Former Hoërskool Waterkloof boy Faf de Klerk will play in his 50th test match for the Springboks when World Cup campaign starts

One of the Springboks’ most dangerous and important weapons in the upcoming World Cup tournament in France is the experienced and skilled scrumhalf, Faf de Kerk, a man who initially made a name for himself as a schoolboy at Hoërskool Waterkloof in Pretoria.

This “Pocket Rocket” of the Springboks has established himself as a superstar of world rugby over the past eight seasons. He has few weaknesses in his rugby arsenal, while these days he also stands out as one of the leaders in the team.

De Klerk’s service behind the scrum is one of the nimblest one will come across; he has an educated boot and his fearless and effective defence regularly captures the imagination of the rugby world. He has been compared by the English coaching guru, Craig Wilson, to a Cobra attacking its prey – aggressive and very effective.

Although De Klerk, was in action in the colours of the Blue Bulls at the Grand Khomo week in 2007 and again at the u.18 Academy week in 2009, he couldn’t manage to get a professional contract to continue playing his rugby at Loftus Versfeld after school. Apparently, he was “too small” for the Bulls.

The Lions convinced him to play junior professional rugby at Ellis Park after matric, but his contract there was also terminated after only two years in the junior professional teams.

Jimmy Stonehouse, who knew and coached him as a schoolboy at Hoërskool Waterkloof, threw a rugby lifeline to the young Faf de Klerk and he returned to Nelspruit, where he learned his rugby as a young primary school boy.

There in the Lowveld, his career caught fire again and in the colours of the Pumas, the young De Klerk showed week after week in Currie Cup matches that you don’t need a big body to excel on the rugby field, if your dedication is backed by hard work and fearless determination.

After Johan Ackerman took over as coach at Ellis Park, he and the successful player-recruiter, Bart Schoeman, corrected their predecessors’ mistake by acquiring De Klerk on a loan basis from the Pumas during the SuperRugby seasons of 2014 and 2015.

Again, the man who was considered “too small for professional rugby” in Pretoria, grabbed his chance with both hands and became an integral part of the Lions’ success of the Ackerman era, to such an extent that he was called up by the Springboks in 2016.

Now De Klerk, who is likely to play his 50th test on Sunday during the Boks’ first game of the World Cup tournament against Scotland in France, is not only a stalwart for the Boks, but an international superstar.

It is no secret that De Klerk was recruited as a schoolboy in Nelspruit to move to Pretoria. What is less known, however, is that his choice fell on Hoërskool Waterkloof since the Klofies were one of the country’s leading cricket schools at that time.

Another lesser-known fact is that at school and even as a junior professional player with the Lions, he often switched between scrum-half and fly-half. In an interview some time ago, Jimmy Stonehouse told how De Klerk was already talented enough at school to easily play either position for Waterkloof’s first team.

“Faf played both positions because we didn’t have great depth in the squad or a 10 on the bench. He had a good left boot and went on to play flyhalf for the Lions u.19 and u.21 teams. But at some point, you have to specialise and Faf’s size (1.72m and 80kg) saw him settle at scrumhalf, which is his preferred position,” Stonehouse recalled.

If there is one thing that De Klerk is perhaps more famous for than his long blonde locks or his brave performances on the rugby field despite his lack of height, it is that much-discussed meeting of his with Prince Harry in the Springboks’ dressing room after the 2019 World Cup final, during which he only wore his speedo in the colours of the national flag.

Those who know him will tell you that these events are a perfect summary of the character of one of South Africa’s key players at the upcoming World Cup tournament – on the field he gives it his all and competes on an equal footing with men who are towering head and shoulders above him. But off the field, he is the calm, perfect team-man who doesn’t bother much with preconceived ideas or perceptions in the world around him.

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