FNB Player of the Week - Vaughn Meyer of KES
Player Profile
King Edward VII School (KES) are in the middle of a promising season. They have lost two close games (to Pretoria Boys High and Grey (PE) but their spirit remains high and with key players returning and others in good form they don’t intend slipping up again. One of their most influential players so far this season has been flank Vaughn Meyer. He is this week’s FNB Player of the Week.
Vaughn Meyer was born in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe on 30 March 1988. He moved to South Africa and Johannesburg in 1996 and has been at KES ever since. Vaughn’s father played some junior representative rugby for Zimbabwe and Vaughn was drawn to the game. Not having played rugby in junior school though, he started out at lock for the Under-14C team in Grade 8. He moved to No.8 in Under-15 and, in testimony to his talent, by Under-16 he was in the A-team. Against his better judgement but on the advice of coaches he moved to prop last year and played for the 2nd XV. An elusive prop he did well and received the odd 1st XV cap. Loose-forward was always his preferred position though and he was delighted when 1st XV coach Cedric Finlayson asked him to play flank again this season.
Big and quick Vaughn has made big yards for KES this year already. With flyhalf Chad London in top form Vaughn has been able to run at space with damaging effect. Vaughn is appreciative of the assistance he has received from coach Finlayson in refining his play. Early on in the season he had a tendency to die with the ball but he has worked hard at this aspect of his game and in last week’s comprehensive 47-3 win over Potchefstroom Boys' High Vaughn did not concede one turn-over.
Vaughn obviously enjoyed the hugely successful KES Easter Festival which FNB sponsored. The KES Festival attracted large numebrs of spectators and there were 15 000 people at the KES/Grey PE game. A game Vaughn felt KES deserved to win having played most of the rugby. Things didn’t go their way though, and KES had to be content with wins over Hilton and Graeme College. KES’s other loss of the season came in their first game of the season, when they were slightly underprepared for the might of Pretoria Boys' High.
The KES team don’t have too many stars this year but their loose-trio of Vaughn, Dane Jacobs and Josh Carsten, along with Chad London and fullback James Colrick are the key players. The majority of the team have come through Under-16 and 2nd XV together, and so they know each other’s play well and their team spirit is wonderful.
Vaughn's immediate goal is to make Craven Week and possibly get a Lions contract. Failing that he will study B.Comm. at the University of Johannesburg in 2007 and take his rugby further from there. His rugby heroes are Springbok flanks Schalk Burger and Juan Smith, with KES old boy Joe van Niekerk never far from his thoughts.
This weekend KES play host to Northwood and Durban High School and will be hoping to continue with their brilliant form of late. Vaughn Meyer’s performance will be key to that. We have no doubt this polite, likable and level headed young man will be doing his best to ensure that this is the case.