Ruben ready to enter heat of the battle

By Mark Stevens
16/12/22

Ruben van Heerden has told his Exeter Chiefs team-mates to brace themselves for battle as they prepare to tear into the Bulls this Saturday in the Heineken Champions Cup (1pm).

Having helped the Chiefs get their latest European adventure off to the perfect start with victory against Castres a week ago, the imposing South African finds familiar foes in his way in this Round Two encounter.

The 25-year-old started his senior career with the Pretoria-based club back in 2013 and stayed with them until 2018 before making the switch to the Sharks. Four years in Durban followed for the towering lock before he took up the offer of trying something new here in England.

One of a handful of new recruits brought to Sandy Park last summer, van Heerden has settled well to life in his new surroundings, scoring five tries already in just 11 first team appearances.

On Satuday, though, he will be looking to plot the downfall of his former club, who arrived earlier this week from 30+ degrees back home to that of sub-zero temperatures here in Devon.

“I’m sure it was quite a shock to the system for them” said van Heerden. “That said, come kick-off I’m sure they’ll be warmed up and ready to have a good go at us. It’s going to be a special day, a historical day. I’ve been told this is the first time a South African side has come to Sandy Park, so that adds to the build-up of things.

“The Bulls, though, will be tough. Traditionally, they are the strongest club sides back in South Africa, winning plenty of Currie Cups and getting to the URC Final last season. It’s going to be a huge battle at the weekend.”

The Chiefs warmed up for the match with a hugely impressive win against Castres, who had until last weekend failed to lose on home soil this season. First half tries from Sam Simmonds and Dave Ewers laid the foundations for the win, before Sam Maunder and Olly Woodburn crossed after the break to ensure Rob Baxter’s side headed home with a maximum haul of five points.

For van Heerden, it was a first taste of action at Europe’s elite level and the forward noticed a sizeable step up in standards.

“In terms of result, we could not have asked for anything better,” he said. “Getting five points has set us up nicely, but now we have to follow it up again this weekend.

“Playing in France, it was certainly a bit different to that of the Premiership. There was a big emphasis on the set-piece in particular. They had abig pack, they were very physical and, when they wanted to, they were happy to go with the offloads. What we did, though, was we stuck to our script and we were able to put our game on them, especially in the second half.”

Now, van Heerden hopes a bumper Sandy Park crowd will get the chance to witness something similar against the Bulls, who themselves picked up five points in their home win over Lyon at Loftus Versfeld Stadium.

“The atmosphere here at Sandy Park is always amazing,” he added. “It’s a lot different to back home where you play in the big stadiums. Here, it’s a lot more enclosed and the fans’ feel on top of you. The noise they make and the way they get behind you is great, so hopefully we can give them plenty to cheer about come the weekend.”