Volmink’s philosophy is try, try and try again
IT SAYS all you need to know about Anthony Volmink’s tryline attraction that when he scored a record nine against the hapless Limpopo Blue Bulls earlier this season, it fell tantalisingly short of his own expectations.
“I had a feeling things would go well so I wanted to score 10. I was a bit disappointed,” admitted the Golden Lions wing about his SA try-scoring record in the Vodacom Cup against a side made up mostly of farmers and artisans.
Volmink, 23, gets excitable when he talks about what drives him and reveals his singleminded, uncluttered approach to the game. “I just want to get the ball and score tries. I get excited when I get the ball. I just want to run at the opposition and show what I can do.”
He carried some of that form into the Currie Cup, when he scored a brace against the Sharks in Durban last week.
One of them came from an intercept which allowed him to stretch his legs, though not quite with the same cadence or purpose that saw him clock 10.4sec over 100m when he was still at school.
He represented Boland at under-16 level and again at Craven Week, but also showed great aptitude for sprinting. He figured focusing on rugby made more cents. “It was a simple choice. Rugby pays better,” he explained succinctly.
“I was just so thankful that Deon Davids at Boland gave me an opportunity,” he added cheerily about the province he represented in two senior matches before the Lions came knocking.
Volmink, who hails from Bredasdorp in the southern Cape, is still coming to terms with life in the big city after he relocated last year. “It is difficult when you don’t have your family. The Lions are like a family, however, and that’s made things easier.
“There is a brotherhood at the Lions and the guys draw from it. We motivate each other. I tend to hang out with Ruan Combrink and Chrysander Botha.”
When he gets time off, Volmink goes home to his mother. “My dad left. My mother is into catering,” he said before going on to explain that he doesn’t come from a sporting family.
You get the sense though that Volmink won’t allow this to hold him back.
He has a tryline attraction and has worked out when he is most likely to pounce.
“I like it when the game gets loose. I just want to use my opportunities. I don’t worry too much about pressure and tend to take things as they come.”