Never mind love, he must have felt like a voodoo doll.
For Raymond Rhule the criticism pricked and stung since the Springbok squad for the Rugby Championship was announced last week.
When the Sunday Times this week asked the Cheetahs' man about it, his response was rather to the point.
"You try and block out the white noise," said Rhule about the reminders that he is occupying a space that should be filled by in-form Lions wing Ruan Combrinck.
The Lions winger was injured and had little time to fully play himself back into contention before the June series against France.
Raymond Rhule is joining the Stormers and says: 'I'm heading down to Cape Town. I've been in the Free State all my life but I feel I have to go. If I want to continue wearing this [Springbok] jersey, I need to improve my game. I'm at the point where I need to put myself out there.'
— Cheetah changes his spots
Now he has been overlooked for a competition in which the Boks are desperate to confirm that they are indeed on the path to restoration.
Rhule said he has been steeled against biting criticism. "I've been dealing with criticism all my life. I come from a small school [Sentraal Primary and Louis Botha Technical High School] no one knew much of. When I have had opportunities I've tried to make the most of it.
"Before you establish yourself, you will always have doubters who think you're not capable. If you have the support of your team and the backing of your coaches you put yourself in a position where you don't want to let anybody down. You don't let anybody down whose opinion matters.
"The public tends to see who scored the try and who is about to score the try. When you're a player and a coach, you look beyond that. Most of the people who are criticising, they don't get the full agenda. It is kinda hard to take that into consideration because they don't have the whole story.
"Obviously not everyone is going to like the look of the team."
It was at under-20 level where he learnt to swat brickbats. "We lost the first match and everyone was criticising. One of our coaches at that stage, Brendan Venter, came in and said we need to block out the white noise because literally all you have are the guys sitting in that room.
"We turned our campaign around and ended up winning. The same people who were criticising became fans.
"I'm ecstatic about my season. Every season you set goals for yourself. You don't always achieve them. Thus far I'm on track.
"Super Rugby is great in that it gives you exposure. If you do well in a competition like that, it gives you a lot of confidence to go into any international series.
"Obviously the test arena is a whole different ball game. If your foundation is great, however, you can tackle anything."
And therein lies the rub. His defence, his critics will argue, didn't stand up to the challenge this year. In Super Rugby he shared the dubious honour of missing the most tackles along with Pieter-Steph du Toit.
Asked what he would like to improve in the Rugby Championship, Rhule pointed to an area that needs augmentation, rather than shoring up.
"I want to get my hands on the ball more. The way we play we have a lot of ball runners," he said. "The nice thing about playing in the Rugby Championship is that we play against the same players week in and week out. In the June tests that's not the case.
"It is a whole different beast playing the All Blacks, Australia and Argentina but at least it helps knowing the players involved."
The test arena is a whole different ball game. If your foundation is great, however, you can tackle anything.
— Raymond Rhule
In some ways Rhule's fortunes in the Rugby Championship will be a microcosm of what the Springboks are likely to go through. The Boks played with greater cohesion and purpose in beating a disappointing France 3-0 in June. They would have been left under little illusion that greater battles lay ahead.
Still, the series against France would have instilled the belief they can deal with whatever Australia and Argentina will throw at them in the Rugby Championship. The All Blacks, however, will take some beating.
The Boks will be without captain Warren Whiteley until at least the home matches against the Wallabies and the All Blacks. In his absence, Eben Etzebeth will take the reins and his temperament is likely to be tested in the heat of the boiler room.
Rhule too is likely to come in for an examination, particularly against an All Blacks team so well stocked they did not have room for Julian Savea, and could afford to grant Ben Smith a sabbatical.
The All Blacks' air of invincibility how-ever was pricked in the drawn series against the British and Irish Lions. It will only leave them vulnerable if their rivals in the Rugby Championship rise to the challenge.
The Wallabies were unconvincing against Fiji and Italy in June but it is the defeat to Scotland that would have rankled most with coach Michael Cheika.
Argentina suffered a 2-0 series defeat at home to a weakened but well organised England. It was hard fought but the Los Pumas again lacked composure.
In the meantime, Rhule has a message from his detractors: "I haven't lost an international game yet."
