Faf de Klerk

thumb|Faf de Kkerk François de Klerk (born 19 October 1991), known by his nickname Faf, is a South African professional rugby union player who plays scrum-half for Japan Rugby League One club Yokohama Canon Eagles and the South Africa national team. He was a member of the South Africa teams that won the Rugby World Cup in 2019 and 2023. Quotes "De Klerk: You have to adapt to survive" (2019) "De Klerk: You have to adapt to survive", SA RUGBY MAG by Jon Cardineli (August 2019) They challenged our way of thinking,’ They gave us freedom to make decisions, but also made it clear that we needed to take responsibility for our choices. It was great to have their backing. It was great to see players backing each other and getting excited about some of the decisions that were being taken. After a while, we were all on the same page. It wasn’t a case of “This is the Lions or WP or Sharks’ style of play”. We had developed something that was our own. People have noticed a change on attack, but the truth is that we’ve become a greater all-round threat. I’ve always been a positive person who relies heavily on my faith. In a sense, it was a challenge going from a very religious environment at the Lions to a set-up without that at Sale. I was up there in Manchester without my girlfriend, friends and family. I’m grateful I had my faith to fall back on. When I look back now, I can say that I learned a lot about myself and am stronger for the experience. It was an important step in my life. I don’t think I would have grown as much if I had stayed in South Africa. Over there, you also have the opportunity to travel to Europe and experience so many different countries and cultures.’ Every young boy dreams about it, don’t they? I remember watching Jonny Wilkinson kicking those goals at the 2003 World Cup. George Gregan was a hero of mine, as was Jason Robinson. Pretty much any player who had a bit of flair. Percy Montgomery was another source of inspiration, and not only because of his blond hair,’ De Klerk laughs. ‘His attacking game and dependable left boot caught my eye. I won’t stop working to become the all-round scrumhalf. That’s what a team needs, a player who can alternate between a running and kicking game. However, I am always going to be that guy who loves to have a go when it’s on. That’s who I am. It comes naturally, and in some situations I suppose it can add value to the team I want to be spoken about in the same breath as those greats and to be remembered as a special attacking player. Who knows, if opposition teams view me as a threat, maybe they will focus on shutting me down and it will mean more space for my teammates. Sale needed me to kick, so I put in a lot of time after training sessions sharpening that part of my game. I suppose that’s one thing I won’t have to worry about for a while until I rejoin Sale.’ External links Category:Living people Category:1991 births Category:Rugby union players from South Africa