Joubert proves he's tough as old roots

Had it happened at Twickenham, Donny Joubert would have been put in a state-oftheart dentist?s chair beneath the stadium and given a quick jab.

Instead it happened in a remote part of South Africa where all they had was a pair of pliers.

What follows is not for the squeamish but it does lend weight to the theory that the Springbok pain threshold is excruciatingly low. A smack in the mouth during a cup semifinal in Pietersburg left Joubert with a raging toothache, until he could stand it no longer.

His captain Ockie Fourie took one look at the broken, bleeding molar. A butcher by trade, Fourie sent coach Piet Booysen to fetch the pliers used to tighten studs. He commanded Joubert to open wide and uprooted the offending tooth.

Joubert, a policeman, said: ?That night and the next day I felt a bit of pain and I did feel anxious when he put the pliers in my mouth. But I had to stick it out because it was a match we had to win.?

Win it they did. Literally a case of rooting for your team.