Hanru The Incredible Hulk

This 13-year-old primary school learner was hard to miss as the biggest player in his age group at Craven Week.

- Richard Van Rensburg 

LOOSE-HEAD props are usu-ally sturdy fellows, shoring up the scrum with their bulk in a bid to buckle the opposi-tion. So it’s not surprising that this guy sets the scale at a hefty 100kg – or that his nickname was Beast at his old school and he’s now named Oshkosh, after those big trucks.

What is surprising is that Hanru van Vreden has just turned 13 – and that he’s a staggering 70kg heavier than the smallest player at this year’s Under-13 Craven Week tournament in Bloemfontein.

Like a modern-day Os du Randt, Hanru doesn’t just make the opposition suffer in the scrum – he’s also a quick defender and is good at running with the ball.

The Grade 7 learner at Hermanus Primary School saw to it that Boland’s forwards spent most of the tournament on the front foot. “We had a lekker time being the boss of the scrums,” he recalls with a grin.