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Harlequins sign Maks van Dyk from Toulouse on short-term deal

By Online Editors
Tighthead prop Maks van Dyk. (Getty)

Harlequins have confirmed the signing of tighthead prop Maks van Dyk for remainder of 2019/20 season. Van Dyk, 28, joins the Club from reigning French Top14 Champions Toulouse, bolstering Harlequins’ propping options for the duration of the disrupted 2019/20 season, serving as injury cover for new signing Craig Trenier and soon-to-arrive Springbok Wilco Louw.

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A product of the famous Paarl Boys’ High School in South Africa and a IRB Junior World Championship winner with the South African U20 side in 2012, van Dyk joins Quins having spent the last four years in France, with experience playing for reigning Pro14 champions Leinster, the Barbarians as well as the Natal Sharks, Griquas and Cheetahs in South Africa.

Commenting on his move to The Stoop, van Dyk said: “I really like the atmosphere of this team and we’ve got really good coaches.

“I was a big fan back in 2009 of Adam Jones when the British and Irish Lions came back to South Africa, he had a huge tournament; and the intensity of Jerry [Flannery], it’s really good.

“The guys here know how to switch on, and they know how to switch off off the field and make jokes – but when it’s go time, we do it. It will be really great to experience Premiership Rugby and I’m looking forward to competing for Harlequins.”

Commenting, Harlequins Head of Rugby Paul Gustard said: “We’re delighted to announce that Maks will join us for the remainder of the current season.

“We were in need of another tighthead prop, and as a Top14 winner with Toulouse and a Junior World Championship winner in his youth, Maks’ pedigree and experience speaks for itself.

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“Alongside Simon Kerrod and Will Collier, Maks provides great cover in the short-term as injury cover for Craig Trenier and while we await the arrival of Wilco from South Africa as we head towards the 14th of August.”

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Jon 8 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

This is the problem with conservative mindsets and phycology, and homogenous sports, everybody wants to be the same, use the i-win template. Athlete wise everyone has to have muscles and work at the gym to make themselves more likely to hold on that one tackle. Do those players even wonder if they are now more likely to be tackled by that player as a result of there “work”? Really though, too many questions, Jake. Is it better Jake? Yes, because you still have that rugby of ole that you talk about. Is it at the highest International level anymore? No, but you go to your club or checkout your representative side and still engage with that ‘beautiful game’. Could you also have a bit of that at the top if coaches encouraged there team to play and incentivized players like Damian McKenzie and Ange Capuozzo? Of course we could. Sadly Rugby doesn’t, or didn’t, really know what direction to go when professionalism came. Things like the state of northern pitches didn’t help. Over the last two or three decades I feel like I’ve been fortunate to have all that Jake wants. There was International quality Super Rugby to adore, then the next level below I could watch club mates, pulling 9 to 5s, take on the countries best in representative rugby. Rugby played with flair and not too much riding on the consequences. It was beautiful. That largely still exists today, but with the world of rugby not quite getting things right, the picture is now being painted in NZ that that level of rugby is not required in the “pathway” to Super Rugby or All Black rugby. You might wonder if NZR is right and the pathway shouldn’t include the ‘amateur’, but let me tell you, even though the NPC might be made up of people still having to pull 9-5s, we know these people still have dreams to get out of that, and aren’t likely to give them. They will be lost. That will put a real strain on the concept of whether “visceral thrill, derring-do and joyful abandon” type rugby will remain under the professional level here in NZ. I think at some point that can be eroded as well. If only wanting the best athlete’s at the top level wasn’t enough to lose that, shutting off the next group, or level, or rugby players from easy access to express and showcase themselves certainly will. That all comes back around to the same question of professionalism in rugby and whether it got things right, and rugby is better now. Maybe the answer is turning into a “no”?

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j
john 11 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

But here in Australia we were told Penney was another gun kiwi coach, for the Tahs…….and yet again it turned out the kiwi coach was completely useless. Another con job on Australian rugby. As was Robbie Deans, as was Dave Rennie. Both coaches dumped from NZ and promoted to Australia as our saviour. And the Tahs lap them up knowing they are second rate and knowing that under pressure when their short comings are exposed in Australia as well, that they will fall in below the largest most powerful province and choose second rate Tah players to save their jobs. As they do and exactly as Joe Schmidt will do. Gauranteed. Schmidt was dumped by NZ too. That’s why he went overseas. That why kiwi coaches take jobs in Australia, to try and prove they are not as bad as NZ thought they were. Then when they get found out they try and ingratiate themselves to NZ again by dragging Australian teams down with ridiculous selections and game plans. NZ rugby’s biggest problem is that it can’t yet transition from MCaw Cheatism. They just don’t know how to try and win on your merits. It is still always a contest to see how much cheating you can get away with. Without a cheating genius like McCaw, they are struggling. This I think is why my wise old mate in NZ thinks Robertson will struggle. The Crusaders are the nursery of McCaw Cheatism. Sean Fitzpatrick was probably the father of it. Robertson doesn’t know anything else but other countries have worked it out.

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