Survive the cold with deep heat
Kings centre has advice for team in freezing Europe
PRAGMATIC Southern Kings centre Luzuko Vulindlu has a tried-and-tested remedy to stave off the body numbing effect of playing rugby in freezing European temperatures.
Before the Kings kicked off their PRO14 match against Ulster in sub zero temperatures in Belfast last night, Vulindlu would have dispensed his usual advice to anyone who cared to listen.
“You will survive the evening if you cover your legs with deep heat. That is always my advice to the guys. It has got to be your lotion of choice,” Vulindlu said.
Kings flyhalf Martin du Toit said it was so numbingly cold when his team played in Edinburgh in November he could not feel the ball when he kicked it.
Experienced Vulindlu knows all about the challenges of playing in Europe after a stint for Auch in France earlier on in his career.
“Some of the guys were asking me how I survived in France,” the 30year-old Vulindlu said.
“The sun bed was my best friend at least twice a week.”
The hard-running centre says it is energy-sapping to play on wet European fields.
“It is a very big adjustment coming from hard South African fields and it taxed you physically. On wet fields it is not about running rugby like Super Rugby, where you run all over the field.
“It is very physical and in your face. You just have to be strong and handle the big knocks.
“The one nice thing playing in cold conditions is that you don’t get tired. That is the positive you can take, because of the low temperatures.
“You can’t complain that your chest is burning and you are tired. Your only worry is your balance.
“If someone is running in your channel, you have to make sure that you have got your studs in the turf firmly and you put your shoulder in powerfully. Otherwhise you will be ice skating the whole time.”
While not all the Kings home matches have been well attended, their games in Europe are normally played in front of capacity crowds in small stadiums.
“It is very nice playing at a packed small stadium. It takes me back to my high school days,” Vulindlu said.
“You don’t play in big stadiums like Ellis Park in Johannesburg. The crowd is right on top of you and the adrenalin pumps and the ground is shaking.
“There are 15 000 people, which does not sound like a lot of fans, but in a small stadium it is a big crowd.
“But that is the atmosphere you want when you play rugby. We want to play in front of those sort of crowds. When you are in that pressurised environment, it is a test of how well you can produce the goods.”
Vulindlu knows what it feels like to be on the losing side and he was part of the Southern Kings Super Rugby squad that could only win two games in 2016.
The hard-running centre is one of only three players left in the PRO14 side who played for the Kings in 2016.
The others are prop Schalk Ferreira and loose forward C J Velleman, who is expected to return to action within the next few weeks after a long-term knee injury.
“The Kings are building as a team and are keeping each other motivated. After 13 rounds in the competition there are no excuses about conditions and the type of play we can expect. We have adapted.”
Vulindlu says on a long three-week European tour it is vital that the players get out and about.
“There are lots of South Africans in the United Kingdom, so lots of guys have friends. So you meet up and go out for coffee or lunch.
“Some of the guys like shopping malls and you can see what you are earning here can survive with the pound and the euro.
“We go to nice bars where we can play pool. We try as much as possible not to hang around the hotel because once you do that you can get homesick.
“So you want to get out there and see the scenery and get your mind and body out of the hotel.”
Born in Grahamstown, Vulindlu moved to Durban to join the Sharks academy in 2005, representing them at U19 level in 2005 and 2006 and at U21 level in 2007.
In 2009, Vulindlu was included in the Sharks squad for the 2009 Super 14 season. He was an unused replacement in their first match of the season, a 20–15 victory over the Stormers in Cape Town. A week later, he made his Super Rugby debut, coming on as a late replacement against the Lions in Durban.
He was selected in an Emerging Springboks side that faced the Lions two weeks later. He started the match and helped his side secure a 13–all draw against the tourists.
At the start of 2016, Vulindlu was one of two SWD Eagles players that joined the Kings’ Super Rugby squad for a trial period as they prepared for the 2016 Super Rugby season.
“My big strength is that I am the leader of the defence in the team. My main job is to take the team forward, make sure the body is on the back foot.
“I must be the game-breaker on attack,” Vulindlu said.