Who is Andrew Paterson....
‘Dual varsity citizen’ Andrew Paterson did not make his provincial debut while he was at either FNB NMMU (the former UPE) or FNB Maties.
It was in fact when he was undergoing his national service in the Northwest border town of Zeerust.
“Stellaland needed players and that is how I made my provincial debut for them in 1983 in the then Sport Pienaar League (the equivalent of the current Currie Cup First Division),” said Paterson.
His fondest memories of playing for UPE (FNB NMMU) and Eastern Province was playing with “greats’ like Garth Wright, Hannes Strydom, Hennie le Roux and Robert Blignaut.
“We were a young and happy team and I had great fun in all 40 matches I played for EP. We were coached by Dr Hannes Marais. He was a great coach and mentor. In 1985 we beat Northern Transvaal 21-15, against all odds. Garth Wright scored a try in the last minutes after running the length of the field,” said Paterson.
In 1989 Pattie, as he is nicknamed, moved to Stellenbosch where he quickly became a regular member of the starting line-ups of Maties and Western Province.
“The best thing about Matie rugby is the wonderful vibe of being part of a world class setup that has the best facilities and people. It is a young rugby player’s dream,” said Paterson.
His best Matie memory is “beating a star studded Tukkies team at the Craven Stadium in 1989. Balie Swart and Guy Kebble were my props. We also played a number of games together for WP.”
And his most memorable match for Province?
“It was in the 1989 Lion Cup final when WP played Northern Transvaal at Newlands. WP won 29-15. As a hooker I recall that day specifically. We scrummed very well and won 5 tight heads.”
“My biggest attribute was always my scrumming, but there was one opponent I could not move. Tommy Lawton (130 kg) was the strongest hooker I have ever played against. It was like pushing against a block of flats.”
His list of favourite team mates include Keith Andrews (WP), Frans Erasmus (EP), Garth Wright (EP), Garry Pagel (WP) and Tommy Laubscher (WP). Today he is still in regular contact Pagel, Wright , Andrews and other well known former team mates like Neil Hugo and Michael Kirsten.
Paterson is a keen follower and supporter of the FNB Varsity Cup competition, presented by Steinhoff International.
“It is a great opportunity for young players to get exposure at the right level of competiveness.”
Paterson is still based in Cape Town where he is the National Agricultural Sales Manager of Mondipak.
Paterson can be e-mailed at Andrew.Paterson@mondigroup.co.za.