January 30, 2013 at 5:54 p.m.
Paulse: the Classic is rugby at its best
He says the sport has lost a lot of the fun factor as it has become more professional
Paulse, who has 64 caps for his country, used his lightening speed to put an end of any Australian dreams of advancing to the final as the Classic Springboks won 21 to 0.
The jovial Paulse knows that no matter what happens on the pitch in Saturday's final, all the guys from both teams will gather around and enjoy a good drink together.
"All in all it's a fascinating experience," Paulse said. "Whether we play the Lions or the All Blacks on Saturday, it's going to be a tough one.
Even the teams like the USA and Canada, they have been physical as well. There are no easy rides.
"This is played in a different spirit and it's really fun," Paulse said. "Guys who I never thought I would play with because some of the guys are older than me.
He said even though the team had not really trained together, the Springboks "are in a fortunate position because we South Africans are passionate about our rugby. It is the number one sport in South Africa so it easier for us to come together and play as a team because most of the guys know each other.
Not necessarily know each other personally, but know each other from playing against each other over the years."
Paulse said it has been a thrill to play with guys like lock Johan Kapp and flanker Pieter Joubert.
"I've always played against these guys and now all of a sudden to play alongside these guys, it's fantastic. Some of the older guys I've never played with so it's cool to play with these guys and see how they think on the field and react to different situations."
He laughed that even though that is an advantage one of the downsides of the Classic is that "some of the guys do have late nights. This is about having fun and on the day -whatever happens happens. It's all in good spirit. The guys are having a bit of fun. There's a lot of partying going on, which makes it such a special event."
He said that spirit of camaraderie extends to both sides of the ball.
"The beauty of the sport of rugby is you can tackle one guy off the park and then afterwards you would have a drink together. At times it can be physical on the field, but afterwards you forget about it all, even if you threw a punch or jumped over somebody's body. That's the beauty of rugby because you can have a drink and a chat this and that."
Paulse lamented: "Sports are becoming so serious these days that the guys are forgetting to laugh after the game. That is a big negative for the sport. In this kind of tournament, you need to bring together that togetherness of players who will mingle after the game. I think this is very important.
"This is really a lot of fun. It takes me back to the start of rugby before I became professional. This was the way rugby was. Fortunately or unfortunately, depending on the way you look at it, the game has become professional, more commercialized, a lot of money and corporate sponsorships involved. We need more of these kinds of tournaments.
"This is a fantastic island and bringing an exceptional event makes it even more special for the guys. Before I even came I heard some good things form the guys and that's why I came. I am definitely looking forward to be involved in more of this kind of tournament."
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