The intensity of the Vodacom Bulls’ training session in Stellenbosch this week ahead of their pre-season friendly against the DHL Stormers on Friday is exactly what young flyhalf Ruben Groenewald was looking for.
Having been pulled up to the Vodacom United Rugby Championship squad by coach Johan Ackermann for Friday’s encounter in Paarl at the Faure Street Stadium, Groenewald was given a taste this week of what to expect in this new phase of his promising career.
“The speed of the game at this level is definitely different. The basics of rugby stay the same, but the speed of the game is different, as well as the need to identify space and think quickly,” says the young star.
But while adjusting to the new demands of the Vodacom United Rugby Championship is one thing, Groenewald has been priming himself his entire life for this moment of pulling on the iconic blue jersey of a team he has always idolised.
The 19-year-old knows everything about the expectations at Loftus Versfeld having watched his father and former Vodacom Bulls scrumhalf Coenraad Groenewald play there. And his school rugby years at Afrikaanse Höer Seunskool also took place in the shadow of Loftus just across the road, where he established himself as a flyhalf with strong leadership skills who would also go on to shine at SA Schools and Craven Week level before putting pen to paper at the Vodacom Bulls.
“It’s a great competition. It’s great exposure to play against international teams, and so many of these players are the best in the world in their positions. For me, it’s a great opportunity to learn. So I’m just focused on learning and taking in as much as possible from senior players around me like Curwin Bosch and Harold Vorster.” - Ruben Groenewald
“It actually feels unreal. I really didn’t expect that in my first year I’d be possibly playing in the Vodacom United Rugby Championship. The team has been so good to me. It’s just a great environment here. I’m very grateful for the talent I’ve been given by God and I want to use it to make an impact for Him. So this is a positive step for my career, but also an opportunity just to remain humble and trust the coaches and how they see me developing.
“It was obviously always a dream to play for the Vodacom Bulls. My dad, Coenraad, played scrumhalf for the Vodacom Bulls. So from a young age I’ve been a Vodacom Bulls supporter. My dad and I would watch matches at Loftus. And at home I’d always have a Vodacom Bulls jersey on and playing rugby in the garden. To sign for them has been an incredible privilege and to be able to pull on this jersey,” he says.
And he’s eager to not just learn from the best in the game around him, but also the plethora of world-class internationals he could find himself competing against in the Vodacom United Rugby Championship this season.
“It’s a great competition. It’s great exposure to play against international teams, and so many of these players are the best in the world in their positions. For me, it’s a great opportunity to learn. So I’m just focused on learning and taking in as much as possible from senior players around me like Curwin Bosch and Harold Vorster.”