Captain's Profile: Gert Rupping

HS Upington will have a mammoth task on their hands if they are to maintain their success rate in their Classic Clash against HS Duineveld on Saturday.

Uppies captain Gert Rupping knows his side are a lot smaller than their opponents but believes their experience will help take them achieve victory when the final whistle blows.

"We are a very experienced side because most of the team is in their second year of playing in the first XV. We have 12 players who are in matric, so it is definitely one of the most experienced teams we have had.

"In the 38 year history of the schools rivalry, Uppies have managed to claim 27 victories so there will be a lot of pressure on our shoulders to continue that winning culture.

"We have had a really tough season thus far and know this game will be another tough match because they are a lot bigger than us, especially among the forwards and their inside centre can be a game-breaker. We know they will use their size as much as they can and play a physical game against us but we will not give up merely because of our size.

"Remember if size matters, the elephant would be the king of the jungle," he said.

The Grade 12 pupil represented Griquas Sevens at Under-18 level in 2014 and believes his ability to learn from mistakes ensures there is trust among his team mates.

"I love learning from my mistakes as that helps me to grow as a person and increases my confidence levels – which makes it easier for the team to trust me and for me to trust them.

"I have already told them that the game started on Monday during practice and that we need to be focused in order for us to be ready for Saturday's match," he added.

The young flyhalf fells deeply humbled for receiving the captaincy and gets emotional every time a team mate calls him "Cappy" – regardless of where he is.