He donned a Springbok jersey on 43 occasions and his fearsome physique led to him being dubbed "The Bone Collector", but Willem Alberts is - by default - already skating on thin ice at Ellis Park.
The Lions have surprised with a superb URC tour that culminated in three victories, in the process raising real hope that a talented squad finally has the ability to arrest years of underachievement.
Lions defence coach Jaque Fourie is starting to see green sprouts in terms of the team's marking, believing they're already "100% better" than last season.