Troubles of a white wing
21 Apr 2010
Gerhard van den Heever faces immense obstacles in his quest to earn Springbok selection.
The Bulls wing wants to go to the 2011 World Cup in New Zealand. And in an ideal world, one uncomplicated by Bryan Habana’s legacy and accepted but flawed selection norms, he’d have a realistic hope too.
This, after all, is the kid who ended his rookie season in 2009 having scored 11 tries in 19 provincial matches, and at the time of writing had bagged four in seven Super 14 starts. Rich in promise and with all the technical and physical attributes a modern wing needs to be successful, his Springbok ambition isn’t misplaced.
But his is a unique battle – one that no other elite South African wing has to fight.
It’s one, firstly, for acceptance and appreciation among the Loftus disciples, who are still in mourning after the passing – figuratively speaking – of their messiah, Habana. Van den Heever is yet to prove he is worthy of lacing Habana’s boots, let alone filling them.
Those in the know at the Bulls tell me he’s quicker than Habana (a South African champion hurdler at school, he once ran 13.7sec over 110m and boasts a 200m best of 20.9). He’s quicker than that now, but speed alone will never see him escape Habana’s haunting shadow.
Habana’s legend was built on feats of brilliance, the most memorable of which came at Kings Park in 2007. That last-gasp try against the Sharks captured the Bulls’ first Super 14 title. Appreciation for Habana became reverence. Whoever succeeded him would be judged by the standard he had set.
Habana was the Bulls’ adrenalin-charged central nervous system, renowned for his ability to spark the team into life with impossibly brilliant feats. Viewed in this context, Van den Heever’s lot is not an enviable one.
He addresses the subject of being compared to Habana with the naivety of the man-child that he is.
‘People shouldn’t compare me to Bryan,’ he says. ‘Of course they shouldn’t,’ I counter, ‘but the reality is they do and are, and will continue to for some time.’
‘I can’t control that. I can’t control what people think. I just know I’m my own man. Bryan is the best wing in the world. Nobody can fill his boots,’ is his rebuttal.
‘Sure,’ I probe further, ‘but as unrealistic as the expectation is, the nature of people is to measure the replacement of an exceptional player by the standards that player has set. Let me ask you this, where do you think you stand in the Bulls supporters’ estimation?
‘I don’t know. I haven’t thought about that.’
Of course he hasn’t. The question was a foolish one to pose to a 20-year-old who was probably oblivious to the issue until I raised it. Such complexities didn’t register with him. Keeping his starting place through consistent performance is his primary, all-consuming, objective. But his ignorant bliss will soon be disturbed by the realisation of the magnitude of the task ahead. The Bulls’ faithful are looking for a new demi-god to worship. Van den Heever’s mortality will only be tolerated for so long. Supernatural is what is demanded.
‘That’s unfair pressure to put on a youngster,’ Bulls coach Frans Ludeke says. ‘We see a bright future for Gerhard, but we’re realistic about his development and understand that we need to have patience with him.
‘Bryan was a special player who will forever be remembered as a legend at Loftus. But I think it’s testament to Gerhard’s talent that people compare him to Bryan. Even Bryan said he [Van den Heever] is a better player at 20 than he was at the same age. That’s a massive compliment and he will only improve.
‘We’re giving him time and space to progress naturally. I hope others will do the same.’
Van den Heever could have done without Habana weighing in on the issue of his successor in a post-match interview after their Currie Cup triumph in 2009.
It was a throwaway line: ‘I think Gerhard has the potential to be a Bulls and Springbok great.’ The implications of which Habana didn’t consider at the time. He was paying a massive compliment to his heir apparent, but inadvertently dumped a jersey that weighed 100kg on the kid and slipped lead boots on to his feet.
Van den Heever remains unfazed.
‘That comment never made me feel burdened. Why would it? I grew up idolising Bryan and for me to feel down about him saying kind things like that about me to the media would be foolish.’
But there is an uncertainty detectable in Van den Heever’s voice. Earlier he told me ‘I back my ability’ when asked if he ever felt inhibited by a fear of failure, then later admits that he ‘sometimes’ thinks he is out of his depth.
That inconsistency isn’t unexpected from one so young. It does, however, remind us that Van den Heever’s is as much a battle to emerge from Habana’s shadow, as it is one for emotional and cognitive equilibrium.
Then there’s the issue of Springbok selection and the World Cup, which poses an altogether new challenge.
Not since Nick Mallett routinely penned Pieter Rossouw’s name on the team sheet has a Springbok coach consistently selected a white wing.
This has become the domain of the dark-skinned player, and the prospects of the perception that white is whack changing are slim, unless Van den Heever plays so exceptionally that he makes himself invaluable to the Springboks.
And even if he should master levitation, acquire a jet pack and blow his opposition away in the coming year, he would still be competing for just one position, given that Springbok coach Peter de Villiers is highly unlikely to look beyond Habana as his starting left wing.
That leaves Van den Heever competing with eight wingers (at the time of writing, all of whom were black, and one of who, JP Pietersen, is a World Cup winner) for the right wing berth.
