Captain’s profile: Albert Brümmer
Australia-bound Welkom Gimnasium captain Albert Brümmer wants to end his South African schoolboy rugby career on a high.
A major part of achieving that objective entails leading his team to victory over Goudveld in their FNB Classic Clash on Saturday.
It will be the 18-year-old last encounter against the traditional foe and he is confident that they will manage to make it two consecutive victories after winning last year’s derby 29-19.
After patiently biding his time on the first XV bench in 2011 and 2012, Brümmer was this season promoted to the starting line-up and appointed captain.
“It was a big goal of mine to captain the first team since grade eight and to now reach it is a big deal for me and I will once again give everything for my school and teammates this weekend,” he said.
Brümmer was also selected for the Griffons Craven Week side this year.
“Being the captain of my school’s first team and being chosen for the Craven Week in the same year has to be the highlight of my schoolboy rugby career. It was a privilege to represent my province – I learned a lot and enjoyed the experience,” he said.
A smart player, Brümmer reads play expertly and prefers to lead by example. “As a captain I don’t talk a lot, I like to get down to the hard work and set an example for the team.”
He did, however, have a rallying cry for his troops ahead of the weekend’s game. “It’s our school’s 60th birthday, so I’ve asked the guys to play for the generations that came before us and made the black jersey what it is today.”
He added: “It’s been a good season. We’ve had our ups and downs, but the team have shown guts in every single game throughout the season.
“We have a good mix with young players bringing some x factor and the older guys bringing the experience and patience that balance the team out.”
Brümmer, who hopes to play club rugby Down Under next year, said it should be a typically tough derby match on Saturday.
“I’m expecting Goudveld to come hard at us. It’s always a great game and the team who want it most will come away with the win.”
