to work hard you will reach your dreams.”

“We all say we enjoy playing rugby, but most guys don't really show it - and some guys I don't think actually enjoy it. So every time I arrive in the morning, I've always got a smile on my face. Once I lose that enjoyment, I will stop playing.”

“It's good if people see me as a running nine but I wanted to be viewed as an all-round scrum-half, who can do anything at any time.”

“The massive thing that has changed for me was the game management aspect. I still get it wrong sometimes, we all do, when to attack and when to kick, how to control the game, speeding it up and slowing it down. Whereas I used to just go flat out, as hard as I can, get the ball out and get to the ruck as quick as possible.”

“The popularity of rugby definitely grew in South Africa over the World Cup, and sport has great power, so hopefully it will make some difference. Even if it's just 1%, it's a bit of a change.”

“I play to inspire people and give confidence to young kids who might shy away because of their size.”

“I've always had lots of energy; it's just been about channelling it in the right way. I know I can be annoying, but that's just my way and hopefully more people than not like my personality.”

“The South Africa public are very passionate and they just care a lot for their team. So if something goes wrong, because they are so emotionally invested in it, they feel as though we are letting them down.”

“I miss hunting and when I go home I always find an opportunity to go for a hunt again, out in the bush veldt.”