Former Stormer Kobus van Wyk smiling again

Kobus van Wyk joined the Sharks after a short stint at French Top 14 side Bordeaux-Begles. Photo: Leon Lestrade

Kobus van Wyk joined the Sharks after a short stint at French Top 14 side Bordeaux-Begles. Photo: Leon Lestrade

Published Feb 22, 2017

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DURBAN – It is pretty easy to crack a smile when you score three tries in a warm-up game, but for new Sharks recruit Kobus van Wyk, he has been smiling his way to Durban since he left France after a short stint. The burly winger, who lines up at No 14 this weekend when the Sharks take on the Reds on Friday morning (11am), says he is enjoying his rugby again, and that can only bode well for his new team.

Van Wyk, a former Stormers product, comes into the Sharks set up to fill a rather large gap left by Springbok JP Pietersen, and if early indications are anything to go by, the 25-year-old is a good fit. He is yet to play a fully competitive game for the Sharks, but there are many pinning their hopes on him to up the Sharks’ try scoring stakes.

But this kind of pressure is not phasing the wing, who can cover centre in a pinch, as he says he has rediscovered his love for rugby after being a medical joker for French side Bordeaux for four months.

The former Stormers man may have opted out of some rest over the festive period, but the spin-off of that is that he is now smiling his way into the Sharks set up and impressing along the way.

“I went overseas for four months, to France, and after that I started having fun again,” Van Wyk said from Australia. “I’ve learnt just to smile again and and to go out and express myself. After those four months – especially getting the contract here at the Sharks to come back to South Africa – I realised it is time to have fun again and to play what the Lord has blessed me with; I am just excited to play again!”

Van Wyk has a little more responsibility on his shoulders though in a Sharks backline that has a few debutantes to the rigours of Super Rugby. He admits he is just as happy to help out prodigious talent Curwin Bosch in the back three division as he is to score tries for his new team.

“I played a few cap for the Stormers, so with young Curwin Bosch at the back, I think I can give him some experience and some help,” he added. “Myself and Lwazi (Mvovo) can help and guide him with the tough stuff, so I think that is a big role of mine, to help him in the back three, and also to help the scrumhalves with organisation from the back.”

Van Wyk also admits he is pleased with the way the centres inside of him have been going in the early showings against the Cheetahs and Bulls, praising them for their ability to shift the ball out wide, so often a point of contention for fans of free-flowing rugby.

“The centres looked sharp in the warm up games, kicking and passing and getting the ball out wide for me and Lwazi to finish things off. The boys are keen to play and get going again!”

Independent Media

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