Future Star: Hans Grobler

Future Star: Hans Grobler

9 Sep 2009

After impressing in the Varsity Cup, Grobler has become known as one of South Africa’s most promising hookers.

At 112kg and 1.81m, the 22-year-old is the typical old-school hooker – physical, strong and a good scrummager.

Originally from Bloemfontein, Grobler’s parents sent him to Paarl Gymnasium.

Once he had matriculated, he returned to his home town to study agriculture at Free State University, but rugby was always his main focus and he caught the eye of Shimlas coach Jaco Swanepoel.

‘I first saw him when he played for one of the hostels,’ says Swanepoel. ‘I was impressed with his physicality and the fact that he is an exceptional lineout thrower. These are two important qualities that a hooker should have.’

Swanepoel then drafted Grobler into the Shimlas 1st XV squad and he made his debut for the club in the Varsity Cup. He produced some impressive performances, despite suffering two injuries.

‘He started off the season brightly and played well in the opening games, but he was unfortunate to pick up those injuries,’ says the coach. ‘He broke his finger and then suffered a shoulder injury on his return. But I don’t think he’s injury-prone, and he will be back to the top of his game once he returns to match fitness.’

Grobler signed a one-year contract with the Free State Cheetahs in July. Swanepoel  believes the player will prosper at the union and provide them with a contrasting type of game.

‘He’s a different kind of hooker to the Cheetahs’ first-choice hookers, Richardt and Adriaan Strauss, but not so different that he won’t be able to slot into one of their positions.

‘You won’t find him in the wings like many modern-day hookers, you’ll see him do a lot of work off the ball at the rucks and breakdowns.

‘He just needs a proper opportunity to showcase his talents and with that experience he can only get better.’

Jake White also rates the hooker highly and believes Grobler is definitely one for the future.

‘He’s very physical, a good athlete and very strong,’ White says. ‘As a Paarl Gym old boy, he comes with a great pedigree as well.

‘Hans is a future star and I can see him playing Currie Cup and Super 14 rugby in the very near future. He might not be brilliant at the flashy things, but the boy can play.’

By Gareth Duncan


51 Comments

  • 1.Wezwp: Reply to this comment
    9 Sep 2009, 13:08 pm

    Bob skinstad is having dinner with the Boks which means his life chat will be delayed.

  • 2.money_man: Reply to this comment
    9 Sep 2009, 13:14 pm

    If he ain’t black he will remain ‘promising’ behind Splinters3… like Liebenberg, Strauss, Wepener, Kuun, et al…

    Only in Africa do your form S14 hooker’s play behind POC’s that cannot make their first team…

  • 3.Wezwp: Reply to this comment
    9 Sep 2009, 13:17 pm

    ChillIboy is first in line, he can go try out playing rugby in Italy.

  • 4.skopskiet: Reply to this comment
    9 Sep 2009, 13:22 pm

    Here we go with the indoctrinated colonialst creep spewing his indoctrinated anti African colonialst **** all over again, you made you godforsaken ideological choice and ducked for your colonialist feather bed fat cat chicken **** that you are, so spit and drown in your indoctrinated garbage over there in your new found haven of ideological spit and polish, no need for you to come try sow your indoctrinated (racial) creep seeds of discord over here, sink or swim in your new Advanced Fair laden land of caucasian milk and honey… over here we quite content with the way this continent is growing through its growth pains thank you kindly.. now f’off and stay f’offed, like you did already, go throw your high handed stones of sanctimonious colonialist ill breeding through the Sydney Opera House windows instead.

  • 5.money_man: Reply to this comment
    9 Sep 2009, 13:22 pm

    #3 Wezwp:

    Please refer to him as Splinters3… and he would not make the Treviso 4th team… he’s slower than a Sicilian Mama ‘full of al-dente Rigatoni and cheap Chianti’ and none the wiser too…

  • 6.Wezwp: Reply to this comment
    9 Sep 2009, 13:25 pm

    lol ok splinters it is. Where the heck do you guys come up with all these names. I liked Ratel to .

  • 7.Shakes: Reply to this comment
    9 Sep 2009, 13:26 pm

    #3 Wezwp: Or he can join the rest of the currently disgruntled individuals down under.

  • 8.Wezwp: Reply to this comment
    9 Sep 2009, 13:30 pm

    Let Siya kolisi play currie cup .

  • 9.stormer in a teacup: Reply to this comment
    9 Sep 2009, 13:30 pm

    #4 skopskiet: Excellent.

  • 10.Wezwp: Reply to this comment
    9 Sep 2009, 13:31 pm

    It’s about damn time they speed up this transformation.

