Captain’s profile: Fabian Booysen
Swartberg skipper Fabian Booysen is a stern believer that actions speak louder than words.
The fleet-footed centre prefers to do his talking on the pitch and has integrated this mentality into the first team as captain this season.
“My captain’s philosophy is to put the emphasis on winning on the field instead of 'winning talk' as well as living out our school's motto of the past 20 years - never quit,” said the 17-year-old.
He said the faith shown in him to captain the team has made him a better player and a person.
“It gives me confidence in myself and my leadership abilities and I don't get manipulated or intimidated by my opponents on the field.”
Booysen said he hopes to get an opportunity to carve out a career for himself in rugby and study next year; he’ll get a chance to showcase his skills in Saturday’s FNB Classic Clash against Hawston.
“The schools have good history,” he said.
“Before Hawston Secondary was built, Hawston pupils travelled by bus to attend high school at Swartberg, so most of our parents have links with the parents of the team we are playing against.
“Recently, Hawston has grown as a rugby force due to the exposure they received from FNB and we would like to follow that growth.
“We have made friends with the Hawston players through rugby and especially through the Ashwin Willemse Greensmile Tournament for PDi schools in the area.”
Booysen added that they know what to expect from Hawston on Saturday and is optimistic ahead of the big game.
“They like a running brand of rugby, choosing mobile, skilful and hard-hitting players. They also like to get under the opponents skin through chirping,” he said.
“We’ve been blowing hot and cold, but we are solid at the back. If we choose our team right, manage the situations on the field correctly and play what we have in front of us, even though we are inexperienced, we might be able to pull it through.
“We’ll stay true to our motto never quit, stick together like a family and go forward as a band of brothers.”