Saluting Steyn: Simply the best

Loftus Versfeld has seen its fair share of top-class flyhalves, but it is with a tinge of sadness that Saturday will be the farewell of one of the most unassuming heroes of the modern era when Morne Steyn finally says goodbye.

Steyn’s exploits in the light blue jersey are legendary. While he has never been compared to the Naas Botha era, and arrived at Loftus in the shadow of Derick Hougaard’s breakthrough year, it was that same unassuming nature that made him a favourite that crept into Bulls fans' hearts.

While Tina Turner would belt out “Simply the best” as Steyn’s signature tune whenever he would slot a kick, the reality was that Steyn was the opposite - never flashy, never the showstopper that modern-day 10s are expected to be.

?? ONE LAST KICK ??

Witness the legend Morne Steyn land his last kick at Loftus when we take on the Toyota Cheetahs this Saturday ?? DON’T MISS OUT!

??? Tickets here: https://t.co/GaxpmUNqyK pic.twitter.com/0CZtsEmNVo

— Official Blue Bulls (@BlueBullsRugby) June 5, 2023

Rather, he was the banker. The quiet, get-on-with-business sort that focused on the task at hand. The guy who had to put his head down and work extra hard to get ahead.

It is sometimes strange to think this - to think the quiet 19-year-old that arrived from Bloemfontein in December 2002 in Pretoria after being recruited by Ian Schwartz would play 21 seasons and mean so much to a team after more than 300 first-class games.

To think that when Steyn arrived at Loftus he was a running flyhalf, whose kicking percentage was negligible.

And arriving a month after Hougaard had stunned the country by breaking Botha’s record as a 19-year-old placed so much pressure on him.

But Steyn did what he did best. He put his head down and he worked.

Slowly, with the help of Vlok Cilliers, he got his kicking per centage up, and while South Africa was obsessed with other 10s at the time, he simply got on with the job.

“At U20 level, I wasn’t even kicking. Jeandre Kruger, who was playing wing or fullback, was the kicker and I wasn’t kicking in the Vodacom Cup either, that was Gideon Roux’s job, our scrumhalf,” Steyn recalled this week.

“But Heyneke Meyer said if I want to play at a higher level I must work on my kicking game and that’s when I started working with Vlok Cilliers and put in the hard yards.

“We spent all those days kicking in the rain. We were the first ones on the field and the last ones to leave. That’s where it all started and the hard work paid off.”

TAKING HIS CHANCE

It wasn’t by coincidence that the Bulls’ rise under Heyneke Meyer was also the time for Steyn, but while Meyer favoured Hougaard, Steyn kept plugging away.

And it was only when Frans Ludeke took over that he came into his own, especially when Hougaard followed Meyer to Leicester.

His popularity among his teammates and his solid, unwavering work ethic wasn’t just a talkiing point at Loftus Versfeld at the time, it was his calling card.

No matter what the situation, there were two constants in that Bulls team. Victor Matfield’s lineout will win the ball and Steyn will be a deadshot when called upon.

But even Steyn had his doubters. Shortly before the 2009 British and Irish Lions tour, I remember having a conversation at the airport with then-Bok coach Peter de Villers. De Villers had taken note of Steyn’s exceptional form, but wasn’t sure if he benefitted from the Bulls incredible pack and Fourie du Preez’s service or if he was the real deal.

My 2c was telling De Villiers he was the real deal, but it wouldn’t have mattered - that same afternoon Steyn answered himself with a magnificent performance as the Bulls defeated the Crusaders at Loftus.

Four drop goals, three conversions and a penalty later and Steyn had helped his side to a 36-23 win as Tina Turner earned a lot more royalties at Loftus than any other song.

A week later and the final was a blowout. Steyn kicked five conversions, two penalties and a drop goal. His 11 drop goals is still a Super Rugby season record and the Bulls romped home to the title.

Two months later on the same field, where his long-time friend Ruan Pienaar struggled in one of the most brutal test matches of all time, Steyn stepped up on the halfway line to sink the British and Irish Lions with a 50-metre bomb.

LION TAMER

That is the way Steyn will ultimately be remembered - as the British and Irish Lions tamer.

It was no coincidence that a northern hemisphere website ran a meme this week of a room of people celebrating - with the caption “British and Irish Lions supporters hear that Morne Steyn is retiring.”

Because as heartbreaking as it was for them to have it happen once, to see Covid ravage the famous tour in 2021 and then see Steyn walk on 12 years after Loftus to kick the winning kick again would be too much for any team to bear.

But Steyn did just that. And while those two kicks will go down in rugby history and cause nightmares up north, Steyn was so much more than that.

To sum up a career in a handful of words is never easy. To try and do 21 seasons justice hours before the final kick would never hit the point.

Steyn was the kid that arrived at Loftus shy and uncertain, and when he takes his final kick will leave a legend.

Steyn has won an Under-21 World Cup, three Currie Cups, three Super Rugby titles, one Super Rugby unlocked, one Tri-Nations, one French Top 14 title and two British and Irish Lions series in a career that spanned more than two decades.

It’s hard to find someone as untouched by their own exploits, as unassuming about their own fame as the guy they call “Vollie” - short for Volstruis (Ostrich).

Even he found it difficult to regale the tales of his time this week when he sat down for his final press conference as a player.

“It has passed so quickly,” he smiled remembering giving up his matric vacation to train at Loftus with “the ou manne”.

But he knows what it means to have a career longer than many in a sport that has unforgiving injuries.

“It’s been a privilege to be able to finish on your own time. If I think back to my time at the Springboks. I started with the Lions and finished with the Lions. It was a good time to finish. Now it feels like the right time to finish as well.”

ANGELS OVER ME

Steyn believes he has been blessed to play over 300 first-class games, more than 150 of those for the Bulls. 68 test matches and 742 points in the Green and Gold tell a story.

“I wouldn’t have ever thought I’d have such a long career, I was blessed to be without injuries for most of my career. It was like the angels were watching over me. I have records but they are there to be broken and younger guys are coming through now. I’m really happy with the career I had.

“Sport is always about ups and downs and I remember 2012 wasn’t a great year for me - but as a 10 you are going to get some sad moments. You are going to get some kicks to win games and sometimes those kicks are not going to go over.

“Still I think I had a career where there were more positives than negatives.”

Steyn will leave a legacy of commitment, hard work and so many accolades behind him. He will depart from Loftus as an icon, a player that has earned his name in folklore the hard way.

And his final words before his final game bear testament to that all.

“I remember there were these words on the wall in our changeroom: Remember to leave the jersey in a better place than when you received it. I’ve thought about those words for a long time recently.

“I believe I’ve done that.”

STATS

Morne Steyn
Age: 38
School: Hoerskool Sand du Plessis.

Teams

Vodacom Bulls

Appearances:

Blue Bulls 75
Bulls (Super Rugby and URC) 153
Stade Francais 135
Springboks 68