Captain's profile: Louis Philip Potgieter
Diamantveld captain Louis Philip Potgieter has established himself as one of the pre-eminent enforcer locks in schoolboy rugby.
A hard man of note, the towering Potgieter leaves bodies in his wake both on attack and defence. It’s through his dominance on the pitch that he inspires his team to excel.
“I relish physicality,” he says. “I love carrying the ball, making tackles and slamming into rucks. I’m definitely more of a Bakkies Botha type player than a Victor Matfield-like player.”
Potgieter captained his team in the Under-16 Grant Khomo Week and played Craven Week last year. A shoe-in for this year’s Craven Week, Potgieter suffered a broken ankle which ruled him out for nine weeks.
“It was a difficult period, especially not being able to play Craven Week again, but I believe everything happens for a reason. I just focused on my rehab and now I feel better and stronger than ever.
This was evident in Wednesday’s clash against Noord-Kaap as he stampeded over the gainline, got stuck in at rucks and mauls and made some bone-jarring tackles.
Unfortunately for Diamantveld, they were on the losing side on Wednesday, but Potgieter was still full of praise for his charges
“I’m proud of the guys. Everyone did their part and played with heart. We made a few mistakes that cost us the game but the guys gave their all and that’s all you ask for as a captain,” he said.
Reflecting on the season, he said, “Overall I think we had a good season. We had a good record and grew closer as a team as the year went on.”
One of a number of matrics in the side, Potgieter believes the team is in good hands. “Next year’s team is going to be just as good as this year’s team. They must just play with typical Diamantveld honour and trust in their God-given abilities.”
Potgieter will continue his playing career and study LLB at Kovsies next year.
