Ask any player whether he wants to play for the Springboks and you think to yourself that you’ve just asked the stupidest question you could ask a South African rugby player. The stock answer should always be, “But of course”.
Sometimes it is a realistic question though and sometimes you know deep down that it isn’t. Even some much hyped South African players you just know won’t fit the international bill, or won’t satisfy the list of ingredients demanded by the national coach of the time. JD Schickerling, although 29 now, doesn’t fit into either of those categories.
His ship nearly came in once before. In 2018 he was selected to tour with the Springboks when they went overseas for that year’s November tour. Indeed, he was one of the players that the then-Western Province coach John Dobson might have been miffed at when, after his team lost a home Currie Cup final to the Sharks, he spoke about some players having their minds elsewhere.
Schickerling, uncapped as a Bok, played in that Currie Cup final but along with a few others was due to fly out on the overseas tour that very night. Who could blame him if he was concerned about potential injury.
But as it turned out, Schickerling never got to play on that tour, so he was never capped. Which is why if you look him up on Wikipedia, he is listed as having represented South Africa A, but never the Springboks.
NECK INJURY WAS A BIG SETBACK
Which is bizarre if you think of how he was rated as a future legend of the game while still at school, from where WP contracted him at a very young age. Current Bok coach Rassie Erasmus would have been in charge of the playing side in his position as effectively director of rugby at the time.
But it was not so bizarre if you think back to the incident that nearly ruled Schickerling out of rugby forever a decade ago. Playing for WP under-21 against the Bulls, Schickerling effectively broke his neck in a freak incident that ironically featured, along with one other Bulls player, Marvin Orie. There is some irony in that Orie has subsequently gone on to play for the Boks, and was at the last World Cup after being selected on the basis of his form for the Stormers in the place Schickerling vacated when he left for Japan.
Orie visited Schickerling in hospital afterwards and there were no hard feelings between the pair, with Schickerling later describing it to the media as an incident that sometimes just happens in rugby, and it was no-ones fault. However, it is also a fact of rugby life that injuries like that can be a big setback, and it was for Schickerling.
TURNED DOWN JAPAN
Schickerling didn’t have to say when he went in front of the media for the first time since returning from a few seasons in Japan that he wanted to be a Bok. He did so in less direct fashion, when he was asked about the chance that was offered to him to play for Japan.
“Japan did investigate, it came up while I was over there, and it would have taken me one more year to qualify for Japan,” said Shickerling in a Zoom call from Parma, Italy, where the Stormers will play the Zebre in a second round Vodacom United Rugby Championship fixture on Saturday.
“For me though, I never saw myself playing for Japan. My heart is in South Africa, and it is still with the Springboks. That is always a dream of mine, and it is why I didn’t really think too much about becoming a Japan international.”
Schickerling said he always intended to come back home and play for the Stormers and WP, who he represented for the 50th time in the final Carling Currie Cup league game, but another driving force for his return was being nearer to family.
“Perhaps the biggest thing is that my wife has just had a daughter, so I am coming back for family. I always knew though I wanted to come back to South Africa to play again, so that was also my thinking in deciding to return.”
Whatever his main motivation for coming home might be, his return will make him more visible to the Bok coaches, and the URC has been so successful for South African rugby that it is now the prime selection ground for new Springboks by some distance. The days of uncapped players being selected out of the foreign leagues are over, or at the very least they are becoming a much rarer event.
On this score, Schickerling’s return has been positive enough to suggest that he may finally get to realise his goal, as 29 is not old for a lock, and his performance against the Ospreys in what was effectively his URC debut answered the key question: How has his stint in Japan impacted his playing prowess and physical influence?
Even though the players who play in Japan talk about the tempo, intensity and physicality, and the Japan-based Boks certainly don’t lack in any of those departments, seeing is always believing. Seeing Schickerling’s stand-out performance was confirmation that he hasn’t lost anything, and if anything, he might now be a better-rounded player.
THEN THERE’S THE UTILITY VALUE
He and Ruben van Heerden, his second row partner, were the big positives in an otherwise disappointing opening night of the campaign for the Stormers. Apart from a commanding 100 per cent return with their lineout work, both showed up on the drive, while Schickerling, apart from his contributions with ball in hand, is one of the best maul stoppers in the game, something that should be welcomed by the Stormers as it was an area where they were poor last season
The clinching point about Schickerling is his versatility. In fact, both he and Van Heerden have the ability to play at No 4 and No 5, and in both cases that could see them pique Erasmus’ interest.
“We both like playing 4 and 5 so that makes it easy to share the workload,” said Schickerling.
“Nowadays even whether you play 4 or 5, the work stays the same, at 5 you are just the guy calling. We help each other out in that aspect, so if I see something I communicate it to Ruben and vice-versa.”
Schickerling has come back into a team that is very different to the one he left, and it has also become more successful.
“To me, the biggest difference is the drive from the boys, everyone wants to be on the same page and everyone is really driven to do well in the competition. That is exceptional for me, it is great to be working with guys who are so focused on the small things that are nonetheless important in a game and which I really enjoy.
“I feel I have slotted in fairly nicely. It is so easy working with everyone and it feels like everyone is pleased I am back in the mix, so it is exciting. It has been made easier working with guys like Ruben and Adre (Smith). Adre had just started at the Stormers when I left while Ruben was playing at the Sharks but he is a really good guy to work with.”