The 80-metre kicking Italian 'boerseun' that rugby forgot
Gert Peens is not exactly a household name in South African rugby folklore. However, he has had a colourful career that included a World Cup appearance for Italy and more than 400 first-class games for 12 different Italian clubs – to go with a good number of appearances with a couple of South African provinces – writes Jan de Koning.
He is probably best remembered for any number of the many monster kicks he landed in a career that spanned more than two decades – including a drop-goal of well over 50 metres at Lansdowne Road in Dublin and one of nearly 60 metres at the age of 42.
There is also an 80-metre kick (that’s the distance his teammates claim) he landed for Wits Technicon in a club match against West Rand. Video evidence exists of several kicks beyond the 50-metre mark. However, we have to rely on the verbal ‘evidence’ of his teammates for the 80-metre effort.
In his five years (23 Tests) for the Azzurri, he managed a 92 percent success rate with the boot. He also played in every backline position except scrumhalf.
Peens arrived at Frascati in Italy in 1993 as a 19-year-old. For eight years he played in South Africa during the Southern Hemisphere winters and then moved to Italy for another season.
In Piacenza he met the woman who became his wife in 2001 and qualified him to be selected for Italy. However, let us start at the beginning of this fascinating journey. Born in Germiston, Peens played his first games for Elsburg Primary on the East Rand and represented Transvaal in the Under-13 Craven Week tournament.
He started playing for played for Elspark Tech in Germiston, but later move to Krugersdorp – where he enrolled at the famous Monument Hoërskool on the West Rand for two years and then joined Helpmekaar Hoërskool, where he completed his schooling.
After school he joined Wits Technicon, where one of his teammates gave him a contact in Italy. That was when he made the first of those annual trips north. He joined Frascati in 1993, then still 19.
Then, during the South African summers he would play in Italy and return to South Africa for rugby in the Southern Hemisphere winters.
This all-year-round rugby routine lasted for about eight years. He studied sport management while playing for Rand Afrikaans University (now Johannesburg University).
This was the early to mid-1990s, the golden era of Transvaal rugby – when the likes of Hennie le Roux, Johan Roux, Pieter Hendriks, James Dalton, Ian MacDonald, Jannie van der Walt and Jaco Louw featured in that RAU outfit.
Obviously opportunities were limited, given the quality of the players in Transvaal in that era.
He was then on loan to the Falcons and made his Currie Cup debut for the East Rand-based outfit. After some impressive wins over Western Province and the Blue Bulls, as well as a draw against Transvaal, they finished fifth in South Africa’s premiers domestic competition.
In 1997 he joined Rugby Roma in Italy, where he was a teammate of Springbok lock Adri Geldenhuys.
The then Rovigo coach, former Springbok coach Nelie Smit, lured Peens to the Eastern Cape, where he signed for Eastern Province for two seasons.
He continued his year-round rugby routine and when he retired at 42 – mainly the result of a law in Italy that prevents players from playing beyond that age – he had played for Frascati, Segni, Rugby Roma, Calvisano, Piacenza, Parma, Rovigo, L’Aquila (102 appearances) and finished at Asti. He had a one-year run as player-coach at Alessandria, two years as player-coach Amatori Alghero and finished as player-coach Lecce.
Peens made his debut for Italy against Wales in Cardiff in 2002, where he kicked a 56-metre penalty.
His second Six Nations game was against Ireland in Dublin, where he slotted a 58-metre drop-goal at a packed Lansdowne Road.
Highlights on the international stage include a 100 percent kicking record on a two-match tour of Argentina, where he was Man of the Match in a (30-29) win over Los Pumas in Cordoba.
His final Test was against Australia in Rome – a narrow 18-25 loss to the Wallabies on 11 November 2006.
Comments on RugbyPass
To me TJ is clearly the best 9 in the competition right now but he's also a proven player off the bench, there's few playmaking players who can come off the bench as calm and settled as he is, Beauden can, TJ can and I doubt any of the scrumhalves in contention can, if they want to experiment with new 9s I want him on the bench ready to step in if they crumble under the pressure. The Boks put their best front row on the bench, I'd like to see us take a similar approach, the Hurricanes have been doing similar things with players like Kirifi.
