Loose-forwards born and bred in the North West are a breed apart. With sinews and muscles as tough and hard as the red, sun-back earth they tread upon, they loom large at the back of the scrum.
Edmund Rheeder is no different. The robust eightman who grew up in Klerksdorp and matriculated from Klerksdorp High School has been named captain of the North-West University’s (NWU’s) Varsity Cup side, and is set to pulverise opponents with his fearless approach to the game.
He is in fact a hunter. With a fishing rod in his hand or with his father in the bush, a rifle over his shoulder, he knows how to find and capture his target. Leadership won’t change that.
“Being named captain is a big honour and I am looking forward to the challenges of leadership,” says the former financial accounting student. “I’m looking forward to giving my best, but I am not going to change the way I play the game.”
Edmund takes the reins from Namibian international hooker Chucky van der Westhuizen who led the NWU with aggressive aplomb. “Chucky was a quiet guy who lead by the example he set on the field. I’m much the same.”
The new captain will have a Varsity Cup baptism of fire when he dons the pink shorts for the NWU’s first game in the Varsity Cup tournament against perennial finalists Tukkies in Pretoria – only two days before his 23rd birthday on 5 February.
“Tukkies is always a nice, hard clash. We lost our previous game against them so we are going to be out for revenge,” he says with relish.
“I think we have a great chance to win the tournament. The Varsity Cup is an open field with every team capable of winning the cup. This also means that there are no easy games.”
That is why he hopes the 2020 Varsity Cup is not a journey his team will embark on alone.
“We can’t make a success of the season without our supporters. Our goal is to win all of our home games and we are relying on them to pack the Fanie du Toit sports field during every game. We are going to do everything in our power not to let them down.”
Edmund Rheeder
