Spotlight on Darryl de la Harpe

NAMIBIAN rugby star Darryl de la Harpe retired from international rugby after Namibia’s final match at the 2019 World Cup against New Zealand. He, however, still continues to play the game, having joined former national coach Phil Davies at Yorkshire Leeds in England, and hopes to go into coaching in the near future.

After playing for more than a decade for teams such as Western Suburbs, the Welwitschias and the Namibian national side, as well as College Rovers, Sharks A and the Valke in South Africa, De La Harpe looked back at some of the memorable moments during his career.

Who was your sport hero as a child?

As a young boy I had many heroes, but since rugby was the sport I chose, I must say that watching the All Blacks centre Tana Umaga play was something I always looked forward to.

Who is the best player you ever played with?

It’s a difficult question because rugby is a team sport and I have played in so many teams through the years, but if I have to choose I’d say our current national captain Johan Deysel. We played so many games together as a centre combination and probably the longest combination as a centre pairing for Namibia. He has a calm approach to the game, but his tackles on the field are deadly and it was fun to combine and play with him for Namibia.

Who was the best player you played against?

It would be obvious to name the international players that I faced at the World Cup tournaments, but I’d like to mention the centre Andries Strauss who played for the Sharks. When playing against him in Durban club rugby he made life very difficult for me. He had a big engine, he was smart on defence and a very good tackler and he made very few mistakes, so I learned a lot by playing against him at a young age.

Who was the best coach you played under?

I had numerous coaches who all played a big part in my career, but firstly I would choose my dad. He always kept me humble and working harder even after I achieved goals, and he sacrificed a lot for me to have different opportunities.

As for on the field I would say two guys made a big difference in how I looked at the game and brought the best out of me: Jannie Breytenbach, who was my coach at the u13 Craven Week and also for Windhoek High School’s first team. Just the way he looked at the game from a different point of view and the skillset he brought to my game, gave me so much motivation and self belief.

Then of course, Phil Davies, he was probably the first coach that made me look at rugby as more than a game. He led by example and always challenged you mentally and physically, and I learned so much on and off the field from him.

What was your most memorable match?

There are two matches that I will never forget – what movies and books are made of. The 2014 World Cup Qualifier in Madagascar – just the way we clawed back into contention after losing our first match, and then how we beat Madagascar in our final match. We had to beat them by a record score, and there was a lot of emotion with some team mates losing family members that year, but we rose to the occasion with a great performance to qualify for the 2015 World Cup.

Then there was the one we never played, against Canada at last year’s World Cup, which was supposed to be my last match for Namibia. We prepared for it like no other match, and were determined to get Namibia’s first victory at the World Cup. We had so many challenges on and off the field, leading up to that match, it was very tough, but the team stuck together, and it was a huge disappointment when the match was cancelled. But I’ll never forget the emotions, the sacrifices and our brotherhood that led up to that match.

What was the highlight of your career?

Most definitely when I got my 50th cap in our first match at the 2019 World Cup against Italy. Not many players get to play 50 matches for their country under three different coaches, especially a Tier 2 country like Namibia which does not haver a professional league. So I see myself as being very privileged, but humbled by all those who believed in me.

What was the low point of your career?

Seeing situations as a low in my career was never an option, because I always had the ability to learn and get over it and to improve the situation. I learned very early in my career to control what I can and to always see my wrongs first and to work on improving myself.

Name your best Namibian team:

Jaco Engels, Torsten van Jaarsveld, Andre Schlechter, Tjiuee Uanivi, Heinz Koll, Jacques Burger, Tinus du Plessis, PJ van Lill, Eugene Jantjies, Cliven Loubser, David Philander, Darryl de la Harpe, Johan Deysel, Danie Dames and Chrysander Botha.

Substitutes:

Johnny Redelinghuys, Aranos Coetzee, Lous van der Westhuizen, Thomasau Forbes, Renaldo Bothma, Ryan de la Harpe and Piet van Zyl.