![I'm thrilled to see Bath enjoying its success](https://cdn.magzter.com/1351005036/1719718754/articles/fNgJAtNOw1719815227207/IM-THRILLED-TO-SEE-BATH-ENJOYING-ITS-SUCCESS.jpg)
GJ VAN VELZE
THE FORMER BULLS, NORTHAMPTON, WORCESTER AND BATH BACK ROW/LOCK
The Springboks' victory had a profound impact in a country where sport significantly influences emotional well-being. Initially, cricket was my first love, and Hansie Cronje was my sports hero. However, after enrolling at Affies (Afrikaans High School for boys), I began to lean more towards rugby. My javelin coach, who was also the rugby coach, saw potential in me to play for the first team. After that, I played age-group representative rugby and captained most of the teams I participated in. Some of the most memorable games were against Grey College, even after all these years. Remarkably, we managed to defeat them five years consecutively.
I joined my childhood team, the Bulls, right after school. It was a team full of talent with a strong desire to win. In such a competitive atmosphere, my game naturally improved.
We won Currie Cup age-grade titles and the Vodacom Cup twice. However, within 18 months, I suffered three significant injuries. I broke my right thumb against the Welwitchias in Windhoek, then broke my cheekbone during a training session. After seven weeks of recovery, I broke my other thumb in a Currie Cup match against the Leopards in Potchefstroom. I decided to move because I believed it would be difficult to regain my place in the team. That's how I landed in Northampton in 2012. I joined a very settled side that was involved in four competition finals over the two years I was there. The team was full of remarkable rugby players of whom many went on to enjoy significant success in other roles.
Two days before my initial flight to join Saints, I trained in a boxing gym to get in the best possible shape.
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة June 30, 2024 من The Rugby Paper.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك ? تسجيل الدخول
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة June 30, 2024 من The Rugby Paper.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك? تسجيل الدخول
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Terrific Toulouse go on the rampage
WE DIDN'T just lose the arm wrestle - we had our wrists broken under the table,\" Bordeaux boss Yannick Bru admitted, graphically, after watching his side fall to a record 59-3 Top 14 final defeat at the hands of an irrepressible Toulouse in Marseille on Friday evening.
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England have enough to down the All Blacks
STEVE Borthwick's England team have taken their first step of their summer tour and returned with the expected win showing the focus needed to suppress and beat an energetic Japan at home in their own stadium.
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Gatland hits the 50-mark for Wales
UNLESS they change the habit of a lifetime in Australia over the next fortnight, Wales will be saddled with their longest losing run for more than 20 years.
![I'm thrilled to see Bath enjoying its success](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/1686/1750016/fNgJAtNOw1719815227207/IM-THRILLED-TO-SEE-BATH-ENJOYING-ITS-SUCCESS.jpg)
I'm thrilled to see Bath enjoying its success
MY journey with rugby began at the age of seven during the '95 World Cup.
![25 years on and it's still a special place](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/1686/1750016/ikg_F3Qq01719815106265/25-YEARS-ON-AND-ITS-STILL-A-SPECIAL-PLACE.jpg)
25 years on and it's still a special place
IT WAS the 25th anniversary of the first-ever game at the Millennium Stadium a couple of days ago which pulled me up a little short because I remember it like yesterday, not least because it was, I think, possibly the hottest and certainly the most uncomfortable I've ever been reporting in Britain.
![Cheika knows he will be judged on results](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/1686/1750016/swdN9c8NU1719814952762/CHEIKA-KNOWS-HE-WILL-BE-JUDGED-ON-RESULTS.jpg)
Cheika knows he will be judged on results
LEICESTER were once a byword for stability. Like Liverpool FC, they had a reputation for promoting from within and benefiting from a boot room that allowed players to transition into management-think Dean Richards, Richard Cockerill and Geordan Murphy.
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Whistler's authority must be protected
WE CAN easily imagine New Zealand rugby folk in the afterlife, shaking the English referee Roger 1. Quittenton warmly by the hand while grabbing the Scottish official John Dewar Dallas roughly by the throat.
![Bracken's hat-trick inspires England](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/1686/1750016/UMoTy9qHH1719812849546/BRACKENS-HATTRICK-INSPIRES-ENGLAND.jpg)
Bracken's hat-trick inspires England
DESPITE going 14-0 down in the first half, Mapletoft's Mark men secured an impressive win spear headed by a hat-trick from debutant winger Jack Bracken.
![Ruthless Ireland savour Italian job](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/1686/1750016/C29gIZGDn1719812700500/RUTHLESS-IRELAND-SAVOUR-ITALIAN-JOB.jpg)
Ruthless Ireland savour Italian job
WILLIE Faloon's new era in charge of Ireland U20s got off to a dream start as last year's finalists destroyed Six Nations rivals Italy with an eight-try opening day victory.
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Uruguay keen to give Scots a test
AFTER thrilling Glasgow's URC triumph, many Scotland fans would love to see their side test themselves against one of the southern hemisphere powerhouses in the coming weeks.