Springboks: Kurt-Lee Arendse highlights the impact of legendary Bok in his road to success
Unlike most of the players in the current Springboks side, Arendse’s pathway to the to the top did not come via South Africa’s traditional rugby schools as he attended the less recognised Paulus Joubert Secondary School in Paarl.
After high school, he was working in a butchery in Paarl but worked hard on honing his rugby skills.
“I stayed positive while I was working at the butchery,” Arendse told IOL. “I kept going to the gym after knocking off, to prepare myself to be ready when the opportunity came.
Waited patiently for his opportunity
“In the back of my mind I always knew that one day there will be an opportunity.”
That opportunity came when Williams, who was part of the Springboks‘ World Cup-winning team in 1995 and who died from a heart attack at the age of 49 in 2019, spotted Arendse’s talent while he was in action for the Boland Academy side during one of SA Rugby’s youth week tournaments.
Williams was the head of rugby at the University of the Western Cape (UWC) at the time and immediately offered the pacy outside back the chance to leave his job to play for UWC in South Africa’s Varsity Shield competition.
Arendse made an immediate impact in his new surroundings as he helped UWC to win the 2017 Varsity Shield and he was also named Player of the Tournament that year. He went on to represent UWC in the 2018 Varsity Shield and the 2019 Varsity Cup tournament – the highest level of university rugby in South Africa.
UWC director of sport Mandla Gagayi remembers how Arendse shone under Williams’ guidance and the impact which the late coach had on the player’s game.
“Chester kept on telling me about one of his biggest recruits they landed and urging me to go to training to meet the student,” said Gagayi.
“When I got to training, Kurt-Lee was watching from the sidelines because he didn’t have boots. Chester bought him a new pair for the next training session, and boy his showing convinced me already that he was a star.”
Arendse’s impressive performances for UWC soon caught the attention of SA Sevens head coach Neil Powell and he soon made his debut for the Blitzboks at the Vancouver Sevens and he also shone in the shortened version of the game.
He went on to represent South Africa at several World Sevens Series events and in 2020 he was included in the Blitzboks’ squad for the Tokyo Olympic Games before he joined the Bulls in 2020.
He hit the ground running at the Pretoria-based outfit and made his international debut for the Springbok against Wales in Bloemfontein in 2022.
Since then he has delivered several outstanding performances in the Test arena, scoring 18 tries in 24 Tests, and like his mentor Williams, he was also part of a World Cup-winning squad, after the Boks lifted the Webb Ellis Cup in France last year.
Arendse remembers fondly his time with Williams and expressed his gratitude to the opportunity which his former coach presented to him.
‘He was the one who gave me the opportunity’
“Chester had a big influence in my sporting career,” he said. “He was the one who gave me the opportunity, when no one else did.
“That carried me through Varsity Rugby. It’s quite sad that Chester was not able to witness me playing for the Springboks.
“Sometimes, I think back when things didn’t go well in the game, he would say just pass the ball to Kurt-Lee. It gave me a lot of confidence.”
The 28-year-old currently plies his trade with Japan Rugby League One club Mitshubishi Dynaboars where is on a six-month deal before returning to the Bulls.
He urged young rugby players, who hail from a similar background to his, to rise above their circumstances.
“Paulus Joubert is a big rugby school, especially when it comes to derbies,” he said. “But not big enough that other players will get bursaries to other schools.
“There wasn’t a lot of facilities like gyms where I went to school. But if you focus on that too much, it will be hard to make it.
“You have to use anything and everything to your advantage for your dreams, then nothing can stand in your way.”
