Lincoln Daniels picks up his phone and he is a bit hesitant. Cordial to a fault, he tries not to let anything show. What I do not know, is that it is his birthday.

Physically, the newly appointed captain of the NWU’s Varsity Cup side bears little resemblance to some of his predecessors. Jeandré and Chucky were big and robust. He is not. Lincoln is a different specimen, one endowed with the attributes that he can best describe.  “I’m a really good communicator on the field, and I do not mean that I am too loud. I am an effective communicator. I’m also a really good defender. I think those are my strong points,” he says.

Fair enough. Here is what separates him from his peers. “One of the things I want to change is that I’m not a good enough attacking player.” This is something you will not often hear from an outside-centre-cum-wing. “People like watching centres sidestepping  opponents and scoring tries. I want to be a better attacking player. I think I am adequate in that regard, more than adequate, but I want to be more. I am not there yet.”

Born and raised in Malmesbury, this fourth-year Bachelor in Education-degree student suffered a plague of injuries over the last couple of years. “Things did not happen like I thought they would. I want to give my best now. We have an inexperienced team, but I have a special feeling about this squad. I want to win the Varsity Cup. We want to win the Varsity Cup.”

Watch him commanding the outside berth of NWU’s backline – honesty is one of his virtues and losing is a lie he will not tell.