Unbelievable season for Ruhan Nel
What a year it has been for former Hoërskool Brandwag learner Ruhan Nel (26).
The rugby player enjoyed a triple triumph of trophies this season in both sevens and 15s rugby.
In June, Nel and the Blitzboks achieved world domination when they won World Rugby’s 2016/2017 Sevens Series.
In July, he proved to be a valuable player in 15-a-side rugby for Western Province, helping them to an inaugural SuperSport Challenge victory with a win in the final over his former team, The Griquas.
On October 28, Nel capped off a remarkable campaign with Province after winning the Currie Cup in the final against the Sharks at Kings Park Stadium in Durban.
City Times sport journalist Logan Green caught up with the triple champion.
LG: What a season for you, three out of three trophies. How are you feeling about these achievements?
RN: Yes, what an unbelievable season it has been. Firstly winning the World Series, then the SuperSport Challenge and to top it off, the Currie Cup. Obviously, it is something that I am extremely proud of and proud to have been part of. It’s a season that will probably only happen once in my career, so it’s something I will cherish forever.
LG: How did it feel to win the Currie Cup?
RN: Before I talk about winning the Currie Cup, just playing in the final alone was already a massive moment in all of our careers. In the week leading up to the final, SuperSport was replaying all the previous finals between Western Province and the Sharks. In the 2010 final Schalk Burger had already played over 40 tests for the Springboks, yet it was only his first Currie Cup final – the same with Jean de Villiers. With all that he has achieved, he never managed to win a Currie Cup. I fully understood the privilege it was to play in a final and then to win it. An unbelievable feeling to get my hands on that Currie Cup.
LG: What was your assessment of the final and how would you rate your own performance?
RN: I knew the magnitude of the occasion. The closer we got to the weekend, the less I wanted to talk about the final, see photos and articles. I tried staying away from social media because fans and opinions can either make you overconfident or can force you into your shell because you don’t want to mess up. Normally we would warm up for about 35 to 40 minutes, but on the Saturday I came out a bit earlier. I wanted to take a moment and just take it all in. Playing in front of sold-out crowds at sevens tournaments helped with my mental approach towards everything, but there is something different about a Currie Cup final. Personally, I wasn’t trying to do anything out of the ordinary in the game. Finals rugby is about teams who can use their opportunities the best. It’s about doing your job on the day and doing it well.
LG: How would you rate your own displays this season?
RN: That’s always a tough question to answer. Personally, I feel that coming straight from the sevens circuit into the 15s game helped me tremendously in situations where I found myself in awkward situations on the field. Overall, I believe that I contributed the best way I could, whether it was helping with team culture or physically contributing on the field.
LG: You have proved that you are more than just a sevens player. Are you turning your attention more to 15s now?
RN: At this stage I am still contracted to SA Rugby and Springbok Sevens, so all of my attention will now shift to getting back into the swing of things in sevens. We have the World Series coming up in a few weeks’ time, the Commonwealth Games in March and the World Cup in June. I am excited to be part of that.
LG: What has the feedback been like at home from friends and family?
RN: My family was in Durban for the final so luckily I could bring them onto the field with me after the game to celebrate. The reactions I got from friends were positive and supportive as always. Werner Kok and I went through to Stellenbosch the day after we won the final to support the sevens boys in the Assupol Sevens Tournament. The boys were happy for us for about 40 seconds before the first joke started. With friends like them it’s never hard to remain humble and we have been through quite a bit together as a group, so it was great being able to share it with them too.
A day after winning the Currie Cup @wernerkok1 & @RuhanNel7 were back at Stellenbosch to support @Blitzboks @Assupol7s @SteinhoffRugby pic.twitter.com/n9e7qIn2WA
— Springbok Sevens (@Blitzboks) October 29, 2017
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