Engelbrecht in charge at Pukke
He commands a presence in the midfield and the respect of his peers. More than anything, Joubert Engelbrecht demands perfection from himself.
Standing 1.90m tall and weighing 97kg, the new captain of the NWU-Pukke's Varsity Cup side possesses all the physical attributes of a modern day inside-centre and a healthy appetite for crossing the whitewash as his 20 tries for the Leopards will contest.
He has the uncanny ability to break the first line of defence that makes him a constant threat and his unrivalled vision an ever-present danger. It is this vision that allows speedsters like Andrew van Wyk and Joe Seerane to feed off on his outside.
An erudite observer would also have noted his knack for taking the ball up whilst keeping it alive as he is smothered by defenders, but, perhaps his most valued attribute is his unwavering belief in himself. It is a pledge between mind and body where the former promises to keep its wits about it for the duration of 80 minutes whilst the latter undertakes to be pushed to the limits of its earthly constrains.
"Joubert is a thoroughbred product of the NWU-Puk Rugby Institute system and a superb rugby player," Pukke coach Hannes Esterhuizen told varsitycup.co.za.
"He is an experienced captain, having led the Leopards Under-21 side, and has even captained the Leopards senior side.
"He has very strong leadership characteristics as can be seen during training where he takes control of the exercises. We could not have asked for a better captain."
High praise indeed for the boy from Upington High, praise he refuses to confuse with arrogance.
"It's an honour and a privilege not only to lead, but to represent the Puk and I'm really looking forward to the challenge," Engelbrecht said, pointing to the ample support he will receive from his teammates.
"We've got a great group of guys in the squad, many of whom I have led on the field, and they are all in high spirits."
Looking ahead to the Varsity Cup, the 22-year old skipper is unequivocal about what his side hopes to achieve, adding: "We want to win it.
"It's, however, always important not to look to far ahead and rather focus on one game at a time," he continued. "For us, our first match against NMMU [on February 6] is the most important game of the tournament."
By Bertie Jacobs
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