It’s not often that you get three brothers who have all made it to play rugby professionally.
The Du Plessis brothers (Jean-Luc, Dan and Robert), Barrett brothers (Beauden, Jordie and Scott) are the ones that come to mind immediately, having all made it to international level with the Springboks and the All Blacks respectively.
But here in the Mother City, and more specifically Manenberg, we have our very own Hartzenberg brothers - Yaya, Munier and Suleiman.
Let’s start with the oldest of the trio, Yaya.
The now-34-year-old former Paarl Boys flanker was the first of the brothers to turn pro, playing for Western Province between 2009 and 2012, before leaving for the Pumas then the Cheetahs and eventually the Griffons.
Munier, 25, is die middelbroer.
Playing on the wing, he made his Currie Cup debut for Griquas last year, before making the move to the Free State Cheetahs where he continues to make waves.
That brings us to the “baby” of the family, the Stormers centre-cum-wing Suleiman.
At 19, Suleiman looks destined for the big time, having already played for South Africa’s A side on their tour of the UK last year.
But he knows he’s not an island and a one-man show and credits his rugby family for his rise in the game.
Suleiman tells the Stormers’ website: “Coming from a family of rugby players just made me fall in love with the game further. There were so many rugby conversations that it was so easy to speak about. After a game we would all chat about where we could have improved but also shared many laughs together. Having older brothers who have been through the rugby system definitely helped and guided me as I was able to learn from them.”
Having matriculated from Bishops in 2021, Hartzenberg’s rise has been nothing short of blitsvinnig.
He knows this and adds of making his Stormers debut less than a year after matriculating: “It was a surreal feeling as I could not believe I was making my Stormers debut because I know the history behind the jersey. It meant so much because just a few months prior I made my Ikeys debut and before that I was playing high school rugby. I felt that it was an absolute blessing because I know not everyone gets the opportunity so early in their career…”
31 000 Tickets are already out of the market! Loftus will be PACKED this Saturday 🔥
🎟 Join the party and get your tickets here: https://t.co/C4mxQtucxX@Vodacom #URC pic.twitter.com/ssD9ElEyBY
On Saturday when the Stormers face the Bulls, Hartzenberg could be up against some other young stars in South African rugby - most notably Canan Moodie, who at the age of 20 and is also from Paarl in Cape Town, is already a volle Springbok.
A good showing at Loftus Versfeld will go a long way in reaffirming Hartzenberg’s undoubted Green and Gold destiny.
One thing is certain, though, Yaya and Munier will be watching closely and will be egging on their younger sibling. And while there will be laughs afterwards, Suleiman knows his game will be unpacked afterwards…
dudley.carstens@inl.co.za