30 Go to commentsROG has better chance to win a WC if he starts training and make himself eligible as a player. He won’t make the Ireland squad but I reckon he may get close with Namibia (needs to improve his Afrikaans) or Portugal. Both sides had 1000:1 odds to win the RWC in 2023 which is an improvement on ROG’s odds of winning a RWC as a coach. Unlike Top 14 teams, national teams can’t go shopping and buy the best players - you work with the available talent pool and turn them into world beaters.
2 Go to commentsthat backline nope that backline is terrible why would you have sevu Reece when he’s not even top 5 wingers in the comp why have Blackadder when there’s better players no Scott barret isn’t an automatic the guy is more of a liability than anything why have him there when you have samipeni who’s far far better
30 Go to commentsAh, good to find you Nick. Agree with everything about Cale. So much to like about his game
49 Go to commentsNot too bad. Questions at 6, lock and HB for me. The ABs will be a lot stronger once Jordan and Roigard return. Also, work needs to be made to secure Frizzell back for next season and maybe also Mo’unga; they’re just wasting time playing in japan
30 Go to commentsOn the title, i wonder for many of those people it is a case something like a belief in working smarter, not harder?
1 Go to commentsForget Sotutu. One of those whose top level is Super Rugby. Id take a punt on Wallace Sititi Finau ahead of Glass body Blackadder.
30 Go to commentsI’m a pensioner so I've been around a bit. My opinion of SBW is he is an elite athlete and a great New Zealander and roll model. He has been to the top and knows what he's talking about. To all the negative comments regarding SBW the typical New Zealand way, cut that tall poppy down.
17 Go to commentsI'm not listening to a guy moralise over others when this is the guy who walked out mid season on Canterbury RLFC when he had a contract with them, what a hypocrite. Those praising him are a joke.
17 Go to commentsI’d put Finau at 6 instead of Blackadder but that’s the only change I’d make. Can’t wait to see who Razor picks.
30 Go to commentsTamati Williams, Codie Taylor, and Same Cane? Not sure about Hoskins Sotutu at test level. Wasn’t that impressive last season. Need a balance between experience and talent/youth.
30 Go to commentsInteresting insight. Fantastic athlete, and a genuine human being.
17 Go to commentsThey played at night in Suva last weekend and it’s an afternoon game forecast for 19 degrees in Canberra this weekend. Heat change is a non issue.
1 Go to commentsWishing Rosie a speedy recovery
1 Go to commentsObscene that SA haven’t been knocking
1 Go to commentsChances of Blackadder being injured seem too high to give him serious consideration. ABs loosie combination finally looked good with 2 committed to tackling and clearing rucks in the centre and Ardie roaming. Hoskins/Ardie together would force one of them into where they don’t excel and don’t get to use their talent, or require a change in tactics. If we continue to evolve last years systems I would take Papali’i and Finau at 6 and 7 (conceding that Blackadder will be injured) and Ardie at 8.
30 Go to commentsArdie’s preferred position 7? Where do they get these writers from? I've no idea where he's playing in Japan, but the previous two seasons he wore the 7 jersey exactly twice.
17 Go to commentsNot good to hear Ulster described as “financially troubled”. Did not think it was getting to that level. I would hope the Irish system of spreading players of talent away from Leinster would kick in now. Better to have a Leinster fringe player with Ulster or Connacht, then getting only a few games a season in Dublin. 10, for example, would seem to be a case for spreading the talent. I would not be at all adverse to a SA man coming in as head coach/DR. Ludeke is worth trying. Certainly got a long and impressive coaching career at this level…..149 games in SR, then Japan, 30 years experience. And Ulster’s ledger of successful SA coaches and players is on the positive side. Is talk of Ruan Pienaar interested in coming back as a coach…..could be a good combination with Ludeke. And Pienaar and family would have no settling in to do, one would judge. He loved life in Ulster when there, by all reports.
1 Go to commentsSome thoughts to consider here, Sam. Thanks
2 Go to commentsI think he is right, SBW is respected in RSA. The guy who never stood up is a worm. Sseems lots of NZ SBW hate, you do the crime do the time.
17 Go to comments