'They feel so detached from each other' — Jean Kleyn on his 'bizarre' World Cup journey

There's quite a story behind Jean Kleyn's journey to wearing green and gold.

ALL AROUND THE WORLD: South Africa's Jean Kleyn with wife Aisling and son Eli Noah. Pic: ©INPHO/Laszlo Geczo

Jean Kleyn admits that it feels “bizarre” to be representing his native South Africa at this Rugby World Cup just four years after wearing a different shade of green at the tournament in Japan.

The Munster lock was a late, and a shock, call-up to Joe Schmidt’s Ireland squad in 2019. He made his debut the month before, against Italy, and bagged two more starts against England and Wales before edging Devin Toner out of the travelling party.

It was a decision that did not go down well with everyone given Toner’s years of service and Kleyn’s qualification on residency grounds but he started the pool game against Russia and came off the bench against Samoa at the tournament itself.

That was it for him in terms of Irish honours. Andy Farrell never selected him for his adopted country but South Africa got in touch during the summer and now he is poised to make a fifth appearance for the Boks, and a first at this World Cup, against Romania on Saturday.

Quite the journey.

“It's a bit bizarre,” he admitted. "They feel so detached from each other because so much time has passed, in my mind at least, since the 2019 World Cup. As a person I've grown so much and as a player I've developed quite a bit as well.

“For me intrinsically I'm not the same person I was in 2019. It almost feels like it was a different lifetime but obviously I'm really honoured to have played for Ireland and I'm delighted now to be representing my country of birth, South Africa, and it's an opportunity I really relish.

“It's a proud moment for me and my family to get my debut for South Africa at the World Cup. If you asked me three-and-a-half months ago I would have said there's no chance, it's not even on the radar, so I'm delighted it's happened, it's an incredible opportunity.” 

Kleyn starts alongside Marvin Orie against the Eastern Europeans in Bordeaux while another Munster man, RG Snyman, will come off the bench, as he did last week during South Africa’s opening defeat of Scotland in Marseille.

Eben Etzebeth is the fourth lock in the squad - and the first among those equals - but he is struggling to be fit in time for the clash with Ireland in Paris on Saturday week having picked up a shoulder injury against the Scots.

Should Etzebeth fail to make it back in time then Kleyn is all but guaranteed to feature against the team and many of the players with which he soldiered in 2019.

"It's not something I've thought much about. You want to play against the best teams in the world and I think Ireland is one of the best teams in the world at the moment so I'd love to play against them.

“I've played against all of them throughout the years, against Leinster and Ulster and Connacht, so I know the players well and I'm looking forward to the opportunity if it does present itself.”