It did not take Leopards centre, Tyler Fisher, long to get hooked on rugby.

Tyler took to the game like a fish to water from an early age in his hometown of Durban. It was a small beginning for Tyler at the little Forest Hill Primary.

This did not stop him from making his mark on the school rugby scene with his brother, Kayde who is two years older than him. He has already represented the u/13 Natal team and then received a scholarship to Westville Boys High, a traditionally strong rugby school.

His brother also represented the school and this made it easy for Tyler to take his rugby to the next level as he represented the Sharks from u/16 to u/21 level.   He has also represented SA Schools and played for the u/19 and Sevens Sharks team while still in matric.  “Luckily, I had great teachers who helped me to catch up on the work,” he recalls.

Tyler made a few appearances for the senior Sharks team at Currie Cup level and was also in the Sharks’ squad for Super Rugby.  “That was a valuable experience for me and gave me my first taste of professional rugby at that level. Being part of the SA High-Performance squad in 2009, was also an eye-opener and I knew I needed to up my game.”

One of Tyler’s greatest experiences was playing at the Junior Commonwealth Games as well as playing against Saracens for the Sharks in a pre-season match.

He is a hard worker on and off the field and pays a lot of attention to his diet and training disciplines.  “You have to be on top of your game, especially at this level. I enjoy the contact of playing centre but I like to create space for my teammates as well. I see myself as a centre with an all-round game,” he explains.

This talented centre is currently on loan to the Leopards, after spending the first 21 years of his life in KwaZulu-Natal. He did not get game time with the Sharks and Robert du Preez invited him to play for the Leopards. This move has worked wonders for Tyler, who has impressed with his physical presence and try-scoring ability.  This was evident against Boland two weeks ago in his man of the match performance.  “I like playing 15-man rugby and would like to impress and continue playing my game at the top level. The facilities and professionalism of the Leopards have been fantastic,” he expressed.

On the bench with Tyler Fisher:

Favourite music: House and electro house music

Favourite movie: Southpaw and The Longest Yard

Favourite food: These days I eat a lot of chicken and broccoli but McDonalds on a cheat day!

5 best outside centres: Brian O’Driscoll, Sonny Bill Williams, Conrad Smith, Jaque Fourie and Jean de Villiers.

Life motto: C’est la Vie – Whatever happens, will happen

The ground he would most like to play on: Twickenham – The home of English Rugby.