Rugby Players' Guide to France 2023: Springboks' 'Bone Collector' never missed a French braai

For many Springbok supporters, the 82 000-capacity Stade de France is the potentially make-or-break setting for their beloved team's World Cup defence.

Indeed, South Africa will face No 1 ranked Ireland at the imposing Saint-Denis arena on September 23 in a clash that should determine the play-off candidates from pool B and could also be exposed to it further down the line as the majority of the climactic matches are hosted there.

Yet for Willem Alberts, the 43-Test bruiser who represented the Boks at the 2011 and 2015 Rugby World Cups, in the daunting environment lies an opportunity to experience one of the greatest venues of the world game.

The Lions veteran, affectionately nicknamed "Bone Collector" for his crunching physicality, represented Stade Francais between 2015 and 2020 and, as he tells Dan Nichol in the latest edition of Rugby Players’ Guide to France, an exciting new series produced by BrightRock to gives SA rugby fans a slice of the French way of rugby and life ahead of the World Cup, reserved some of his most eye-catching showings for his French club there.     

"I must say that's one of my very good rugby memories," Alberts says.

"I think I played quite a decent game and that performance made the French take notice of how I play. And that sort of took care of my French contract!

"Playing in front of 80 000 people when it's full is really something to experience. It's an awesome atmosphere to play in."

Not that the Boks should struggle to keep embracing their passion for the game as they'll be based in the south in Toulon, where Alberts notes rugby is a favourite pastime.  

"I don't think South Africans always appreciate how passionate French rugby fans are, especially in the south, where it's really popular," he