Preview: Owls’ new skipper
Van der Schyff stayed in the halfback department when picking his new leader with fly half Pike taking over from scrum half Johan Labuschagne – who will deputise for the number 10.
According to Makopano Boksburg Rugby Club coach Lukas van der Schyff, his new captain Henry Pike has the makings to be to the club what Handre Pollard is to the Springboks: a points machine and a young talent with leadership skills.
Van der Schyff stayed in the halfback department when picking his new leader with fly half Pike taking over from scrum half Johan Labuschagne – who will deputise for the number 10.
Coincidentally and interestingly, Pike draws some comparison to the Bok stand-off. At 1.87m tall and tipping the scale at 97kg, the Owls captain is no tiny unit. He’s a single centimetre shorter than Pollard and shares the identical number on the scale with the former Blue Bulls vice-captain.
A powerful runner, steady passer of the ball and his direct play mean that even his playing style lends itself to the Bok star’s.
Like his more established contemporary, Pike’s secondary position is the inside centre birth where he played in high school, and he too is a former Bulls player.
Born February 20, 1998, Pike said he’s the youngest player in the Owls camp. Discarding his primary school rugby career, leading the Owls out to the pitch this season is his first time being captain at club level.
He was a Bulls number 12 in 2017, but according to the first receiver, things did not work out the way he wanted in Pretoria. He then moved to the Griffons for a short stint before making his way to Prince George Park in March 2018.
Despite having a lot of respect for the man he’s compared to, Pike’s favourite player is Frans Steyn.
“He was so young when he won his first World Cup – for such a young player back then, he was mature for his age and had a cool and calm head on him. He is my idol,” explained Pike, who also confessed to being a Sharks supporter.
On the man he’s compared to by his coach, the Owls number 10 said: “I’m a big fan of him [Pollard]. When I was at the Bulls, he was the one guy I looked up to: the way he lead the team and just his presence was amazing.”
Steyn was only 19 when he won his first World Cup with the Springboks in Paris in 2007 – also against England. The Boks’ 2019 triumph in Japan was his second title, earning him a place in the select group of multiple World Cup winners. He became only the 21st player to win multiple World Cups in Japan and joined Os du Randt as the only Springbok to win two World Cups. – @SabeloBoksburg
