Geldenhuys' long road to redemption

Ross Geldenhuys can probably be seen as the ultimate journeyman - having been involved in 14 teams since his first-class debut 10 years ago.

However, the 31-year-old prop feels he has finally found redemption for the long, hard slog in the game - a place in the Highlanders team after a stand-out season with the Tasman Makos in the NPC.

He admits it was a huge gamble when he left South Africa last year, but the rewards have been just as momentous and significant.

Geldenhuys moved to New Zealand last year, where he linked up with the Tasman Makos and played every game in his first NPC season - playing a key role to helping the Makos to the Final, where they lost 32-36 to Taranaki in a thrilling encounter.

The durable tighthead prop has a decade of first class experience - which has seen him play for a host of teams since his debut for the Border Bulldogs in 2005. He has also turned out for Western Province , the Pumas, Lions (Super Rugby) and Golden Lions (Currie Cup), Boland Cavaliers, Free State Cheetahs, Griffons and Eastern Province Kings.

He was also named in an initial Southern Kings Super Rugby squad, but received no game time. Other squads he trained with, without getting game time included the Blue Bulls and Stormers.

After two doleful years - in which he was passed like a hot potato between the Boland Cavaliers, Free State Cheetahs, Griffons, Eastern Province Kings, Stormers and Western Province (at some of those not even getting game time) - a crestfallen Geldenhuys moved to New Zealand in 2014.

It was the best decision he could have made.

"My family is over and we are loving it here [in Dunedin]," he told rugby365 in a trans-Indian Ocean phone call.

"It has been a good trip," he said of the long road that took him from Cape Town to Dunedin via 10 other rugby venues.

"I have seen a bit of the world.

"However, it has been a good decision in the end."

Asked about the reason behind the move to New Zealand, Geldenhuys said he I needed a bit of a change.

"I took a big risk coming here, just to play a bit of club rugby," he told rugby365, adding: "I started off in club rugby, played well in the NPC [with the Makos] and was rewarded with a Highlanders contract."

And he didn't even need to change anything in his game to make the breakthrough.

"The main thing for me in the NPC was that I was backed [by the coaches]," he said.

"I played nearly 600 minutes in the competition and started pretty much every game - that was really good."

While he obviously does not qualify to play for any New Zealand national team and is well down the pecking order in the Kiwi front row rankings, he still has some lofty goals.

Top of that list is to get a regular place in the Highlanders starting XV and to play as often as he did in the NPC.

"I'll continue to work hard and get better," he added.

By Jan de Koning

@rugby365com