Player Profile – Bernardo Diedericks (Hoërskool Robertson)
Bernardo Diedericks has been setting the Boland alight with his incredible speed and power this season as part of the Hoërskool Robertson first team.
“It’s astonishing to see how much he achieves despite being man-marked every Saturday,” commented coach Heino Warnich about his star centre and captain.
“When I think about Bernardo, the first thing that comes to mind is BMT.
“He’s earned the nickname ‘the Panther’ at school for his deadly but quiet nature on the field. He’s a captain who leads by actions rather than words and a player who always rises to the occasion and excels on the big stage.”
He had the opportunity to do just that when he represented the country at the Commonwealth Youth Games in Trinidad and Tobago as part of the SA u18 Sevens team last year.
“I remember when he was invited to the SA u18 trials, his rehab for his shoulder had just finished the day before and we were worried if he’d be up for the challenge since he had not taken any contact all season. He just said ‘Sir, just make sure I get to the trials and I’ll do the rest. I am ready, sir'”, Warnich recalled.
“It was a fantastic experience getting to see an interesting and beautiful new place playing rugby, but I think getting to work with coach Marius Schoeman was the biggest privilege,” Diedericks reflected. “We learned so much from him and I think I carried a lot of those lessons over to my 15-man game.
“I’ll consider playing sevens after school, but my heart is in the 15-man game”, he added. “I have signed with an agent, Lean Schwartz, who is helping me push towards realising my dreams of playing professionally and travelling the world one day, playing in places like France.”
A natural athlete, Diedericks has also represented South Africa at two baseball World Cups and has excelled at both regional and national levels in javelin and the 100m sprint.
As part of the proud Hoërskool Robertson first team, Bernardo has already led his side to a number of memorable results, and they have their eyes set on their big interschools clash against Charlie Hofmeyr at the end of the season.
Last year, Diedericks slotted a penalty kick in the dying moments to secure a 19-19 draw against their rivals from Ceres. This year, they will be hoping to take it a step further when they host the as-yet unbeaten Charlies outfit in Robertson.
“I think the Oakdale tour made a big difference for the team this season. We lost twice and won once, but it really helped us pull together and showed us all what it means to play for the first team,” Diedericks said.
“Our first team’s motto is ‘we run as one’, and that pretty much sums up how I feel about the team. We have built a very strong bond, like brothers, and we help to build each other up. Even at school, we’ll never walk by one another without greeting.
“We have our sights set on the big interschools against Charlie Hofmeyr at the end of the year. If we work hard, I am confident that we can take them down this year.”
Speaking about his love for rugby, Diedericks proudly remembered his introduction to the sport.
“My dad, Bernard Diedericks, has always inspired me, even though he was a forward. I remember joining to watch him train every Tuesday and Thursday evening. All my love for the game comes from my father and those cold evenings next to the field. Now he’s my biggest supporter and the one who believes in me the most.
“My rugby role model has always been, and still is, Cheslin Kolbe, though. Even though he’s one of the smallest players, he has the biggest heart.”
The future shines bright for Robbies’ dynamic young talent and, with a humble and hard-working attitude, Bernardo Diedericks deserves every opportunity that comes his way. Until then, fans can still catch the future star in action when Robertson starts their third term run of fixtures with a match against Hoërskool Stellenbosch on 13 July.