  • 11.money_man: Reply to this comment
    9 Sep 2009, 13:36 pm

    #4 skopskiet:

    Not sure what you mean by ‘Anti-African’… I’ve spent my entire adult life ‘Out of Afrique’… yet am in the T20 share-holders of 3 Uranium and Gold mines in Botswana, Moz and Aranfuri… am putting my folk’s domestic’s kids through school in KZN… have now a third KZN ‘forgotten-by-the-ANC-AIDS-worldvision’ adoption…

    All this whilst you pay your ‘boys’ slave-labour wages daily… whilst you tik-tok on this site from your bakkie…

    Perspective… clearly I’m not African… you’re correct on that account!

  • 12.Wezwp: Reply to this comment
    9 Sep 2009, 13:37 pm

    Just got my club Newlands magazine finally.

  • 13.Cheetha Champs: Reply to this comment
    9 Sep 2009, 13:41 pm

    Who cares? This guys is behind the Strauss cousins, and PW Van Vuuren. Free State dont need a hooker – we need a lock.

    Write a story about some 2,9m phenom that we have signed, and you will have me excited.

  • 14.skopskiet: Reply to this comment
    9 Sep 2009, 13:45 pm

    #11 money_man: talk rugby and quit spreading anti African indoctrinated bile about Chili boy or any other African simply because you caucasians like to rape and pillage African mines for your tik tok share capital growth, at least me and my ‘boys’ we graft with picks and shovels, while you sit and amass your massive first world fortunes off the backs of those that grovel down under ground in the dirt for your tinsel town gold that you bravely toy with through your tik tok fat cat computer instead.

    How much you reckon Anglo and co. pay for their downtrodden underground slaves that pull the ore out the ground for you to willy nilly intellectually capitalize on their blood sweat n tears, huh Mr. T20 brave new world Advanced Fair trader of fortune that you are?

  • 15.Shakes: Reply to this comment
    9 Sep 2009, 13:50 pm

    #14 skopskiet: Skoppie ***** the plunderer, his nick says it all.

  • 16.Wezwp: Reply to this comment
    9 Sep 2009, 13:54 pm

    Do you idiots really think i buy this transformation bullshite.Where do all those talented black kids go to after high school. Not enough work is done on these kids @ safa

  • 17.Wezwp: Reply to this comment
    9 Sep 2009, 13:56 pm

    How many black kids in the Grey bloem set up if i may ask ?

  • 18.Wezwp: Reply to this comment
    9 Sep 2009, 13:59 pm

    William van wyk is the future of bok rugby, him and Nizaam Carr.

  • 19.Wezwp: Reply to this comment
    9 Sep 2009, 14:08 pm

    Just made Keo my home page. I suggest everyone do it.

  • 20.Transformation: Reply to this comment
    9 Sep 2009, 14:33 pm

    let them have it Skop! Bunch of pius pillaging palookas! Ha ha ha

  • 21.rangerman: Reply to this comment
    9 Sep 2009, 14:40 pm

    #19 Wezwp: you are seriously hilarious wez.

    you and klippies.

    the one liner kings.

    undisputed.

  • 22.rangerman: Reply to this comment
    9 Sep 2009, 14:42 pm

    #14 skopskiet: who are “you caucasians” by the way?

    is that like “you blacks” or more like “you halfies”?

    fair enough to put your point across but dont become what you profess to hate.

  • 23.Cheetha Champs: Reply to this comment
    9 Sep 2009, 14:42 pm

    #17 Wezwp: 1 in the starting line up.

  • 24.Wezwp: Reply to this comment
    9 Sep 2009, 15:38 pm

    Only one in the starting line up !?!? I bet his from the western Cape. You guys are used to buying the best talent in South Africa, why dont you buy more black talent. We never going to move forward at this rate. I suggest they get the quotas in the school set up.

  • 25.Wezwp: Reply to this comment
    9 Sep 2009, 15:40 pm

    what an excellent day to go surfing. Buy folks im off to muizenberg.

  • 26.Wezwp: Reply to this comment
    9 Sep 2009, 15:42 pm

    Bye i mean

  • 27.grant10: Reply to this comment
    9 Sep 2009, 15:44 pm

    #11 money_man: no matter how you package it….dont care how much money you have….you are 1 sick little puppy….

    You will never have the right to call yourself African…..Buffoon?? Yes…

  • 28.grant10: Reply to this comment
    9 Sep 2009, 15:45 pm

    #25 Wezwp: careful of them large fish!!

  • 29.Wezwp: Reply to this comment
    9 Sep 2009, 15:52 pm

    Will do

  • 30.grant10: Reply to this comment
    9 Sep 2009, 15:54 pm

    the Sharks announced there team yet ??

  • 31.Wezwp: Reply to this comment
    9 Sep 2009, 15:54 pm

    Im sure you guys can post something decent on here instead of Hans Grobler.

