Madibaz utility forward Dewald Gerber asks for more of the same in home Shield game

The Madibaz presented a united front to tame the University of Fort Hare and their vociferous supporters in their third-round FNB Varsity Shield rugby match in Dikeni on Friday.

Coach David Manuel’s outfit, who made it back-to-back wins as they dismantled their opponents 49-11 in their own backyard, are back for more of the same against WSU.

“We focus a lot on growth and being better week after week,” said lock Dewald Gerber, who crossed the whitewash for one of the Gqeberha side’s nine tries.

The 20-year-old led from the front to earn the Player That Rocks accolade, but said his performance on the night had been seated in the squad’s pre-match mindset of one for all and all for one.

“We said the 23 players and management are our community. We knew we needed to stand strong and motivate each other throughout.”

If someone made a mistake, two or three players were there to “lift him” and motivate him to “focus on the next job”.

“We need to detach ourselves from the outcome. We must handle winning and losing the same.”

“We can’t go down a dark tunnel because of one error,” Gerber said.

That translated into a dominant forward display.

“We spoke the whole week about winning the set-piece battle, and we dominated there,” Gerber said, explaining they anticipated the game would be won by the best forward pack on the day.

Though proud of their effort, he cautioned there were improvements to be made before Friday’s home game against WSU. The latter are two points to the good on the log as a result of their drawn match against Wits in the first round and remain unbeaten from their opening salvo.

As to his own performance, Gerber confessed he had been “shocked” but “grateful” after receiving the nod from the adjudicators.

“It shows I have it in me.”

Being able to switch between lock and the side of the scrum with gay abandon, the man who was born in Komani but moved to Gqeberha three years later is steadily carving out his place as a key utility forward in the Madibaz setup. He possesses a physical presence and mature outlook that belie his age and augur well for the future.

His Shield debut was against CPUT in the opening round of the 2024 season — his first at this level — and his last performance shows there is more to come from the Mandela University sport management student.

While pleased with his impact, Gerber is working hard to better his power step into contact, whether tackling or carrying.

“Coach David has been hard on me to improve that.”

The coaching team, he said, always pushed them to be the best version of themselves.

His perspective on the bigger picture — performance and results are important but not defining — is telling: “We need to detach ourselves from the outcome. We must handle winning and losing the same.”

The match takes place at the Madibaz Stadium. Kickoff is at 4pm. — Full Stop Communications