After stepping out from the shadows to claim the plaudits over Albert van den Berg, Butch James now faces the next challenger in the series to determine the most unheralded Springbok.

James won 78% of the vote in last week’s duel. He now faces Frans Malherbe, who has packed down in some of the most dominant Bok front rows in recent history, having made his international debut aged 22 against Wales in Cardiff in 2013.

Malherbe may take a few blows on social media because of his … physique … but no one lands a blow to him at scrum time, and the 47-Test-capped prop has proven time and time again he is scrumming gold for his country.

A veteran of two World Cup tournaments, the 31-year-old was a key cog in the Bok engine room en route to lifting the Webb Ellis Cup in Japan in 2019, and has also won a Rugby Championship and British & Irish Lions series with his country.

The Bok tighthead, who has also represented Western Province since age-group level, made his Stormers bow at the age of 20 in 2011, and currently has the third-most caps for the Capetonians after starring in their Vodacom United Rugby Championship-winning campaign.

ICYMI – Unsung Hero: Butch vs Van den Berg