Self-doubt drives 'intense' Dixon

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The hard-grafting Ben-Jason Dixon admits to feeling the pressure to perform alongside his Springbok and Stormers teammates.

Speaking on the Behind the Ruck podcast with former Boks Rudy Paige and Juan de Jongh, the 26-year-old flanker said he lives – and plays – by the adage: Do what you can with what you have.

"I remember [former Bok centre] Jean de Villiers saying that he played with so many talented guys that he had to work next-level hard just to perform because he didn't see himself as talented as them. I feel like that sometimes," he added.

Dixon made his Test debut off the bench against Wales at Twickenham in July last year and went on to wear the No 7 jersey against Portugal in Bloemfontein, the All Blacks at Ellis Park and Argentina in Santiago.

He was substituted just before half time of that New Zealand Test and admitted on social media afterwards that "I didn't have my best game out there". 

That reportedly didn't go down well with Rassie Erasmus, who released Dixon from the squad ahead of the second clash against the All Blacks match in Cape Town, before picking him again for the 'B team' that played the Pumas in Argentina.

During the Behind the Ruck podcast, Dixon reflected on his first week in the Bok set-up. "It was a big honour. It was a really nice time, but obviously a challenging time as well, because you're stretched a little bit," he said. 

"I left with a slight feeling like … You always think 'Oh, my potential is so high, but when you try to get there [laughs]. You sometimes bump your head and you're like, 'Shucks man, am I really that good?' So you do have those doubts sometimes, but you get pushed to be your best.

READ: Stormers rookie gets Bok call-up

"It was such a nice experience to be around people where the standards are so high. And winning is the standard. The outcome is high and everybody takes responsibility – take that game plan and execute it on the field. It was nice to be around guys like Pieter-Steph [du Toit], Kwagga [Smith], Jesse [Kriel], Siya [Kolisi] and Eben [Etzebeth]."

Dixon said he had expected the Springbok environment to be "tense" only for the opposite to be true: "You think a high-performance based culture will be, like, everybody's nitpicking on everything, but it's not like that, it was quite relaxed.

"I enjoyed the space they give you to be yourself and you have the opportunity to make friends. And they try to help you out, they don't look down on you."

Dixon, who can play blindside flanker and lock, said he makes a conscious effort to get stuck into a game right from the start.

"I think I got where I am in rugby through my work rate, and tackling is obviously a strength of mine. So just getting in the thick of things," he explained.

"One of the big things for me is I want to start the match off well and intense, because in the matches where I pace myself a little bit, I never really get into it.

"I think that's the kind of player I am – to be intense and use that intensity to influence the game at certain key moments. Maybe a good chase and a pressure tackle, a turnover tackle, a good counter-ruck … Or just a lekker clean like when there's a linebreak and there's nobody there.

"Maybe the first thing in the game is [your team's] kick-off, so you chase that kick hard. When the ball or the action is close to you, get into it at 100%. That will put you a bit at ease and then obviously you're going to rest at other points in the game."

While not selected for the Springboks’ 2024 end-of-year tour, Dixon has been included in a 56-man group of locally-based players for the first alignment camp of 2025.

Photo: Ashley Vlotman/Gallo Images

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