Cape Town - Western Province flyhalf Kade Wolhuter is licking his lips at the possibility of facing one of his childhood heroes in Morne Steyn on Friday when the Blue Bulls host WP at Loftus (7:05pm kickoff).
The 21-year-old played a defining role in Province’s 44-28 win over the Lions in their Currie Cup opener, adding 19 points to their tally with a host of successful kicks at goal.
On top of that, he was in fine form with the ball in hand, helping Province score some brilliant tries and finding territory with his kicks out of hand.
"I've been looking up to Morne since I've been a primary schoolboy to be honest with you, so it will be a great challenge to play against him. I will enjoy the opportunity to do so," Wolhuter said at the prospect of facing the Loftus legend on Friday.
Since his return from a serious knee injury, the former schoolboy prodigy has been going from strength to strength at flyhalf for the union thanks to coaches who back him and teammates around him, who gives him that confidence.
Although he is still a youngster, Wolhuter has already shown glimpses of being able to fill the boots if a Manie Libbok or Damian Willemse is not available to slot in for the Stormers.
His priority right now, though, is to play consistently well in the Currie Cup.
“It was nine months that I was physically out for, but the physical side was actually the easy part of it. The mental side was a bit longer,” Wolhuter said.
"Right now, it's about 22 months post my operation and I'm finally feeling more confident being back in the 10 jersey and starting. So mentally, it was a big thing. Just finding form again.
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“I'm looking forward to the challenge of doing so.”
Wolhuter said the difficult part of getting over his injury was to stop feeling sorry for himself and to make peace with it. He added that looking back now, the injury is probably the best thing that could've happened to him.
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“It made me appreciate the game more, it made me work a lot harder. And it made me want to become a better player. I just had to accept what happened,” he said.
"Having this competition in the squad is definitely a motivator because I know that for me to have a look-in I have to perform at my best, at a high level. Because two of the guys in my position are already Boks."
IOL Sport