New 20-year-old Springboks monster goes viral as crazy physique leaves 8m in awe
The young forward has even been invited to train with the senior Springboks team.
This is the man who's been grabbing attention online.
(Image: RugbyPass)
South Africa under-20s player Bathobele Hlekani has gone viral on social media for his sheer size and power, and has picked up over eight million views in the last few weeks.
At just 20-years-old, flanker Hlekani is 6ft 4in and 18 stone, with plenty of growing still to come. In a video from RugbyPass entitled 'Bathobele Hlekani is the next South African beast', footage shows his muscular frame, along with a clip of him packing down at scrum time against New Zealand. The video has garnered 2.8m views in just three weeks.
World Rugby posted another video showcasing the size of the Junior Springboks walking to one of their games during the Under-20s Championship last month.
The video was captioned: "Need to know what they are feeding these boys", with Hlekani front and centre at the beginning of the video. That has picked up a further 5.3 million views, taking the total to over eight million.
Watch the first clip below.
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The second clip can be viewed below.
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The clip is taken from the Championship final, where the Baby 'Boks won 23-15 against New Zealand.
Hlekani signed a deal to join United Rugby Championship outfit Lions last week, who are based in Johannesburg.
Lions player Izan Esterhuizen sustained an injury prior to the new season, which prompted the club to poach Hlekani from rivals Sharks.
He shot to fame during the U20s World Championships last year, before putting in a strong performance for Sharks in their Currie Cup victory over Lions that year.
Victory against New Zealand in the final ended a 13-year wait for their second title in the competition, with Hlekani at the very centre of their success.
The big man will have to wait before he links up with his new team, as he is currently training with the Springboks senior side ahead of The Rugby Championship.
Hlekani is being joined by fellow U20s stars Cheswill Jooste and Haashim Pead in camp with Rassie Erasmus' squad.
Speaking about their involvement in the squad, Eramsus assured that there is "no chance" they will play for Springboks this year, unless they really blow everyone away at training.
"We definitely don't see those guys playing Test matches this year, but we're getting them used to the environment here and wherever they go for their franchises or their clubs," began Erasmus.
"It's just for us to understand how quickly they can make the step up and settle into the environment with the energy they bring, like what we did with Ntokozo Makhaza.
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"The three of them know 100% well that there's no chance [that they play for the Springboks this year], unless they really knock down the door and blow us away at training sessions."
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