Fame hasn't affected Monty

Mention the name Percy Montgomery and you think white boots, silver hair, eccentric.

This week he showed another side to his misunderstood personality. He is a caring father to his young stepson, Nicholas.

"He's great to have around the house and back to his usual self now that he's almost recovered from German measles," Montgomery said this week as he relaxed on his day off at home in Bloubergrant.

"I don't get up to much when we're off other than spending time with my family because my fiance and Nicholas mean a lot to me. Other than that I try to catch a wave or two when I get the chance," he added.

His fiance is top model Tasmin Tobbit, who stars in television advertisements and fashion catalogues. They recently got engaged but are yet to set a date for the big day.

"We have a great relationship and won't rush the marriage thing... we will know when we're ready to get married," he said.

Indeed, timing is everything, and the same could be said of his move from fullback to flyhalf for the Stormers this year. The position was nothing new for him because he played there for Western Province in 1996 and Springbok coach Harry Viljoen selected him at No 10 on the national team's tour of Argentina, Britain and Ireland last year.

Yet, when Montgomery was named at flyhalf in the tour squad it still came as a surprise to many.

"There was talk before the announcement that I might switch positions but I've learned that you don't take things for granted... I was still nervous before the team was announced," Montgomery confirmed.

"I won't hide the fact that I enjoy flyhalf because I get more ball there. One of my strengths is my distribution skills and I can use it at flyhalf. Sometimes I get frustrated at fullback because I don't always get drawn into play," he explained.

Stormers coach Alan Solomons has often said one of Montgomery's greatest assets is his instinctiveness and that comes through when he's at fullback.

Even his former schools coach at SACS agrees with Solomons. Simon Perkin coached Montgomery for four years from 1990 and identified him as a fullback.

"Fullback is his position but if Harry feels South Africa is best served with Monty at flyhalf then he must play him there," Perkin said.

HO de Villiers, who was one of Montgomery's coaches at SACS has the same view. "He's the most difficult player to mark at fullback... give him space and he's the most devastating runner. Together with Pieter Rossouw and Breyton Paulse (Stormers wings) they are the most potent back three. It's easy to bottle Percy up at flyhalf that's why I'd rather see him at fullback," said De Villiers, one of the Springbok greats.

Perkin is understandably proud of one of his pupils, a player he felt back then would make it in the big league.

"It was clear from under-16 level that he was going to the top because he was incredibly determined to make a success of his game. Also he has the right genes," Perkin said.

Montgomery's father played scrumhalf for the then South West Africa (now Namibia where Percy was born in 1974) so it's not difficult to figure out what triggered his interest in rugby.

Today the younger Montgomery can rattle off the star-studded teams he has been part of, including the South African Schools sides in 1992 and 1993, the magnificent Western Province under-21 team of 1994 and 1995, the WP Currie Cup-winning sides of 1997 and 2000, the Stormers in Super 12, Emerging Springboks and eventually the Springboks.

"But none of the fame has gone to his head," said Perkin. "He still remains the same person I coached for the first time in 1990. In 1997 he spent two and a half hours on a train from London (the Springboks were on tour) to watch SACS play a tour match in High Wycombe ... he didn't have to do it," Perkin recalled.

Montgomery's first Springbok blazer - he made his test debut at centre against the British Lions in Durban in 1997 - is in the honours room at SACS. Since then he put on the Springbok jersey 44 more times.

It could easily have been Justin Swart's record. The former WP fullback, now doing well with the Sharks in the Super 12, was injured in the first test against Italy on the Springboks' end-of-year tour in 1997. Montgomery took over at fullback against France in Lyon and that was that...

"That tour was one of the highlights of my career coupled with the 17 consecutive wins under Nick Mallett (former Springbok coach)," he reminisced.

Another man who was closely involved with Montgomery's early development was Campbell McCraw, the manager of the WP under-21 side when they won the age group title in 1994 and 1995. Montgomery refers to it as the golden years when he played mostly at flyhalf and left wing. Among his teammates were current Stormers Robbie Fleck, captain Corne Krige, Bobby Skinstad, Hottie Louw and Wium Basson who is battling cancer.

"It was the coming together of a lot of talented individuals... one of them Percy," McCraw said on Friday. "He was destined to reach the top. I believe he causes more trouble when he is at flyhalf and that is where he should be given an extended run in a competition like the Tri-Nations. He is unpredictable and that is what makes him dangerous in that position," McCraw said.

But at the moment he's not even thinking about the Springbok side.

"Super 12 takes priority and we must cut out the silly mistakes if we still want to make the semis. You cannot expect to make the Springbok side if you don't do well in the Super 12," Montgomery said.