ONE OF THE GREATS

Consistent performance and form has pushed former UWC student Kurt-Lee Arendse well ahead of the pack

By Robin Adams

“Kurt-Lee Arendse is destined to be one of the greats of South Africa.”

Lofty praise for the former UWC rugby winger from one of the finest backline players this country has ever produced – Breyton Paulse.

“In my opinion, guys like Kurt-Lee come around every 40, 50 years. He certainly is a rare breed.”

And Paulse’s not the only one who’s been impressed with Arendse.

“In addition to his exceptional talent, he is such a humble guy,” says sport agent Shafiek Mouton.

To understand why Kurt-Lee Arendse, the young man from Paarl, is held in such high regard, we have to go back to the early days of his career.

Arendse is only 25 years old but his passion for the game was evident from an early age. During his days as a high school learner at Paulus Joubert Secondary School in Klein Nederburg, Paarl, it was a mix of fancy footwork and superb reading of the game that earned him a spot in the school’s first team. Later, Arendse was drafted into the Boland and eventually Western Province junior sides, where he featured in several big competitions.

By 2017, Arendse was running out for the University of the Western Cape (UWC). The late, great Chester Williams, who was the university’s coach at the time and who had a knack for spotting

and moulding incredible talent, knew he’d struck gold with the acquisition of the youngster’s services.

Cheesy as this sounds, one could say it was written in the stars that Williams and Arendse’s paths were destined to cross. For context, when Williams helped South Africa lift its first-ever World Cup title in 1995, Arendse wasn’t even born yet.

Yet the partnership between Arendse and Williams blossomed and yielded fruits from the get-go.

“Kurt-Lee immediately made an impact in the Varsity Shield, which helped the University gain promotion to the Varsity Cup,” recalls Mouton of F7 Sports Management. “From there, he was called up to the Blitzboks because they obviously saw his potential, his speed, his footwork and his understanding of space [in the game], which is one of his best traits.

“I remember him coming back from his first Blitzbok world series tournaments. I interviewed him at the airport. He was so shy and down to earth. But he had already made an impact in those first two weekends [of competition], which set him well on his way to become a Springbok 7s rugby star.”

And with a Bok 7s career ticked off on the list of things-to-achieve, Pretoria franchise, the Bulls, started sniffing around, hoping to lure Arendse to Loftus Versveld. And they got their man. A loan move eventually saw him become a permanent fixture this year.

“[Bulls coach] Jake White saw him and bought him for the Bulls. Kurt-Lee’s already made an immense impact in the games that he’s played,” says Mouton. “And that is what you want. You want game-breakers in your team make-up and that is exactly what the Bulls have been doing the last couple of years, especially since White has taken over.”

Arendse continues to show just how versatile he is, brilliant in both formats of the game – 7s and 15-man rugby.

Breyton Paulse speaks glowingly about Arendse’s growth in the game. “I would put him in the same category as [Springbok player] Cheslin Kolbe. [Kurt-Lee’s] understanding of the game, his anticipation, his speed – which is a real, real bonus in today’s rugby — and his lethal try-scoring ability is second to none. And for me, those are all the attributes that a winger should have.

“Let’s hope South African coaches will give guys like Kurt-Lee more opportunities,” adds Paulse, “because at the end of the day, all they need is an opportunity. We all look at someone like Cheslin Kolbe, who wasn’t really appreciated by the Western Province folk when he was here. He had to go to France and set the world alight there because they gave him the opportunity. And at the end of the day, that is what our guys need.”

For his part, Arendse has been an absolute joy to watch this season. His performances have been consistent and his rich run of form has rightly earned him a place in South Africa’s Olympic squad in Japan – a happy hunting ground for the Boks. For those with shortterm memory, SA won the World Cup there in 2019.

“Kurt-Lee is a complete player,” comments Paulse. “He’s still very young. He is going to learn a lot with time and build up that experience. And he’ll get even better. But you need the backing of the coaches, you need the backing of the team.

“Kurt-Lee is destined to be one of the greats of South Africa. For me, he looks like a man who’s got his head screwed on properly. I wish him well. I am a big fan of his; I want him to do well.”

Paul Treu, the current rugby head at UWC, is also an avid Arendse fan. “For the last few years, Kurt-Lee has demonstrated that he is among the best rising stars in rugby. His sterling form for the Blitzboks and for the Bulls speaks volumes.”

If the rave reviews are anything to go by then this former UDubs Economic Development student may just see his name etched among some of the world’s rugby greats.