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Johannesburg - Springbok number eight Ashley Johnson sports a mop of black hair that makes him look more like a 1970s pop musician than a rugby union footballer.
But when he runs on to the Welford Road home of Leicester Tigers on Friday for the first of five South African matches on a tour of Europe it will complete another chapter in a fairytale rise up the ladder toward stardom.
A couple of months ago Johnson, 23, was turning out for Northern Free State Griffons before the proverbial two men and a dog in the second tier of the Currie Cup inter-provincial championship.
An injury crisis at elite-division outfit Free State Cheetahs ushered a dramatic change in fortunes for the player who jokingly says life is so hectic he does not have time for a haircut.
Cheetahs coach Naka Drotske, a former Bok hooker, needed someone in the middle of his front row and placed Johnson there, believing he was too short and heavy for the number eight slot.
However, as the injury crisis spread, Johnson found him at the rear of the line-out instead of throwing the ball in, and it is there that he caught the eye of Bok coach Peter de Villiers.
Leicester, beware! This retreaded hooker is a formidable force when he moves into overdrive, brushing off opponents with gay abandon as the Afro mop flies in all directions.
"I am not the fancy-rugby type," admits the man who defends his unusual hairstyle by claiming there are no good barbers in Bloemfontein.
"I enjoy playing a direct game, carrying the ball and bashing people out of the way. My role for the Cheetahs was to develop forward momentum and get us over the advantage line," he said before heading for England.
"Facing Leicester is a one-off chance as I do not know how much game time I'm going to get on tour. I'm starting this Friday but maybe I'll only get 30 minutes against Saracens or nothing at all."
Facing the Tigers in a den extended to 24 000 seats by the opening of a new stand completes a memorable week for Johnson, one of three uncapped forwards in the Bok starting line-up.
Last Saturday he was his usual hyperactive self in the Cheetahs team beaten by the Blue Bulls in the Currie Cup final after a brave comeback petered out in the closing stages.
But the disappointment of falling at the final hurdle was softened within 30 minutes as his name was among 20 forwards and 17 backs chosen to face Leicester and Saracens plus Tests against France, Italy and Ireland.
But when he runs on to the Welford Road home of Leicester Tigers on Friday for the first of five South African matches on a tour of Europe it will complete another chapter in a fairytale rise up the ladder toward stardom.
A couple of months ago Johnson, 23, was turning out for Northern Free State Griffons before the proverbial two men and a dog in the second tier of the Currie Cup inter-provincial championship.
An injury crisis at elite-division outfit Free State Cheetahs ushered a dramatic change in fortunes for the player who jokingly says life is so hectic he does not have time for a haircut.
Cheetahs coach Naka Drotske, a former Bok hooker, needed someone in the middle of his front row and placed Johnson there, believing he was too short and heavy for the number eight slot.
However, as the injury crisis spread, Johnson found him at the rear of the line-out instead of throwing the ball in, and it is there that he caught the eye of Bok coach Peter de Villiers.
Leicester, beware! This retreaded hooker is a formidable force when he moves into overdrive, brushing off opponents with gay abandon as the Afro mop flies in all directions.
"I am not the fancy-rugby type," admits the man who defends his unusual hairstyle by claiming there are no good barbers in Bloemfontein.
"I enjoy playing a direct game, carrying the ball and bashing people out of the way. My role for the Cheetahs was to develop forward momentum and get us over the advantage line," he said before heading for England.
"Facing Leicester is a one-off chance as I do not know how much game time I'm going to get on tour. I'm starting this Friday but maybe I'll only get 30 minutes against Saracens or nothing at all."
Facing the Tigers in a den extended to 24 000 seats by the opening of a new stand completes a memorable week for Johnson, one of three uncapped forwards in the Bok starting line-up.
Last Saturday he was his usual hyperactive self in the Cheetahs team beaten by the Blue Bulls in the Currie Cup final after a brave comeback petered out in the closing stages.
But the disappointment of falling at the final hurdle was softened within 30 minutes as his name was among 20 forwards and 17 backs chosen to face Leicester and Saracens plus Tests against France, Italy and Ireland.
