Springboks: Kurt-Lee Arendse highlights the impact of legendary Bok in his road to success
Springboks wing Kurt-Lee Arendse reveals the significant way by which another great Bok flyer, the late Chester Williams, contributed to shaping his skills as well as making him successful in the rugby field.
Unlike the majority of players making up the current Springboks side, Arendse path to fame was not through any of South Africa’s conventional rugby schools; rather, he attended Paulus Joubert Secondary School in Paarl, which is not quite a reputed school.
After high school, he worked in a butchery in Paarl, but he also worked hard on his rugby.
“I stayed positive while I was working at the butchery,” Arendse told IOL. “I kept going to the gym after knocking off, to prepare myself to be ready when the opportunity came.
Waited patiently for his opportunity
“In the back of my mind I always knew that one day there will be an opportunity.”
That opportunity came when Williams, who was part of the Springboks’ World Cup-winning team in 1995 and who died from a heart attack at the age of 49 in 2019, spotted Arendse’s talent while he was in action for the Boland Academy side during one of SA Rugby’s youth week tournaments.
Williams happened to be the head of rugby at the University of the Western Cape (UWC) at the time, and he wasted no time in extending the invitation to the speedy outside back to drop the job and become part of UWC to play in South Africa’s Varsity Shield competition.
Arendse wasted no time in making his mark upon entering his new environment by helping UWC lift the 2017 Varsity Shield as he was also named Player of the Tournament that same year. He also went on to play for UWC in the 2018 Varsity Shield and the 2019 Varsity Cup tournament-the top tier of university rugby in South Africa.
In memory of a very special student, UWC’s director of sport, Mandla Gagayi, recounts how Arendse shone under the guidance of Williams and the input that the late coach made in the player’s game as quoted: “Chester really kept on telling me about one of his biggest recruits that they had landed and go to the training to meet-up with the student,” said Gagayi.
“When I got to training Kurt-Lee was watching on the side because he didn’t have boots. Chester bought him a new pair for the next training session, and boy, his showing already convinced me he’d a star.”
Pretty soon, Arendse’s impressive strings of performances put him well on the radar of the SA Sevens’ head coach Neil Powell and earned him an invite to join the Blitzboks at the Vancouver Sevens where he impressed with his ability in the shortened game. ‘We basically dominated every single part of the game-Didn’t get beaten, Jake White lays it down guys,’ according to the comments made by the boss.
He traveled with South Africa to several World Sevens Series events before being named as part of the Blitzboks’ squad for the Tokyo Olympic Games in 2020, after which he joined the Bulls in 2020.
He hit the ground running at the Pretoria-based outfit and made his international debut for the Springbok against Wales in Bloemfontein in 2022.
Since then, he has given traveling games several world-class performances, including 18 tries within 24 Tests. Also like his mentor, Williams, he formed part of a World Cup-winning squad after the Boks lifted the Webb Ellis Cup last year in France.
Arendse remembers fondly his time with Williams and expressed his gratitude to the opportunity which his former coach presented to him.
‘He was the one who gave me the opportunity’
“Chester had a big influence in my sporting career,” he said. “He was the one who gave me the opportunity, when no one else did.
“That carried me through Varsity Rugby. It’s quite sad that Chester was not able to witness me playing for the Springboks.
“Sometimes, I think back when things didn’t go well in the game, he would say just pass the ball to Kurt-Lee. It gave me a lot of confidence.”
The 28-year-old currently plies his trade with Japan Rugby League One club Mitshubishi Dynaboars where is on a six-month deal before returning to the Bulls.
He urged young rugby players, who hail from a similar background to his, to rise above their circumstances.
“Paulus Joubert is a big rugby school, especially when it comes to derbies,” he said. “But not big enough that other players will get bursaries to other schools.
“There wasn’t a lot of facilities like gyms where I went to school. But if you focus on that too much, it will be hard to make it.
“You have to use anything and everything to your advantage for your dreams, then nothing can stand in your way.”