‘If I suggested those were insurmountable odds, what would your response be?’
‘I don’t think like that,’ he says, ‘I don’t think about the issues you’ve raised, or all the wingers I have to get past to make the Springbok squad. Maybe it’s naive, but I’d like to think that if I’m the best of the bunch I’ll get picked.’
‘But that hasn’t been the reality of Springbok rugby recently,’ I interject. ‘The best players sometimes don’t get picked for various reasons.’
‘The Springbok coach has said on a number of occasions that he will reward those who perform consistently. I can only trust that he stays true to his word,’ he says.
Only time will tell whether Van den Heever will die in the darkness cast by Habana’s shadow, or whether he’ll stay the execution and build a legacy of his own. This year’s rugby season will be decisive in answering that question.
Time is not an ally. Conclusions about his aptitude for Super Rugby will be drawn at the end of their 2010 campaign, or perhaps sooner, without due consideration of his age. Even exceptional performances will still not guarantee that he even gets a passing glance from the Springbok selectors.
Welcome to the world of Gerhard van den Heever. It isn’t a place for the faint-hearted.
By Ryan Vrede
– This article first appeared in the April issue of SA Rugby magazine. The May issue is on sale now.
566 Comments
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21 Apr 2010, 09:47 am
when is just being a saffa ever going to be enough…..
in the immortal words of justrugby!
Right wing…..white wing….
a few of those on this blog!!!
Hey Ranger?
21 Apr 2010, 09:47 am
this is a bullsh*t article, the kid has no claim whatsoever to a springboks spot, it is not his destiny; he must still play for it. To try and foretell that he will have problems being selected is mischievious. That’s like saying Burton Francis or any other player of colour will have problems ever playing for the Springboks because predominantly or in the history of Springbok rugby our flyhalfs have been white!
“Hurdles” will make the Bok team in the future and will be valuable for our team.
21 Apr 2010, 09:48 am
@Dawn: Why you speaking Dutch?
21 Apr 2010, 09:48 am
@WP Till I Die: zu horen wo?
21 Apr 2010, 09:48 am
Aaah ja, and have to agree, the whole “white wing” thing is in truly bad taste.
If you really need to make your point you can refer in the article to how South Africa has only so many players of colour and how a lot of them are on the wings. But to put it like that? That actually makes me more mad the more I think about it.
It is provoking any fans who might be sensitive along racial lines to make it into a race issue, when he is really just still a very fast athlete starting to learn his trade and shouldn’t be allowed near a Bok jumper!
21 Apr 2010, 09:48 am
Quite amazing that Gerhard finds himself on the right wing instead of the left.
This is an emotional and cognitive dilemma.
21 Apr 2010, 09:49 am
@Oubaas2009: It’s a disgrace! What is the intention here. Pressure Pdv into sellecting him?
Gerhard vd Heever is so lucky. As a white rugby player he comes on the scene equiped with free marketing from SA rugby scribes. Shame, Mapoe and Nokwe will never get this kind of advantage.
21 Apr 2010, 09:49 am
@Dawn: Ryan doesn’t want to compare Hougard to Habana.
21 Apr 2010, 09:50 am
@Sonito: Agree.
“He could always move to Fullback but he will need to imporve a lot. Does have the physical attributes of a Fullback.” A Bulls supporter (forgot who), pi$$ed off at the losing to the Reds last weekend, said something like this…”how can we win when at 1 wing we have a scrumhalf playing and the other winger has a shape of a girl/woman”… :lo:
21 Apr 2010, 09:50 am
Habana and JPP will be our number one wings for 2011.
People forget how good JPP’s defense is, he puts in some huge hits (like Habana).
21 Apr 2010, 09:50 am
Its crazy to think how young JP still is. He must take a leaf from Joe Rockoco and loose some weight and get his speed and his Illusiveness back.
JP is one of the smoothest runners you will see in rugby.
21 Apr 2010, 09:50 am
@Bill Reyts:
This is between me and WPTID.
Out you go.
21 Apr 2010, 09:51 am
we need more articles like this … just to spite those dumbf&ck Newlands crowd supporting the all black teams. (most of them have 1 tooth and grade 8)
21 Apr 2010, 09:51 am
grade 8
21 Apr 2010, 09:52 am
@CenturionShark (aka LondonShark):
Can you teach him to hang on to a ball in front of the tryline??
21 Apr 2010, 09:52 am
@Dawn:
Ok
21 Apr 2010, 09:52 am
Gerhard van den Heever muß ja warten. Er hat Zeit, er ist noch sehr jung.
Zur Zeit ist Habana, Pietersen, Nokwe, Mapoe undsoweiter viel besser als ihm.
21 Apr 2010, 09:52 am
@Ashley_Langenhoven:
Grade 8 is probably more than you got.
21 Apr 2010, 09:53 am
@wpjoulekkading: 55. Why don’t you say black players instead of “players of colour”?
21 Apr 2010, 09:54 am
Stupid article.
All you’ve done is putting “some more lead in his shoes ..”.
