Cardiff’s South African Secret Weapon

Johan Mulder will be Cardiff Rugby’s secret weapon when they take on the Hollywoodbets Sharks at the Arms Park this weekend.

The South African scrum-half will be familiar with many of the opposition from his time playing back in his homeland. Plus, if there are any calls flying about in Afrikaans, he will be able to translate for his team-mates given it’s his first language.

It will be a big occasion for Mulder all round.

Having had six outings off the bench so far, he will now don the No 9 jersey for the BKT URC showdown between third and fifth, with Ellis Bevan away with Wales and Aled Davies injured.

“It’s my first start of the season. I have been waiting a while, so I’m quite excited to get out on the field, feel the vibe, feel the crowd and everything – and against opposition I know,” said the 25-year-old.

“I have played against a lot of them, both at school level and when I was with the Griquas. So I know quite a few of them.

“It will be fun going up against them, getting out on the park with some of your mates from back home, bashing each other up. I am looking forward to it.

“I know the systems of the South African sides, what they are looking to do, so I think I can help the team with that.”

As for cracking their codes, he says:

“The Sharks are more of an English union, but if they do call anything in Afrikaans, I will try and give it to the boys so they know where to go.

“That’s my first language. I am thinking in Afrikaans and then talking English!”

Mulder provides a valuable insight into how the Hollywoodbets Sharks compare style-wise with the other South African franchises.

“The Bulls are known for being physical and having one-off carriers and looking to dominate up front,” he explained.

“The Stormers have more of a running game. They want to play expansive rugby and move the ball.

“I think the Sharks are a bit in between.

“They have exciting outside backs with good feet and good vision, so they want to create transition. They put in a lot of contestable kicks to try and do that.

“If there’s scrappy ball and your defence is not set, they will look to shift it and try to get their ball players and steppers on the ball as quickly as possible to create something from there.

“They also have a good pack when at full strength with the number of Springboks they have. So they are more in between, in terms of wanting to dominate up front, but looking to shift the ball as well.”

Mulder was born, raised and educated in Pretoria, with his childhood rugby idol having been a fellow No 9 – Fourie du Preez.

“When I was growing up, he was playing for the Bulls and the Springboks,” he recalls.

“He was my role model. He went to the same school as me and, when I was 18, he came in to work a bit with the first team and helped me with my game.

“He’s a huge legend in South Africa and, in my opinion, one of the best scrum-halves to ever play the game.

“He was very good tactically in terms of knowing what to do. His box kicking was perfect and he had incredible control of the game and vision as well. When he ran, he basically went and scored. He was exceptional.”

After playing his junior rugby with the Bulls, Mulder moved to the diamond mining city of Kimberley – a six hour drive south of Pretoria – to link up with Currie Cup side the Griquas.

He played some 25 games for them, while also having a couple of outings for the Emirates Lions, before joining Cardiff last summer.

“It was a big move for me, but I always wanted to go abroad to develop my game and grow as a player,” he revealed.

“It’s good to play in different conditions. In South Africa, it’s mostly sunshine. There’s a lot more wind and rain here, while there are new coaching systems to get used to as well.

“I haven’t played that much, but I’ve learned a lot. That’s already a win for me. It’s developed me as a player and I can only go up from there.

“I was used to only running the ball from everywhere, so I’ve had to adapt to a lot more of a kicking game.

“Also, if you make a mistake over here, the other teams are a lot better at capitalising on that, so it’s a lot more about control. I feel my kicking game and my control have developed a lot.

“Cardiff is a great place to come and play rugby. Everybody is very friendly and welcoming and they all try to help each other. The club has helped me out a lot with getting settled in.”

As for life away from the game in the Welsh capital, he adds: “It’s been lovely. My wife and I have really enjoyed it. It’s so different just to walk into the city and look around, have a coffee there or eat something. It’s a very nice and safe environment.”

Returning to Saturday’s game, Mulder is expecting a response from the Sharks following the 66-12 Champions Cup thumping they suffered at the hands of Bordeaux-Begles last weekend.

“They will definitely want to come and prove a point,” he said.

“That wasn’t their best performance and I think they will know it, so they will be putting in the work to try and improve.

“Cardiff have beaten them two years in a row at the Shark Tank as well. They will definitely want to correct that, so we must be ready for a big battle.”

This could be a case for Mulder and buddies!