Forward Foundation captain Roland van den Heever was recently called into the Springbok Sevens Academy environment, where he trained alongside the Blitsboks and other aspiring players competing for a place in the professional game.
He travelled with the Springbok Sevens A team that competed in the Mauritius Sevens/Africa Men’s Sevens Series held in the first week of October.
The call-up is a significant milestone for the 2023-appointed Forward Foundation captain, whose rugby journey began in 2021 and has taken him through Tygerberg Rugby Club, CPUT, Maties and, most recently, SK Walmers.
“It was a great experience to be around players who are playing at a professional level,” says van den Heever. “You get to see what the next level looks like and what is required to get there. I was very grateful for the opportunity.”
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Developing environment
Van den Heever has grown into a leadership role at the Forward Foundation, which is based in Stellenbosch. He captained the Forward Legends, Forward Foundation’s senior side competing in sevens and tens tournaments since 2023.
Zhaun Booysen, head coach and head of rugby at the Forward Foundation, has coached Van den Heever for the past five years and has seen that progression first-hand.
“Roland has developed into a player who understands that leadership is about more than what happens on the field,” says Booysen. “He is disciplined, respectful and willing to take responsibility. He leads by example, and that is why he has earned the respect of the players around him.”
The foundation’s rugby programme is built around creating a consistent playing environment for athletes to develop. Its programmes include sevens, tens and beach touch rugby, with the Forward Legends competing at tournaments throughout the year.
Those programmes are supported through partnerships and pathways that expose players to different forms of the game and different levels of competition.
The bigger picture
The Forward Faster Sevens, which will be held in Stellenbosch on Saturday 24 and Sundat 25 October, is a key part of that programme and allows the public to experience the rugby side of the organisation’s work.
This will be the fourth edition of this annual event, which features some of the top community clubs going up against semi-professional sides as well as a team comprising South African sevens players.
This tournament helps generate the support needed to keep its rugby programmes running and to continue investing in players and coaches, a sentiment shared by Forward Foundation founder and managing director, Le Roux Conradie.
“People will come for the rugby, but we want them to leave knowing there is a bigger story behind it,” says Conradie. “The tournament gives people a chance to see what we are building and why it matters.”
Van den Heever’s message to younger players hoping to follow a similar path is rooted in patience and persistence: “Work hard, believe in yourself and trust that you will reap the rewards when the time is right. Never give up.”
It is advice shaped by his own progression through different levels of the game, rather than a journey that has followed a straight line.
Work ongoing
Booysen believes that being able to see Van den Heever move into a Springbok Sevens environment is a reminder of why he coaches.
“When you see a player whom you have worked with for years step into an environment like that, it is special,” he says. “It makes you proud, but it also motivates you to keep investing in the players coming through the programme.”
Van den Heever knows the SA Sevens Academy experience is not the end of the journey. “There is still a lot of work to do,” he says. “I just want to keep improving, stay humble and make the most of every chance I get.”
The Forward Faster Sevens Tournament takes place at Markötter on Saturday 24 and Sunday 25 October, bringing together players, supporters and the wider rugby community for a weekend that showcases the Forward Foundation’s commitment to developing the game and the people within it.
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