At 37, WP Nel is well aware that retirement cannot be too far off. But, far from feeling that his powers are waning with the passing years, the Edinburgh tighthead prop believes that he is currently in his best form since the time he made his Scotland debut back in 2015.
When some players insist they are in top-notch condition, a measure of scepticism is called for. But when someone as generally self-deprecating as Nel does so, you would be wise to listen. He may have ended up on the losing side in last week’s URC match at home to Benetton, but he clearly contributed more than his fair share to a team display that, minus a few moments of madness, should have been enough to give Edinburgh a fifth win from six starts in the league.
“If I look at last week’s performance and take how World Cup pre-season went, yeah, I’m probably in the best shape I’ve been in the last eight years,” Nel said earlier this week. “I said to the boys in the gym earlier this week, it’s funny how you take so long to sort out my body, to finally find out what I need to do and what I don’t need to do.
“But yeah, I’m happy where I am. It’s still awesome to be out there and put a performance out for the team.”
Having signed for Edinburgh from the Cheetahs in his native South Africa back in 2012, Nel qualified to play for Scotland on residency grounds three years later. If he thought about retiring before now, the chance to play in a third Rugby World Cup surely played a big role in persuading him to stay on for a while longer, and his contributions to the squad in France showed that he thoroughly merited his selection.
But, with that tournament out of the way, he faces a big decision over the next few months, as his current Edinburgh contract runs out at the end of the season. It would be no surprise if he were to decide that enough was enough, yet he is apparently in no rush to make a definitive decision.
“I’m close to retirement. How close? That I don’t know,” he insisted. “I’m just taking it day by day at the moment - enjoy it while I’m out here and see what’s coming next. That’s how I’m planning to do it this season.”
After that defeat by Benetton, Edinburgh now face a difficult trip to Belfast to take on Ulster on Saturday night. While he is satisfied enough with his own form, he still feels that commitment to the team is more important than taking pleasure in individual excellence..
“You still need to put the team first - we need to win. That’s the frustrating bit. I think last weekend we dominated so much in the game and didn’t close the game down.”
If Edinburgh are to avoid a second straight defeat - or, to frame it a more positive way, if they are to make it five wins from seven matches - much will depend on Nel’s duel with Steven Kitshoff. The Springboks’ World Cup-winning loosehead made a debut off the bench in Ulster’s defeat by Glasgow last Saturday, and is now likely to make his first start this weekend.
“He’s a good scrummager, he’s a good player, he’s a good guy,” Nel said of an opponent with whom he has regularly crossed swords over the years. “That’s why we play the game - we want to play against the best - and it’s going to be a good test this weekend.”
Nel is used more sparingly by his club and at Test level these days, but Edinburgh coach Sean Everitt is in no doubt of his abiding value. “WP has been amazing,” he said. “He’s got four young children at home so he’s busy there, but he comes in and trains like a youngster.
“Then you look at his performance on Friday night and you wonder when it’s all going to come to an end, because it’s almost like he’s getting better. That’s one of the better performances I’ve seen from a tight-head prop this year, so he’s on top of his game at the moment.”
