When Pieter Rossouw tours France, hotel staff inevitably greet him as if he was one of their own. It is the surname, of course, that does it, and the Frogs are baffled when he cannot answer them in French.
"It's strange to think that my ancestors are from here," he says, looking at the Gallic faces streaming through the foyer of the Springboks' hotel.
"There were just two Rossouw brothers who came to South Africa with the French Huguenots to escape religious persecution. The South African Rossouws are all descended from those brothers. It happened so long ago that I feel no bond with France, yet I must admit I love touring here. I have had good times," he adds with a grin.
He is alluding to his crowning glory on a rugby field - his stunning four-try contribution to South Africa's 52-10 rout of the French in 1997 in the farewell match to the Parc de Princes.
That was his ninth Test match after he had made his debut earlier that year in the second Test against the British Lions in Durban. He would be a controversial fixture in the No 11 jersey for another 31 Tests until Harry Viljoen earlier this year decided that Dean Hall might be a better bet.
The person least surprised by the axing was Rossouw himself. "On or off the field I have a pretty good knack of seeing what is coming," he says sardonically. "Yes, I was very disappointed, but there was also an element of relief. For a long time there was a lot of people wanting me out of the team, and it takes its strain. After four years of non-stop rugby there was suddenly a release of pressure."
Why did so many people want to see the back of a gifted left wing who has scored a creditable 19 tries in 40 Tests, created many more and has never let his team down on defence?
Probably because last year the disillusioned public associated Rossouw with all that was wrong with Nick Mallett's game plan. The anti-Rossouw movement reached a crescendo in Sydney last year when the Boks were appalling in their 26-6 Tri-Nations defeat to the Wallabies. In that match, the desperate Mallett had called on Rossouw to spend much of the match at flyhalf, hoping he would be able to spark the listless backline.
In a Bok backline lacking flair, Rossouw was perhaps unfairly burdened with the responsibility of creating attacking opportunities.
"I think the public sometimes does not understand the dynamics of rugby. Let me put it this way. At Western Province I get the ball, say, 20 times in a game, so the chances of me doing something brilliant are much higher.
"Sometimes in a Test match you get the ball twice and yet you are expected to do something supernatural. When you handle the ball 20 times, it is easier to try things."
Rossouw has long been labelled with the "creative" tag, something he would not mind as long as the public did not expect a miracle every time he touches the ball.
"I think of myself as being able to create a positive environment to attack. I seem to be able to do things at the right time. My timing and anticipation are my best assets, and the other guys in the team see me as a gamebreaker in their midst.
"At Province we have five or six players who can do that, so the responsibility is shared. At international level it has not always worked out like that and it becomes very difficult when everybody looks to you to create something out of nothing."
Early in his career, Rossouw tried too often to do just that, and coaches began worrying that playing him was a gamble.
"Two seasons ago, I made a decision to become a player who would never again be regarded as a risk. I realised that the difference between a good player and a brilliant player is being able to do good things but at the same time minimise your mistakes."
Now Rossouw is back in the Bok squad and has never felt better.
"Being a Springbok has never felt more special. When you are entrenched in the team you get used to it and you forget how much of a privilege it is to play for your country. You do not know what you have got until its gone. That is why I am enjoying every moment of this tour. I am looking forward to this Test as if it was my first, and I am determined to play so well that I will never be dropped again."