2 days ago
Gerard Pieterse goes back to the future to help UAE's Rugby World Cup bid
Gerard Pieterse laughs at the idea that he looks a little older than the last time he was here. 'A little bigger, more like,' he says, with a smile.
Twelve years later, and around 3kms straight down Abdullah Omran Taryam Street, Pieterse is back on a rugby field in Dubai.
It is just along the road from where he started out a pursuit of top tier rugby. That journey has come full circle, and ended up with him becoming a key figure in what the UAE hope will be a continued ascent of the world rankings.
Pieterse is one of the finest products of Dubai College (DC), a school of great rugby heritage. Back at the start of 2013, just after ticking the box that all aspiring schoolboy rugby players in the UAE aim for by playing in the Dubai Sevens, he left for pastures new.
Age 16, he moved to South Africa to complete his schooling, and try to catch the eye of rugby's professional game.
He left Dubai with a growing reputation as a centre with quick feet and clever skills, but not knowing where to measure himself exactly against his age-group peers in South Africa. It was a rapid learning process.
'I had just finished a rowing season,' Pieterse said of his first game for Bishops, his new school side, after leaving DC.
'I weighed 70kgs, and my opposite number weighed 107. You would be very hard pressed to find a centre in Dubai who weighs 107kgs at 17 years old. That was certainly a step up.'
Much has changed in the time since. Pieterse certainly fills out the UAE's team issue singlet with a lot more confidence than he would have done when he left.
The path to the top in rugby has been a potted one. He embraced the extra physicality of South African schoolboy rugby, and was glad of the grounding he had had in Dubai, with its focus on skills.
He made the age-grade programme at Western Province, played in the Junior Curry Cup, as well as Varsity Cup rugby.
But badly timed injuries counted against his pursuit of a pro career. Then when Covid hit, he opted to move to the UK to study for a master's degree instead.
He now works in the finance industry in central London, and his rugby career has stalled.
'It was challenging,' Pieterse said. 'I was in a position where I was without a contract in South Africa in my last couple of years, and wanted to give it another go.
'I tried to stay around for one more Varsity Cup season and was finding some good form. You obviously don't know what would have happened, but when Covid hit, I decided to pursue a career over in the UK.
'At that point, if something came up with rugby, so be it, but I wasn't as actively pursuing that anymore.'
In the recent past, he has focused on sevens rather than XVs, until the call came from the UAE. Apollo Perelini, his former coach in Dubai and the performance manager of the UAE Rugby Federation, asked if Pieterse would consider a comeback for the country where he first learnt the game.
He started school at Jebel Ali Primary, before going on to excel at DC. So, despite being born in Pretoria and living in the UK, Pieterse qualifies to play on the basis of having lived for more than 10 years in the UAE.
The national team have been the biggest climbers in World Rugby's rankings in the recent past. It has reached the point where they are targeting qualification for the 2027 Rugby World Cup, via the Asia Rugby Championship.
Even since he has been back in the UAE, injuries have been a frustration. After a blockbuster start in his debut against Hong Kong, where he made one huge, last-ditch tackle which lifted his side, he soon suffered a hamstring strain.
He nursed it through that game, as well as the ensuing win in South Korea, but it limited the influence he was able to have on the attack.
He should be fit enough to play the crucial final match against Sri Lanka, and Jacques Benade, the national team coach, is thrilled to be able to call on him.
'He is an outstanding player," Benade said. 'We are lucky to have players like him and Jack [Stapley, another UAE-raised, UK-based back in the national team ].
'We haven't seen him 100% fit yet because he has been struggling with a hamstring injury. For him to stay on the field, with his defensive [organisation] and his attacking threat, was a great help.
'I can't wait to see him fit and playing rugby. We know what he can bring, and seeing what he can do even when he isn't 100% fit is just outstanding.'
Pieterse works for a financial consultancy firm in London, which has, he says, a lot of ex-sportspeople on staff.
As such, they were understanding when he asked if he could jet off to aid the UAE's push for a place at the World Cup.
'They understand how important this is for me personally, and also how exciting it is for anyone who gets given this opportunity,' Pieterse said.
'They have been very understanding, letting me work remotely for this period while I am out here. They are as excited about making this opportunity happen for me as I am. I am incredibly grateful about that.'
And he is thankful for the shot he has been given at a belated crack at international rugby. The UAE face Sri Lanka in Colombo on Friday needing a win to keep alive their qualification ambitions.
'This whole tournament has felt like play-off rugby from the beginning,' Pieterse said. 'It has been very high stakes.
'We knew that the team that automatically qualifies would have to win three games. That first bump in the road against Hong Kong has meant that every game has been a must-win match.
'Every week of prep we have had going into a weekend fixture feels like play-off rugby. It helps focus the mind. It helps ensure that we train hard.
'It is a massively exciting opportunity. For a lot of these guys who might have had previous rugby ambitions, this is another opportunity that a lot of people would not have expected.
'It is something we are all embracing and enjoying, and looking forward to making the most of.'
