Wednesday 4 March 2015 15:08, UK
In an age when taking risks is on the decline, Phil Clarke was delighted to see Rangi Chase try something different...
Not too many of you would be familiar with the name Attie van Heerden. Well, this week I was told a story by a man on a train which made me do some research.
While travelling home from London my friend started to talk about this amazing try that was scored in a Challenge Cup final. It was that good a story that even the woman sitting a few rows away from us smiled. I don’t think that she had any interest in sport, let alone rugby league, but great stories and amazing tries capture people's attention and draw them in.
The match itself was played in Rochdale. These were the days before the cup final had moved down to Wembley and yet crowd control was still an issue. The Athletic Ground wasn’t that big but over 40,000 people turned up to watch Wigan play Oldham and a police horse was needed to keep the supporters off the pitch.
The try-scorer had a fascinating background. He was from South Africa and had competed as a 400m hurdler in the 1920 Olympic Games in Antwerp. He was a champion athlete back home and also went on to represent the Springboks before signing for Wigan in 1923.
According to match reports, Van Heerden received the ball in his own half of the field and chipped the ball over the opposition before regathering and setting off down the sideline. He then handed off the last defender near the corner flag and ran under a horse to ground the ball closer to the posts. Some people say that he ran around the horse, which might be more accurate, but either way it was a memorable try.
I was amazed that over 90 years ago rugby league clubs in this country were recruiting players from the southern hemisphere. With no internet, mobile phones or television coverage, how did they know anything about him? The scouting networks were obviously very good. He scored 107 tries in his 127 games for the Cherry and Whites and I wonder if we still make the same effort to find “talent” as we did all that time ago.
Magic moments like this are what keep people interested and the reason why Rangi Chase is still one of my favourite players to watch.
A couple of years ago the former Man of Steel and current Salford stand-off did a magic trick with the ball in his hands while playing in the south of France. He momentarily tricked the opposition to think that the ball had disappeared and the defenders froze on the spot.
It was brilliant and the sort of thing that any sports lover could appreciate. It was the type of trick that a parent sometimes plays with their toddler, teasing them with where the teddy has gone.
Chase did something similar this week but this time his team scored from it, and it has had far more exposure. I don’t know what Rangi’s legacy will be but I hope that they are still talking about some of his tries in another 90 years.
In an age when taking risks is on the decline, it’s great to see some mavericks still prepared to try something a little different.
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