Captain's profile: Rudolph van Biljon
Bethlehem Voortrekker have dominated the clash in recent years but Witteberg have been enjoying a good season and van Biljon feels that his side has the firepower, despite having just three senior players in the team.
"They [Bethlehem Voortrekker] are always tough and competitive with good players and a good coach, which has contributed to them being the winner of this Classic Clash for the past few years. They have been in some good and we know they will not make it easy on the field for us.
"But we have been having a good season as well, despite having a few ups and downs. Of the six matches we have played thus far in the league, we have won four of them – so we are in a good space. The impressive part is that our squad is very young and we have just three senior players remaining from last year.
"However, we will have our full strength squad available for this Classic Clash. The atmosphere is going to be amazing because of the history between of the schools, so we will just need to enjoy it but also remain focussed and calm so that we can give everything on game day," van Biljon said.
The grade 12 centre had the privilege of representing the Under-18 Griffons Academy team in 2015. It was at that tournament where former Springbok head coach Ian McIntosh paid him a compliment on the way he plays the game – a highlight in any young man's career.
"Representing the Griffons was a really enjoyable experience and I learned a lot from the coaches and other players. However, the one thing that will stay with me forever is when Ian McIntosh complimented me on my rugby at that tournament," he added.
It is a captain's duty to be vocal on the field so that it may carry his charges to victory, however, van Biljon believes in a very different philosophy.
"I try to lead by example by giving my everything on and off the field but that example comes in silence. I tend to work really hard in silence and allow the success to be my noise," he stated.
