Captain's Profile: Ben vd Westhuizen
The Malmesbury FNB Classic Clash between Schoonspruit Secondary and Piketberg High has always been a tense affair and Saturday will be no different.
The matches have always been a hard, physical battle which reflected in matches being won in the final minute of the game for the past two years. Schoonspruit managed to claim victory in the final minute of the 2013 match but Piketberg turned the tables on them in 2014 when they snuck a last minute victory.
Piketberg captain Benna van der Westhuizen is expecting their opponents to play running rugby against his fairly inexperienced side.
"They could possibly make use of some tactical kicking but they will definitely come at us with a running game and look to exploit the speed they have on the wings by spreading the ball wide. We also need to be very wary of their quick pack of forwards who feed off quick ball at ruck time.
"Unfortunately for us, we have two players who are unavailable due to concussions but we are very focused for the match and are determined to go out and show what we are capable of.
"We have had a rough season thus far, only winning four of our 15 games thus far but that is not a true reflection of the potential we have in our squad. We are young and a bit inexperienced as a team but we have some brilliant individual players. The day we click as a team and get all the diamonds polished, is the day no team will be able to stop us," he said.
The Grade 12 pupil packs down either at the back of the scrum or at flank and has learned valuable lessons from his inclusion in the Boland Academy in 2014 and believes it served him well in his current leadership role.
"It was an unbelievable experience. You learn a lot from the coaches and the friendships you build become lifetime friendships. It also taught me how to handle stress.
"I try to motivate the team and inspire them to play to their full potential on the field. It is a huge honour and privilege to be captain but also a big responsibility. I see it as a nice challenge because it gives me a chance to grow and to define my leadership skills. I looked up to the previous captains and saw them as role models and I would like to be a positive example to everyone.
"My message to the team is to strive for their best and losing should not be an option. Rugby is a sport that is won by a team and not an individual so they need to trust the person next to them and maintain good communication at all times. If our heads are in the right space and we believe in ourselves, then we will win this game," he added.
A team mate described van der Westhuizen as a player who "plays his heart out in every game and leads the team by example. He always tries to keep the team in a positive frame of mind. He is very good at scrum-time, in the rucks, a very strong runner and great defender."
