Getting To Know Gerhard van den Heever

25th August 2015 By Munster Rugby

Beginning his third season with the province and following his return to play from a knee injury that saw him miss the second half of last season, we profile South African flyer Gerhard van den Heever.

Making his Super Rugby debut with the Bulls at just 19 years of age, in his two years with the club the winger played his part in capturing the 2010 Super Rugby title for the club, scoring 8 tries along the way and becoming the third highest try scorer of the league that year.

His time in Pretoria also saw him claim the first of his two Currie Cup titles in 2009 when he played for the Blue Bulls, playing alongside his future Munster teammate CJ Stander in his final year with the provincial outfit.

Moving to Cape Town in 2011, Gerhard continued his Super Rugby career with the Stormers and added a second Currie Cup title to his list of honours in 2012 when he represented Western Province.

Unlucky not to claim a third title, a 19-33 loss to Natal Sharks in the following year’s final was his last representative action for Western Province before making the move north in November 2013.

It wasn't the best of starts for the Bloemfontein native on Irish soil as later that month he sustained a broken bone in his right hand on his Munster debut against Newport Gwent Dragons. However, the speedster soon recovered and went on to make a further ten appearances in his first season, scoring three tries and making his first European Cup appearance in Munster’s comprehensive defeat of Toulouse at Thomond Park in the 2014 quarter final of the competition.

Having previously represented the University of Pretoria at the University Sevens Rugby World Championships, he lined out for Munster in last season’s Limerick World Club 7s although a bang to the knee at the tournament saw him miss the opening games of the season.

It would be the first blip of an injury plagued season as a further knee injury sustained on his first European start against Clermont Auvergne in December sidelined the 26 year old for the remainder of the season – making just seven appearances in 2014/15.

Since then, Gerhard has worked alongside Munster medical staff in completing a successful rehabilitation programme and with a full pre-season under his belt, the winger has already made a successful return to on-field action in recent weeks, looking hungry and threatening in Munster’s pre-season friendlies against Grenoble and Connacht.

Name: Gerhard van den Heever