  • 32.grant10: Reply to this comment
    9 Sep 2009, 15:58 pm

    #31 Wezwp: go surf now…..

  • 33.Slappes: Reply to this comment
    9 Sep 2009, 18:34 pm

    Yoh! Skop was at his best I see. Vat hulle Skoppie! :-)

  • 34.Puma: Reply to this comment
    9 Sep 2009, 18:50 pm

    See it never ends here with the slagging off of each other. Phew!!! it gets tiresome really.

    Lets stick to rugby everyone.

  • 35.mk: Reply to this comment
    9 Sep 2009, 19:14 pm

    i see i missed a nice dog-fight here on keo but i’ll rather discuss this lad hans grobler.seeing that he was in the western cape school system i’m just wondering if western province actually tried to convince him to stay behind in the cape after school or was it a case of not giving a damn.good weight on him and a decent hight not bad for a youngster.looks like a hard grafter unlike certain hookers that believe that wing-play suits their style more.

  • 36.Wezwp: Reply to this comment
    9 Sep 2009, 19:20 pm

    mk you one “crazymotherphucker” you know that.

  • 37.Robzim: Reply to this comment
    9 Sep 2009, 19:27 pm

    #35 mk:

    Blame it on Uli Schmidt – he was the original hooker/wing who influenced many to do the same.

    The new promising Cheetah prop ironically called WP Nel is also from the Western Cape – schooled at Drostdy in Worcester.

    It is also true that many of the best youngsters in WP are from other provinces:

    Wickus Blaauw
    Brannas Fourie
    JJ Engelbrecht
    Tiger Bax
    Paul Bosch, to name a few.

    Apparently WP also signed the SA under 20 flyhalf, Lionel Cronje from the Cheetahs and he will start next year in CT.

    That is just the way it goes these days.

  • 38.Robzim: Reply to this comment
    9 Sep 2009, 19:28 pm

    #33 Slappes:

    Vintage Skoppy at his best.

  • 39.WP_: Reply to this comment
    9 Sep 2009, 19:37 pm

    Tiger Bax went to St. Andrews in Grahamstown, please tell me which province that is Robzim?

  • 40.Wezwp: Reply to this comment
    9 Sep 2009, 19:41 pm

    What’s this post still doing up? You guys better have chilliboy’s profile next.

  • 41.Slappes: Reply to this comment
    9 Sep 2009, 19:41 pm

    Robzim – Yeah, I can imagine Skop typing furiously on his phone :-) The Hickville thread was just as hilarious today. Those kiwi bloggers realy got riled up.

  • 42.WP_: Reply to this comment
    9 Sep 2009, 19:47 pm

    haha, ya that hickville one was so funny. so touchy those bloody kiwi’s just because they live in a hole. haha

  • 43.mk: Reply to this comment
    9 Sep 2009, 19:48 pm

    #37 Robzim: i guess so.the schoolboy factory in sa even supplies england and australia nowadays.

  • 44.Robzim: Reply to this comment
    9 Sep 2009, 20:09 pm

    #39 WP_:

    Border, I think?

  • 45.WP_: Reply to this comment
    9 Sep 2009, 20:13 pm

    Robzim – I think EP actually…

    But he chose to go to UCT, so it’s not like his was poached now is it?

  • 46.Robzim: Reply to this comment
    9 Sep 2009, 20:15 pm

    #41 Slappes:

    I met Skop on Saturday and I saw him in action on that phone.
    He is very fast and accurate.

    Yeah, Peter d V will never make it as a Minister of Foreign Affairs I guess.
    Never a dull moment.

  • 47.Robzim: Reply to this comment
    9 Sep 2009, 20:17 pm

    #45 WP_:

    No, he was not poached, UCT is a great choice.
    Rhodes sucks as far as rugby is concerned.

  • 48.Wezwp: Reply to this comment
    9 Sep 2009, 20:28 pm

    lol ou skoppie.

  • 49.Big Hit: Reply to this comment
    9 Sep 2009, 20:38 pm

    #46 Robzim: :)

  • 50.skopskiet: Reply to this comment
    9 Sep 2009, 20:43 pm

    yup the nokia blogger, anyone needing lessons on nokia blogging.. sign up in the margin under keo dollars.. except I charge real dollars not fake ones

  • 51.Dorff: Reply to this comment
    9 Sep 2009, 21:09 pm

    :lol: most entertaining thread ever… Skop you the man..

Keo.co.za has always promoted uncensored views, but has never tolerated racist or crass outbursts. Come on guys and girls. If you can't moderate yourselves or each other then I am going to be forced to regulate the posts and enforce a registration process for comments. The choice is yours.

Have your say

You must be logged in to post a comment.