Durban - Springbok captain Adriaan Strauss is one of the best hookers in world rugby.
That is the view of All Blacks No 2 Dane Coles, who was speaking in Durban on Monday ahead of this Saturday's Rugby Championship clash against the Boks at Kings Park.
Strauss, who has announced his retirement from international rugby at the end of the year, was huge for South Africa in their 18-10 win over Australia in Pretoria last weekend.
He was accurate as ever at lineout time, was solid defensively and made a number of darting runs on his way to a man of the match performance.
Coles, largely considered the best hooker in the world right now, was full of praise for the 30-year-old.
"He's one of the world's best hookers," Coles said.
"I thought he was really good (against Australia), leading from the front and obviously he's the captain so that's good for his team.
"He made some good runs and his set piece was strong. For a hooker to play 80 minutes at this level is pretty massive.
"The best way for you team to improve is for your captain to perform ... I thought he was awesome."