Embrose Papier has walked a long road from Lambert’s Bay on the Cape West Coast.
Now the first-choice scrumhalf at the Bulls, where he has been an integral part of the Pretoria side’s march to second spot on the United Rugby Championship log and the Champions Cup playoffs, it wasn’t always plain sailing for the 26-year-old Springbok.
Despite making his Test debut in 2018 already, he had to play second fiddle to a few other halfbacks – such as Ivan van Zyl and Zak Burger – at the Bulls until he was finally backed by director of rugby Jake White last season, and his impact has been clear to see.
But he’s had to go through adversity from a young age, and has fought hard to be at the top of his game at the moment.
Having been born in Clanwilliam, Papier was already an exciting prospect in primary school in firstly Lambert’s Bay and then Darling, and was selected for the Boland Under-13 side.
Then he had a big decision to make for his rugby career...
“I was actually born in Clanwilliam, and I stayed in Darling for a while, in Grade Five at Darling Primary School. Then I went to Hoërskool Swartland in Malmesbury, and I was for like two days at Schoonspruit before I came to Pretoria – I was about 15 in Grade 9 by then,” Papier told Independent Newspapers.
“It’s actually a long story. There was an Uncle Danny Pieterse of Atlantis, he recruited a lot of young guys from the Boland region to go to Pretoria to go to school here.
“It was obviously a difficult choice for me and my mother... I think it was difficult for her in the beginning, because it was like, on the Monday they told me there is an opportunity in Pretoria, and I had to fly on the Friday.
“So, in a week’s time, I had to make a decision on whether I would go or not. It was tough... She was rather heartbroken – and cried and things like that!
“But when I first came up to Pretoria, I first went to Hoërskool Die Wilgers, which was a small school. So, that time was very difficult for me as I had been at a nice school in the Cape, Hoërskool Swartland (the same school Pieter-Steph du Toit attended).
“Then lots of my friends from Darling were already at Garsfontein, and they knew me and that is how I got into contact with Hoërskool Garsfontein, and they got me to go to school there.”
Embrose Papier has taken home back-to-back Player of the Match awards 👏
— SuperSport Rugby (@SSRugby) February 28, 2024
As he prepares to face the DHL Stormers in #OriginRound, we dug this one up of the scrumhalf talking about his rugby journey from Lambert's Bay 📈 pic.twitter.com/pX0TwCZEX4
Papier has been outstanding this season, where his electric pace and pinpoint kicking game has brought an added edge to the Bulls attack, which has scored the most tries (51) and points (389) in the URC in the current campaign.
His use of the boot has improved to such an extent that he is fifth on the URC list of most kicks in play – something that would be unthinkable previously for someone known as a running scrumhalf.
Papier often mentioned how he has matured on the field, and he has taken a significant step in his personal life too, having recently proposed to his long-time girlfriend Aneeka Sulaiman – with the wedding likely to take place later this year.
“If I must look back at my career at the Bulls, there were ups and downs, but I became a better person on and off the field,” Papier said about his time at Loftus Versfeld.
“It was tough (for a while), but I am enjoying my rugby a lot at the moment. I play a lot of rugby, and I get a lot of confidence every weekend. I am learning a lot from Coach Jake and Coach Chris (Rossouw, backline coach), who has helped me a lot over the years.
“When I got to the Bulls, then everybody just wanted to see the Embrose that brought the X-factor. But Coach Chris helped me a lot with my game management and just to stay calm and have that balance between when to bring the X-factor and when to manage the game and make it slower or calmer.
“Coach Jake wants the guys to express themselves. There is obviously a game-plan that you must follow, but you can express yourself within that.
“But I practice and work hard on my kicking game, which is a scrumhalf’s basics. I am feeling great at the moment, but I am just taking it step by step, as it comes.”
HT | 🦁 LIO 3-5 BUL 🐂
— SuperSport Rugby (@SSRugby) February 17, 2024
Embrose Papier with some brilliant play as he sets Moodie on his way 🔥
📺 Stream #LIOvBUL live: https://t.co/bDeiretgWP#OriginRound pic.twitter.com/VIEUzGPBdQ
His terrific form made Papier one of the glaring omissions from the 43-strong group invited to the first Springbok alignment camp in Cape Town this week.
Bok boss Rassie Erasmus has explained that players who weren’t part of the camp could still be selected for the upcoming Tests against Wales and Ireland in June and July – but it would still have been disappointing for Papier to miss out.
White has stated that he hopes his No 9 “will get a crack” at being part of the Bok set-up again, having seen him earn a few Player-of-the-Match awards this season.
Papier was unlucky to miss out on the 2019 World Cup, having played in seven Tests in 2018 under Erasmus – with Faf de Klerk, Herschel Jantjies and Cobus Reinach preferred. At the 2023 edition, De Klerk, Reinach, Jaden Hendrikse and Grant Williams were preferred.
He said he hasn’t heard from Erasmus in recent times, with the scrumhalves invited to this week’s alignment camp being Hendrikse, Williams, Jantjies, and the Lions duo of Morné van den Berg and Sanele Nohamba, who also doubles up as a flyhalf.
“I actually made my debut at wing, against Wales in Washington! It went well. We lost that game, but Coach Rassie gave a lot of guys at that time a chance to prove themselves,” Papier said.
“But if I must think back, it was a great experience. I felt that I was still very young, as it was six years ago. But I am now much more mature and I have learnt a lot about the game since then.
“At the moment, I am focusing on the Bulls. There is a lot of pressure, and you train hard every week. You try to stay focused and you don’t want to play poorly, and I just think if you don’t do too badly and you perform, then they will start to speak to you.”
Emmy Papier is dangerous 🌹 pic.twitter.com/U3VwNbzLmI
— Official Blue Bulls (@BlueBullsRugby) February 5, 2024
It is quite ironic, then, that one of the scrumhalves Papier looks up to is French maestro Antoine Dupont. In 2016, Papier – who was then in matric – got the better of Dupont – who is a year older than him – in an Under-20 World Championship match in Manchester.
Papier, who flyhalf that day was one Manie Libbok, scored a superb try in a 40-31 victory that saw the Junior Boks reach the semi-finals.
“It’s actually strange, as I won’t say it’s an actual hero or someone that I look up to. But these days, I watch a lot of rugby, which is something I didn’t do before,” he said.
“I never watched many other scrumhalves or followed them, and I just did my own thing and focused on myself. But over the years, you become more mature and want to improve your game, and you have to see where you are struggling.
“So, I watch a lot of nines and what they do well or badly, and where I can improve or add to my game that they do well.
“Like, a nine that I watch a lot is Antoine Dupont. He has actually played against me from SA Schools onwards, so to see him grow like he has inspires me. But I am still in that place where I am growing, and I can still improve.
“He is obviously the captain of France and brings that maturity to the game, and that energy he brings on the field, as well as his basics. You don’t actually know what to expect from him – he can make a game slower, he can bring the X-factor.
“That’s actually what I love to do as well.”