JF van Heerden has been playing mainly as a No.5 lock for the Junior Springboks and Bulls, but certainly has the frame to operate at No.4 – or like RG Snyman, switch between the two. Picture: Vodacom Bulls
Ashfak Mohamed
Hearing JF van Heerden face the media for the first time since joining the Bulls senior side, it is clear that the big man doesn’t get easily flustered.
His calm demeanour must be part of the reason why Bulls boss Jake White had little hesitation on calling on the 20-year-old Junior Springbok to fill the considerable shoes of injured Bulls captain Ruan Nortjé in recent weeks.
Another top young talent in Reinhardt Ludwig is also sidelined at the moment, which has resulted in Van Heerden going from taking on juniors earlier this year to squaring off with England stalwart Maro Itoje in the Champions Cup last weekend.
Although the Bulls went down 27-5, they were highly competitive and had opportunities to score more than just the lone try that they ended up with. A player like Van Heerden will be much wiser for the experience, as the intensity doesn’t let up this weekend, with the Bulls hosting the Northampton Saints at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday (kick-off 3pm).
Of course, it was the Saints who thrashed the Pretoria side 59-22 in last April’s quarter-final at Franklin’s Gardens, so the South Africans will be keen to turn that result around in the crucial Pool 3 encounter.
Van Heerden – a product of Grey College in Bloemfontein – is confident that the Bulls can hit their stride this weekend after coming off second-best in the wind and rain of London against Saracens. “It was a tough weekend. There were a lot of things that we had to learn, but I don’t think it was anything that can’t be fixed for this weekend,” Van Heerden said on Tuesday.
“It was small, discipline errors, and having two cards at the same time makes it tough.
“So, I don’t think it’s major things, but the squad is feeling good. Everybody is excited to be back at home, playing at Loftus, so I think it’s going to be a good weekend.
“The heat (in Pretoria) is a bit tough now, coming from the cold that side back here! But everybody is excited to be back home.
“Loftus is a special place, so I think the excitement is high.
“We know what we have to bring to the table at Loftus. I was privileged to be part of last year’s game against them, and they are definitely physical.
“They also know that it is an aspect that we pride ourselves on, so they will definitely bring it to the table.
“They have a good team, and their set-piece is also one of the best in the competition.”
About facing Itoje and fellow England international Nick Isiekwe last weekend, he said: “Sometimes, things like that get overhyped. Obviously it’s a massive privilege to play against names and big guys like that.
“But I try not to focus on that part of it too much. At the end of the day, it’s about the job at hand. But it was a massive privilege meeting guys like that, and having a chat with them afterwards.”
Van Heerden has been playing mainly as a No.5 lock for the Junior Boks and Bulls, but certainly has the frame to operate at No.4 – or like RG Snyman, switch between the two.
Learning from one of the best Bok line-out jumpers in Andries Bekker – who is the Bulls forwards coach – has also sped up his development in the second row, particularly in the absence of Nortjé.
“I suppose it’s a good learning for me as a player, and everybody has been very open about it – Ruan helps me a lot. So, if you have teammates like that, with the experience that he has, it makes it a bit easier for the coach – like Coach Andries also knowing a thing or two about line-outs,” Van Heerden said.