Keep color out of rugby, for pete’s sake ..!
21 Apr 2010, 09:54 am
dawn yes you papsak Son reporter you ..quota!
21 Apr 2010, 09:54 am
JPP
HABANA
MAPOE
APLON….
21 Apr 2010, 09:54 am
@WP Till I Die:
C’est un tel poste d’âge mûr. Je suis heureux de voir que vous êtes si l’objectif
21 Apr 2010, 09:55 am
PIET IN THE HOUSE
21 Apr 2010, 09:55 am
@WP Till I Die: do you have a german character set installed?
21 Apr 2010, 09:55 am
My post World Cup backline would ideally be:
9. Francois Hougaard 10. Steyn
12. Meisiekind (assuming JdV leaves) 13. Jacques Fourie
11. Habs 14. JP Pietersen
15. Frans Steyn.
Reserves:
Pienaar
Meisiekind
Duvenhage
Grant
Van der Heever
Kirchner
Hey dreams can come true hey…
21 Apr 2010, 09:56 am
Guys!!!!!
Stop being so bloody sensitive.
He is WHITE, he is a WING, and 90% of SA wingers are black/coloured.
21 Apr 2010, 09:56 am
@Heavens Game:
Pensez-vous que je pisse sur la batterie de Dawn
21 Apr 2010, 09:57 am
Today I will let loose Gotterdammerung on Keo.
21 Apr 2010, 09:57 am
@theOracle:
HaHa. He does actually have a face and body of a girl. I think he could pull drag off easily.
21 Apr 2010, 09:57 am
Strange article, based on a preconceived idea that the author simply could not let go of despite the best efforts of the interviewee to dispel it.
This preconceived idea is that Habana is “revered” at Loftus. Believe me, we have let him go, and have moved on. Now Ryan just has to do the same.
As for vd Heever: His Bok fortunes might well be tied to that of someone like Juan de Jongh. Sad, but it’s all about the numbers in the end.
21 Apr 2010, 09:57 am
@Bill Reyts: 78. oui. yebo.
21 Apr 2010, 09:57 am
@Ashley_Langenhoven: Pray tell how an article about vd Heever’s future potential to be a Springbok would be upsetting to the crowds and Stormers supporters at Newlands, or are you the one who only has grade 8 education.
21 Apr 2010, 09:57 am
@CenturionShark (aka LondonShark):
Ryan started it !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
21 Apr 2010, 09:57 am
@PissAnt:
good acceleration and steps of either foot is a necessity that wingers nowadays have to have and most of the wingers out there today have got that
there is quite a few wingers currently in sa that i believe show more potential then this guy
this guy needs to work on and fix he’s shortcomings
21 Apr 2010, 09:57 am
@Kiddo: Meisiekind in the run-on side AND on the bench? That’s a bit much asked, even from him surely?
21 Apr 2010, 09:58 am
@Kiddo:
Come on you can do better than that. Too few True Blue boys there.
Kirschner
Shadow
Olivier
Pretorius
Hougie
Steyn
Du Preez
21 Apr 2010, 09:58 am
@Tacitus:
Welcome!
21 Apr 2010, 09:58 am
@Sonito: He could. He is very pretty.
21 Apr 2010, 09:58 am
@Tacitus: 81. its not about the numbers, stupid. its about the pigmentation.
21 Apr 2010, 09:59 am
@Heavens Game:
J’adore quand les gens me parler. Cela signifie qu’ils ont le béguin pour cette personne. Avez-vous d’accord
21 Apr 2010, 09:59 am
@Dawn:
Not really, Ryan pointed out the facts.
21 Apr 2010, 09:59 am
@CenturionShark (aka LondonShark): 77. Dont’t say WHITE, say “non-black” – accepted term around Keo…
21 Apr 2010, 09:59 am
Rossoneri aka hater aka dumbf&ck racist sl&t … you can put away your panga for now .. Bulls will play @ loftus for another 3 weeks. Not yet uhuru
21 Apr 2010, 10:00 am
@rossoneri:
I can just imagine him running out onto loftus with a nice pair of lace stockings.
21 Apr 2010, 10:01 am
@Bill Reyts:
Ah, tu parles francais – c’est bon.
@Heavens Game:
Nein, aber Ich kenne ASCII ja sehr gut, kann ja schnell Umlauts machen zum Beispiel ä ë ü.
@Bill Reyts:
Je croix que oui, peut-être.
21 Apr 2010, 10:01 am
20.9 for the 200m my @@@@@@@@@rse.
Always hyperbole with new players in SA !
Frankly, he looks a nice tidy player but thats about it, no solo individual efforts in his tally. Give the lad a break, hardly needs to be built up at this stage of his career ?!
21 Apr 2010, 10:02 am
@Bill Reyts: 91. oui, mais elle est un peu confus
21 Apr 2010, 10:02 am
@rossoneri:
You will be labelled – retract that statement immediately.
21 Apr 2010, 10:02 am
I seem to think that “Ashley_Langenhoven” is the same person who nick is “God” and is just on here to stir race rubish from both sides.
Piss off!!!
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