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'It felt like a seven-month hangover' - van Velze on bodycheck that nearly ended his career
Warriors vice-captain GJ van Velze feared his career was over following a concussion injury in the opening game of the 2016/17 season.
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The number eight clashed with Saracens flanker Michael Rhodes at Twickenham in a seemingly harmless collision – but it turned out to be significantly more – as Van Velze was forced out of action for the whole season.
He said: “I thought, ‘Is this how my career’s going to end?’ I started playing rugby when I was seven. Was it going to suddenly end because of a body-check at Twickenham?’
“It all happened when I ran a short line and was body-checked but it wasn’t enough to knock me out. I had a bit of a whiplash and then, at the next ruck, I had this throbbing headache. Four weeks later, I was still being told to stay at home.
“In these tough times you sometimes question yourself if you’re going to play again.
“The doctors weren’t sure what was causing the symptoms but after a number of tests they identified that I damaged my eye and ear canal through head trauma. This made it difficult for me to keep my balance. I could not stand on one leg with my eyes closed.
“Eventually I got diagnosed with vestibular problems. The impact against Saracens was the last straw that broke the camel’s back. I worked extremely hard with the medical staff and especially with Julie Hayton (Warriors Acting Head of Medical) on a number of weird and fun exercises to get me back to feeling normal again over the next six months.”
Van Velze finally recovered from his concussion during the summer and passed his return to play protocol on June 17, 2017.
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The South African-born back row made his return to action at the start of the 2017/18 campaign and recently revealed what kept him sane during his lengthy time away from the game.
He explained: “It felt like a seven-month hangover. I wasn’t allowed to do anything for the first four months. I wasn’t allowed to watch TV, read, use my phone or drive. I fell in love with audiobooks, podcasts and found myself a DIY project where I built a desk out of copper tubing and plywood.
“My next venture was setting up a handmade footwear business called Van Velze and Smith Superior Leather which will launch in early November. The idea is to sell classic handcrafted leather boots and for every boot sold I will give away a pair of sports footwear to aspiring youngsters.”
Alongside his shoe business, Van Velze took a lambing hobby to the next level with the help of his good friend James Wilson, turning it into a small-scale business, selling meat to friends, teammates and family.
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And he revealed how his hobby has now grown into much more.
He continued: “This was made possible by the infrastructure on the farm and James, and it has grown at a fast pace. We set up spreadsheets to monitor dentistry records, weight, feeding habits, birth rates and medical issues.
“Now we’ve got 22 breeding ewes and 35 lambs which are fattening up. Without James this would not have been possible but thanks to the Farmers Weekly magazine and a few YouTube guides, this has kept me very busy.”
Van Velze’s lamb business (Little Pretoria) is now booming in which he’s been able to sell to the public as well as those who are close to him. If you’d like to inquire then you can email GJ at littlepretoria@gmail.com for more information.
Now back in the thick of the action, Van Velze has started all six of Warriors’ games so far this season.
And he is fully focused on the task at hand as Warriors look to get some wins on the board.
He added: “It’s great to be back playing regularly. I’ve really missed it. It hasn’t been the start we hoped for but we’ve got a great group of players and we’re confident we can turn things around.”
Comments on RugbyPass
Billy's been playing consistently well for 2 - 3 seasons now and deserves a look in at the top level. Ioane and ALB are still first choice but there needs to be injury cover and succession. His partnership with Jordie gives him first dibs you'd think. Go the Hurricanes.
3 Go to commentsIt’s not up to Wales to support Georgian Rugby. That’s up to International Rugby and Georgia. I sympathise with Georgia’s decent attempt to create this fixture. But for Wales the proposed match up is just a potential stick to beat them with and a potential big psychological blow that young Welsh team doesn’t need. (I’m Irish BTW.)
2 Go to commentsCale certainly looks great in space, but as you say, he has struggled in contact. At 23 years old, turning 24 this year, he should be close to full physical maturity and yet there exists a considerable gap in the power and physicality required for international rugby. Weight doesn’t automatically equate to power and physicality either. Can he go from a player who’s being physically dominated in Super rugby to physically dominating in international rugby in 1 or 2 years? That’s a big ask but he may end up being a late bloomer.
