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WIEHAHN HERBST
THE PROP AT THE TOP
The modest 27-year-old, born in South Africa,
clearly enjoys life at Kingspan Stadium, and he’s
quickly established himself as a fans’ favourite.
His arrival to join a strong group of props on
either side of the scrum is a signal of Ulster’s
determination to create competition in every
position, and there can be no doubt that Herbst’s
trip to the northern hemisphere was never a
gamble.
He argues that prop forwards develop much earlier
in the professional era, but even he was regarded
as something of a prodigy when he made his
Currie Cup and Super Rugby debuts for Natal
Sharks before he was 21.
“I was fortunate, I was absolutely steeped in rugby,
starting when I was just six. I loved the game then,
and I love it still, but with a top club like Ulster you
know you have responsibilities.
“If I don’t do my job in the front row then the other
players suffer, and we have so many talented
players of international calibre that you just have to
be in the best shape you can be, and in the best
form you can produce.”
Wiehahn speaks quietly but with a clear sense of
purpose. He is truly an exemplar of the modern
professional rugby player.
“Yes, I am fortunate to have played at such a high
level for the Sharks and for Ulster seriously, but
that doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy it. I do, very much,
especially the good games, the togetherness
and particular passion of this squad, the special
atmosphere at Kingspan.
“It was fantastic in December when we had that
great win over Toulouse at home, the players were
getting reward for some hard work, the coaches
had done their homework and given us the
freedom to play.
“And that crowd, it was something else! I just want
to have more nights and days like that at home,
and indeed away from Belfast. I know I made a
good decision coming here, I’m really settled and
life is great.
“I get the best of both worlds actually, because
when you go back to family in South Africa it is
home, but when I get back Northern Ireland is very
definitely my home too!”
Currently he’s enjoying the time he gets to spend
with his wife Denise and their son Zian, born just a
few months ago.
“We’re very happy here, and it definitely helped
that I had played with and been friends with Ruan,
Franco and Louis, so the welcome was warm from
them and their families. And the boys in the Ulster
squad, all the people on the staff, went out of their
way to make it easy for me,” he says with a grateful
smile.
Does he miss South Africa, where only a couple of
years ago he was part of the international training
camp?
“Well, sometimes, because I’m an outdoor boy, I
miss being able to get to the sea quickly, and just
as easily drive into the Bush for a bit of hunting.
“As for the Springboks, that was every youngster’s
dream, and I was no different, but for some reason
I fell out of the reckoning and you just deal with it.
It was great that the opportunity then came to play
here in Ulster, a club with a reputation, especially in
South Africa.
“Ruan and Johann Muller, I knew well, and I was
aware of how they felt about playing at Kingspan,
so coming over didn’t hold any fears.”
And that journey has revived his international
ambitions, though he speaks of them reluctantly
and with honesty.
“I will qualify to play for Ireland in just over a year,
and maybe if things go well for the side, and for
me, I might get a chance. International rugby is the
pinnacle of any player’s career, and I’m no different,
and Ireland is my rugby country, no doubt about
that.”
Since signing last year, Wiehahn experienced
Ulster in some really impressive form, not least
because of the firm anchor he was providing at the
coalface of the scrum.
“I believed we had a good season last year, and for
me the standout games were against Leinster and
against Leicester. We showed what a good team
we were, and for myself I felt that I was justifying my
place in the side. I don’t lack confidence, but I was
aware last year that I was in a key position and that
there was pressure to perform.
“I do need to feel that pressure, the butterflies in the
stomach. I do need to feel those before any game.
To me it says I’m ready, I’m prepared, let’s go!
“There were disappointments, of course, and being
injured for the last two games at a critical stage of
the drive towards the PRO12 was hard to take.
WIEHAHN HERBST
Wiehahn Herbst is a prop forward in whom Ulster have invested to
establish a daunting front row to challenge the very best.