"Tried and tested — I think that sums him up," offers Frank Rautenbach of Hansie Cronje.

"I'd rather trust him now than I would before because his weaknesses were exposed, they were tested and I think in all the shame, all the humiliation he still said: 'You know what, I can still do it'."

Rautenbach may not have known the late cricketer but during 18 months of research was able to get to know the former national cricket captain.

The actor remembers asking Cronje's mother what one thing in the film would really capture the fallen sportsman. She told him: "He used to stand against the fridge and shake his head and say: 'You know what ma, no matter what I say, I'm always going to be the poephol in this fairytale, that's just fact".

"I remember thinking: 'What a helpless feeling — no matter what you say the media are just going to write what they're going to write.

"So I was really passionate about making the movie because we just want to give people the opportunity to see the human story. It's a story of a guy's life. It has many aspects — cricket and his Christianity and his business and his bookies — and we all have a free opinion, a free right to make those decisions. So watch the story and then decide what you want to think about it."

Fair enough. But what about the criticism the film has drawn from Cronje's former team-mates that it's simply opening old wounds and doesn't provide a balanced view of events?

"A lot of people have moved on. The guy has passed on, nothing you say now is going to change his life or do anything to him. It is what it is. But it's strange to me how people don't want to let go. That said I think it's a very small minority of disgruntled people who still feel it's their duty — and they'll say exactly the same to us: 'Why do you feel it's your duty to justify Hansie?'

"We're not trying to justify or vindicate him or his actions. We're trying to tell a story, to give people the opportunity to see a fair and balanced view of his life.

"Unless you tell a story accurately or truthfully, you don't give people the opportunity to make up their minds."

Rautenbach's opinion of the man is quite clear — when I ask him if he learned anything surprising during his research, he refers to Berta Cronje's eulogy at her husband's funeral

"She said: 'For the last two years I've wanted to shout and scream and tell the world that you're still the same Hansie that we all knew and loved'."

Rautenbach continues: "He made a mistake, yes that's correct. And he was punished for the mistake, yes that's correct too. But essentially he still remained Hansie, the guy who we fell in love with — he was still the same guy and I think that's what I discovered. And it wasn't surprising to me — it was more comforting than anything else."

Getting inside Cronje's head was more difficult.

"I couldn't play someone else's opinion or someone else's version of Hansie, someone else's point of view," says the actor best known for his leading role in 'Faith Like Potatoes'.

"On being offered the part, I immediately said 'yes' and but then two seconds after that my stomach started turning, my head just started spinning. It probably took the better part of a year to feel convinced that it was the right decision and I could do it. It was more the challenge of playing someone as famous as Hansie and doing him justice."

And then there were the dual physical and emotional challenges.

"It was difficult on all levels, simply because I wanted to throw myself into this role — I wanted to Hansie's family justice and honour and obviously I was a fan of Hansie. I wanted to represent who he was because he was a highly committed player, he was the fittest guy on the field." Cue eight months gym six times a week at 6am.

"The gym training was a physical battle to start with, but it became a mental battle eventually to do it day in and day out and remain at a certain peak.

"On the mental and emotional side, it's important to know that Hansie never lost a rugby match in 12 years at school. So the confidence level and the winning culture that was in his system, was exceptionally high. But also the contrast when the whole match fixing thing broke, and he lost all his credibility, he definitely lost confidence — a lot of that natural attitude he must have had built up over the years was just swept away."

That was a real challenge to portray, but writer/producer/brother-of-Hansie Frans Cronje believed Rautenbach would be up for the challenge.

"He has a tremendous work rate — he was on set every single day during 'Faith Like Potatoes' and he didn't complain once. He's not a prima donna. I come from the Free Sate and we're quite down to earth there, so it was good to have someone down to earth play Hansie," explains Cronje, who produced 'Faith Like Potatoes'.

"Frank is very athletic, he was a gymnast, he's a scratch golfer, he has a lot of ball sense and he learns extremely fast. And then the question the media asked was 'If Hansie was a christian, why did he do what he did?' and in order to play that it was important to understand Hansie's Christian upbringing and beliefs, which Frank shares — he's also a Christian. And I felt it was good that he understood that."

Not that it made completing 'Hansie' any easier for Rautenbach.

"I think it's one of those movies you do once and don't do again because you'll just be worn out," he laughs.