Lawrence Sephaka
Full names: Lawrence Dumisani
Date of birth: 8 Aug 1978
Place of birth: Johannesburg
School: Springs Technical High
Springbok no: 702
Springbok debut province: Lions
Physical: 1.78m, 115.0kg
Current age: 46
Test summary: Tests: 24 Tries: 0
First Test: 1 Dec 2001 Age 23 - Loose-head Prop against USA at Robertson Stadium, UH, Houston
Last Test: 11 Nov 2006 Age 28 - Loose-head Prop against Ireland at Aviva Stadium (Lansdowne Road), Dublin
Tours Argentina, Ireland, Wales & England 2000 France, Italy, England & USA 2001 France, Scotland & England 2002 IRB Rugby World Cup - Australia 2003 Argentina, Wales & France 2005 Ireland & England 2006
Test history:
DateAgePositionOpponentVenueResultScoreProvince
01 Dec 2001 23Loose-head Prop USA Robertson Stadium, UH, Houston Win: 43-20  Lions
06 Jul 2002 23Loose-head Prop Samoa Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria Win: 60-18  Lions
20 Jul 2002 23Loose-head Prop New Zealand Wellington Regional Stadium, Wellington Lose: 20-41  Lions
27 Jul 2002 23Loose-head Prop Australia Wooloongabba, Brisbane Lose: 27-38  Lions
10 Aug 2002 24Loose-head Prop New Zealand Kingspark, Durban Lose: 23-30  Lions
17 Aug 2002 24Loose-head Prop Australia Ellispark, Johannesburg Win: 33-31  Lions
09 Nov 2002 24Loose-head Prop France Stade Velodrome, Marseilles Lose: 10-30  Lions
07 Jun 2003 24Loose-head Prop Scotland Kingspark, Durban Win: 29-25  Lions
14 Jun 2003 24Loose-head Prop Scotland Ellispark, Johannesburg Win: 28-19  Lions
12 Jul 2003 24Loose-head Prop Australia Newlands, Cape Town Win: 26-22  Lions
19 Jul 2003 24Loose-head Prop New Zealand Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria Lose: 16-52  Lions
02 Aug 2003 24Reserve Australia Suncorp Stadium (Lang Park), Brisbane Lose: 9-29  Lions
09 Aug 2003 25Loose-head Prop New Zealand Carisbrook, Dunedin Lose: 11-19  Lions
11 Oct 2003 25Loose-head Prop Uruguay Subiaco Oval, Perth Win: 72-6  Lions
18 Oct 2003 25Reserve England Subiaco Oval, Perth Lose: 6-25  Lions
24 Oct 2003 25Loose-head Prop Georgia Sydney Football Stadium (Aussie stadium), Sydney Win: 46-19  Lions
25 Jun 2005 26Loose-head Prop France Boet Erasmus, Port Elizabeth Win: 27-13  Lions
09 Jul 2005 26Tight-head Prop Australia Stadium Australia, Sydney Lose: 12-30  Lions
23 Jul 2005 26Reserve Australia Ellispark, Johannesburg Win: 33-20  Lions
19 Nov 2005 27Loose-head Prop Wales Millenium Stadium (Cardiff Arms Park), Cardiff Win: 33-16  Lions
10 Jun 2006 27Reserve Scotland Kingspark, Durban Win: 36-16  Lions
02 Sep 2006 28Reserve New Zealand Royal Bafokeng Stadium, Rustenburg Win: 21-20  Lions
09 Sep 2006 28Reserve Australia Ellispark, Johannesburg Win: 24-16  Lions
11 Nov 2006 28Loose-head Prop Ireland Aviva Stadium (Lansdowne Road), Dublin Lose: 15-32  Lions

Lawrence Sephaka's nickname 'Kabila', taken from former Congo dictator Lawrence Kabila, could not be more appropriate.

On the rugby field, it's the 110kg Springbok loosehead prop who's dictating play and making his presence felt.

Voted South African Player's Player of the Year in 2002, Sephaka has come a long way since taking up the game at the age of 13, when a teacher at his Jo'burg township school persuaded him to play rugby instead of standing on the sideline of the soccer field.

After being spotted by an Eastern Transvaal development officer, Sephaka was given a bursary to attend Afrikaans-medium Springs Technical High School.

The benefits of attending a rugby school were soon evident as he made the province's U 17 and U19 sides, and was selected for the SA Academy side in 1997 after impressing at Craven Week.

Lions U21 coach Eugene Eloff, the man who guided South Africa U19 to World Cup success earlier this year, then poached Sephaka from the Falcons and enrolled him at Rand Afrikaans University.

Sephaka played for the Lions U21s and made his senior debut soon after, but the physical aspect of his game was questioned by many, including Cats coach Laurie Mains.

In 2000, Sephaka was 'lent' to the Stormers where he spent most of his time warming the bench and making up the quota.

Springbok coach Harry Viljoen, however, saw 'Kabila' as more than a political pawn. He selected Sephaka for the Springbok midweek games at the end of 2000 and gave him his first test cap against the USA in 2001.

Last year, controversy raged after new Springbok coach Rudolf Straeuli substituted Sephaka after only 28 minutes of the TriNations test in Wellington, but 'Kabila' developed to such an extent during the series that he played the entire 80 minutes against the Wallabies at Ellis Park.

South Africa's Zulu dictator had arrived.