VRYHEID KZN: Size doesn’t matter, but passion does
The rugby club started last week and invites / encourages all young and older players to attend their practice sessions on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 6pm until 8pm
Most Afrikaans boys have a dream when they are little, whether it is to follow in their father’s footsteps and become a farmer or fill bigger boots like those of Sharks’ flanker JP Petersen. Unfortunately, these dreams don’t always materialise. However, when you put your mind to it, you can become a local rugby hero in your own right!
This is what 24-year-old Chris van Rooyen has achieved. He is Vryheid Rugby Club’s young and upcoming scrum-half. Chris has always had a love for a rugby ball. When he was in primary school, he and his friends would ‘ditch’ a practice for the school’s concert to go and play on the rugby field. His rugby career started off with Bulletjie rugby and later on, he played for Lucas Meyer Primary School’s first team. When he moved on to high school, Chris played full-back for a while, but later played scrum-half again. Asking Chris whether he thinks he has speed on the field, he modestly shies away and humbly answers that he is a ‘little fast’. Chris explains that he never played for Pionier’s first team since he was ‘too small’, but that didn’t deter him from playing, since he has a love and passion for rugby. All he ever wanted to do was play the game!
Chris is a born and bred Vryheider, but lived in Louwsburg. After he matriculated, he stayed on in Vryheid, where he has his own business. He then joined Vryheid Rugby Club in 2015. Chris proudly says that 2016/2017 were excellent years for the club, since they won the Northern Natal Cup during both those years.
What happens in your mind when you run out onto the field? “It depends on the game and the position I am playing. It also depends on the importance of the game. When you are playing a final, you become more serious and you put more pressure on yourself to perform. But if I have to play for the second team, I just enjoy the game and try out new moves.” During 2017 and 2018, Chris was selected to play for the Wildebeeste Platteland team, but unfortunately they had no funds for tours or kit. Even though he was selected for the Wildebeeste team, they played as the Northern Natal team against other local and regional teams. They also had the opportunity to play in the ‘Shark Tank’ a few times.
In 2016, Chris received the trophy for ‘Full-Back of the Year’ and in 2017 received ‘Best Try of the Year’ at the club, not forgetting the trophy for ‘Best Full-Back of the Year’ in Northern Natal. Even though he was awarded these accolades in 2017, the highlights for him that year were their victories against teams like Piet Retief and Newcastle during the Moore and Murray Cup tournament. He reminisces about those games and continues to elaborate how the team was at its best, and the team’s uniformity was impeccable. He furthermore remembers the crowd’s enthusiasm during the game against Piet Retief, which motivated him personally to play one of the best games of his life to date.
How would you motivate a young player? “It doesn’t matter your age. The younger you start, the better. For some reason, when you are small in build, players are afraid to get criticised about their size. Don’t be afraid and start believing in yourself. This is what Cheslin Kolbe proved during the 2019 World Cup: that size doesn’t matter. It’s not about your size, even though South African rugby focused on size in earlier years. Fortunately, talent also counts for something and that is what got me here, since I am also small in build. Just back yourself and have the heart to play the game. The youngsters don’t want to work that hard anymore to get what they want, and they should change that mind-set.”
The country was moved to Alert Level 1 and sporting codes could once again start with practices. The rugby club started last week and invites / encourages all young and older players to attend their practice sessions on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 6pm until 8pm. Even though they are not allowed to engage in any physical contact activities, the group is currently working on fitness levels, which is imperative for this year’s games. All Covid-19 protocols are followed, and registration starts at 5.45pm.
This year is the club’s centenary and a reunion was planned for April, but due to unforeseen circumstances, the celebrations were moved to August. More information will be communicated at a later stage.
VRYHEID: Jong rugbysterre opgewonde vir 2021
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