RUB OF THE GREEN
Mike Greenaway|Published
Before the Stormers recently played the Sharks, they had a “Men in Black” function. The ’90s hero Robbie Fleck was invited to hand over jerseys, and spotting Fleckie reminded me of an incident he has not been allowed to forget.
People best remember the sublime or the ridiculous. There was a bit of both when Deon Kayser surprised Fleck, who was about to score during a match between the Stormers and the Sharks in Wellington in 2001.
Kayser and Fleck had been impressive partners in the Springbok backline at the 1999 World Cup in the UK, but that famous tackle in a Super Rugby match is still talked about.
The Stormers centre had broken beautifully through the Sharks’ midfield on the halfway line, but made the schoolboy error of taking his foot off the gas as he approached the posts. That was when Kayser accelerated out of Fleck’s blind spot and tackled him as he sauntered across the line. The ball was dislodged, and a certain try became a blunder that has haunted Fleck.
Fortunately, the two are among the most likeable men in the game, and when I spoke to them in June 2023, both recalled their versions with humility and amusement.
“I had a habit of chasing opponents, even when it was a forlorn hope,” Kayser said from Lithuania, of all places, where he was coaching rugby. “And 99 per cent of the time they scored, but if you don’t try and catch them you definitely won’t. Chasing Fleckie was the one per cent that finally came my way.
“He took the gap, and it looked like try time, but I took off after him. I couldn’t believe it when he slowed down… I smother-tackled him from behind, and the ball squirted out of his grasp. For a brief moment we made eye contact and I saw shock and embarrassment, and then the Sharks guys were hugging me.”
Kayser said he and Fleck never spoke openly about the incident, but about 20 years later they bumped into each other when Fleck was coaching the Stormers and Kayser the Sharks Under-19s.
“Our teams were playing at the same venue, and we literally bumped into each other in the tunnel. The first thing Robbie said was: ‘Why did you have to chase me?!’ He was laughing and shaking his head.”
After I had chatted to Kayser, I phoned Fleck, and he recalled the tackle with good grace.
“You play rugby to make memories and Deon and I certainly got that right,” Fleck said. “That was proper entertainment. If someone wants a laugh, they remind me, and it happens nearly every day. What makes it easier is that I couldn’t have asked for a nicer guy to have been the tackler. Deon is a gentleman. If it had been someone full of himself, maybe I wouldn’t have seen the funny side.”
How does Fleck remember the actual moment? “Disbelief!” he laughed. “I had passed Deon and Trevor Halstead on the halfway line. I was getting ready to put the ball down when I felt this thump, and there was Kayser. I could not believe it!”
Jokes aside, the tackle won the game 24–19 for the Sharks. They went on to contest the final against the Brumbies in Canberra while the Stormers finished mid-table.
The Kayser tackle on Fleck still receives plenty of hits on YouTube.
The crazy thing for Kayser is it wasn’t the first time he had been involved in a freak tackle that season. He recalls the other incident less fondly.
The Sharks were playing Queensland at Ballymore Stadium in Brisbane and were enjoying a substantial lead, Kayser scoring two early tries.
A Reds fan decided the Sharks centre should be removed from the game.
“We were on our 22-metre line, defending a lineout,” Kayser explains. “The ball had just been thrown in when suddenly there was this guy on my back. He had jumped over a fence behind the posts. I shrugged him off and tried to grab him, but I was dazed, and he sprinted back to the fence and was gone.
“The ref blew the whistle, and the Reds guys were all around me asking if I was okay. They were very concerned.”
The culprit was an intoxicated youngster. He was banned from Ballymore for life and fined.
“The only nice thing was the letter I received from the parents of this kid when I was back in Durban,” Kayser added. “They were deeply apologetic and most ashamed. I felt sorry for them.”
This column is based on a chapter from Mike Greenaway’s best-selling book, The Fireside Springbok.