28 Go to commentsIf rugby wants to remain interesting in the AI era then it will need to work on changing the rules. AI will reduce the tactical advantage of smart game plans, will neutralize primary attacking weapons, and will move rugby from a being a game of inches to a game of millimetres. It will be about sheer athleticism and technique,about avoiding mistakes, and about referees. Many fans will find that boring. The answer is to add creative degrees of freedom to the game. The 50-22 is an example. But we can have fun inventing others, like the right to add more players for X minutes per game, or the equivalent of the 2-point conversion in American football, the ability to call a 12-player scrum, etc. Not saying these are great ideas, but making the point that the more of these alternatives you allow, the less AI will be able to lock down high-probability strategies. This is not because AI does not have the compute power, but because it has more choices and has less data, or less-specific data. That will take time and debate, but big, positive and immediate impact could be in the area of ref/TMO assistance. The technology is easily good enough today to detect forward passes, not-straight lineouts, offside at breakdown/scrum/lineout, obstruction, early/late tackles, and a lot of other things. WR should be ultra aggressive in doing this, as it will really help in an area in which the game is really struggling. In the long run there needs to be substantial creativity applied to the rules. Without that AI (along with all of the pro innovations) will turn rugby into a bash fest.
24 Go to commentsSouth Africa rarely play Ireland and France on these tours. Mostly, England, Scotland and Wales. I wonder why
1 Go to commentsIt was a let’s-see-what-you're-made-of type of a game. The Bulls do look good when the opposition allows them to, but Munster shut them down, and they could not find a way through. Jake should be very worried about their chances in the competition.
2 Go to commentsHats off to Fabian for a very impressive journey to date. Is it as ‘uniquely unlikely’ as Rugby Pass suggests, given Anton Segner’s journey at the Blues?
1 Go to commentsSad that this was not confirmed. When administrators talk about expanding the game they evidently don’t include pathways to the top tier of rugby for teams outside of the old boys club. Rugby deserves better, and certainly Georgia does.
2 Go to commentsLions might take him on if they move on Van Rooyen but I doubt he will want to go back, might consider it a step backwards for himself. Sharks would take him on but if Plumtree goes on to win the challenge cup they will keep him on. Also sharks showing some promising signs recently. Stormers and Bulls are stable and Springboks are already filled up. Quality coach though, interesting to see where he ends up
1 Go to commentsAnd the person responsible for creating a culture of accountability is?
3 Go to commentsMore useless words from Ben Smith -Please get another team to write about. SA really dont need your input, it suck anyway.
264 Go to commentsThis disgraceful episode must result in management and coach team sackings. A new manager with worse results than previous and the coaching staff need to coached. Awful massacre led by donkeys.
1 Go to commentsInteresting article with one glaring mistake. This sentence: “And between the top four nations right now, Ireland, France, South Africa, and New Zealand…” should read: And between the top four nations right now, South Africa, Ireland, New Zealand and France…”. Get it right wistful thinkers, its not that hard.
24 Go to commentsHow did Penny get the gig anyway?
3 Go to commentsNice write up Nick and I would have agreed a week ago. However as you would know Cale & co got absolutely monstered by the Blues back row of Sotutu, Ioane and Papaliti and not all of these 3 are guaranteed a start in the Black jumper. He may need to put some kgs before stepping up, Spring tour? After the week end Joe will be a bit more restless. Will need to pick a mobile tough pack for Wales and hope England does the right thing and bashes the ABs. I like your last paragraph but I would bring Swinton, Hannigan into the 6 role and Bobby V to 8
28 Go to commentsThe Crusaders can still get in to the Play Off’s. The imminent return of outstanding captain Scott Barrett and his All Black team mate Codie Taylor will be a big boost.There are others like Tamaiti Williams too. Two home games coming up. Fellow Crusader fans get there and support these guys. I will be.
2 Go to commentsCant get more Wellington than Proctor.
3 Go to commentsWhy not let the media decide. Like how they choose the head coach. Like most of us we entrust the rugby system to choose. A rugby team includes the coaches. It's collective.
14 Go to commentsHi NIck, I have been very impressed with him and he seems a smart player who can see opportunities which Bobby V _(who must be an international 6_) doesn’t see or have the speed to take advantage of. If he continues to improve and puts on 5kgs then he could be a great 8. He is a bit taller than Keiran Reid at 1.93m and 111 kgs, so his skill set fits his body size and who knows where it will lead. I hope the spate of Achilles tendon issues have been dealt with by the S&C people. It’s been a very long time since Mark Loane and Kefu stood out at 8. The question is will we be able to hold onto him, if he does make it he will be pretty hot property. I disagree with the idea of letting them go to the Northern Hemisphere and then bring them back.
28 Go to commentsBilly Fulton 🤣🤣🤣🤣 garrrmon not even close
14 Go to comments