In the Tap & Tackle bar at Newcastle Falcons, Michael van Vuuren reflects on life as rugby’s ultimate journeyman. The friendships he has made and the different parts of the world he has visited, as well as the crippling stress and lack of security caused by his nomadic career.
According to statistician Stuart Farmer, hooker Van Vuuren holds the record for playing for the most clubs in the top two divisions of English rugby (10) – one ahead of Tom Arscott. Add to that his clubs in South Africa and an early spell at Stade Francais and his total is 14, which he can list in order: Free State Cheetahs, Stade Francais, Eastern Province Kings, Leicester Tigers, Bath, London Scottish, London Irish, Northampton Saints, Bedford Blues, Ampthill, Ealing Trailfinders, Wasps, Lions and Newcastle Falcons.
His longest spell at one club was his three seasons at Bath, where the 32-year-old also made his most appearances (21), while Van Vuuren has enjoyed his time at a host of other clubs, most notably Northampton and Wasps. But partly due to astonishing bad luck – two clubs went bankrupt and twice he was signed by coaches who were sacked before he arrived – he was never anywhere long enough to establish himself. “It’s hard for me to say where I feel most at home, because in a sense I’ve always been looking for a home and never found it,” Van Vuuren said. “You have to stay somewhere long enough to relax.
“I was having a conversation with my best friend last night about when do you know to stop hunting? When is it no longer worth it? I think I’ve just been really bad at knowing when to stop or when to quit. I’ve always tried to stay in the fight. We all have dreams. Even if we don’t get there, it will take a long time for those dreams to fade.”
Van Vuuren grew up in the Eastern Cape and dreamed of representing the Springboks. He played on the same team at Gray High School as Siya Kolisi. But even though the two-time World Cup-winning captain was destined for bigger things – “even then he was a man among boys” – Van Vuuren was a late developer who was not selected for the famous, star-making Craven Week. “Nobody gave me the chance to make it,” he says.
Yet Van Vuuren became the youngest hooker to play in the Currie Cup and played alongside Kolisi and Eben Etzebeth for South Africa Under-20 at the 2011 Junior World Championship. In what was the first of a series of sliding door moments, Van Vuuren signed on 2012 for Stade Francais. His plan was to play there for a few seasons before returning to South Africa to pursue higher honors. It didn’t happen that way.
“Michael Cheika actually signed me, but before I got there he was fired,” Van Vuuren said. “Paris is not a forgiving city for a young child, it was sink or swim.” He returned to South Africa to join his hometown team, the Kings, who he says seemed like they were building something special before the club went bankrupt in 2015.
Shortly afterwards he joined Leicester for a two-week trial, which was extended to a month and then until the end of the season. Trials would become a common occurrence. “It is difficult to be in a place where you have no security,” says Van Vuuren. “It just forces you to always put your best foot forward every day, which can be quite tiring at times, but it’s just the way it is.”
Mike Ford signed Van Vuuren at Bath but was sacked before he arrived. Similarly at Ealing, after a spell at Northampton, Alex Codling continued the season after he arrived. “I don’t know why the guys who signed me kept getting fired,” Van Vuuren said. “Sometimes I have been to clubs where players were simply better than me. That’s something you just have to accept. There have also been times when I just wasn’t lucky or I got injured at the wrong time.”
The most difficult point came after Van Vuuren joined Wasps, with whom he joined again on trial before eventually being given a contract and the promise of a degree of security. “I will always be indebted to Joe Launchbury, who fought to get me a contract extension, and to Lee Blackett, who gave it to me,” said Van Vuuren. That certainty disappeared when Wasps came under administration last year.
Unemployed and without openings in the European market, Van Vuuren reluctantly returned to South Africa. “It was never part of my plan to go back to South Africa,” said Van Vuuren. “I had made Britain my home and I went through the citizenship process and became a British citizen, which was something I really focused on. I just saw that I was in England for the rest of my life. I’ve been through the best and worst times of my life in England and I just consider myself an Englishman.
“I had been here for seven years, so returning to South Africa was a big culture shock for me. Things like cutting off the electricity supply for 12 hours a day or not having water for three days can be difficult.”
It was particularly tough on his partner, Lydia, an aspiring actress he met in Bath and has followed him ever since. “The move was tough, but she is resilient,” Van Vuuren said. “She was great in the way she could adapt to things.
“You can also have your low points. You need good support around you. I’m a Christian and I have my faith and even sometimes it can be hard to stick to it. I have been fortunate to always have my family and a close group of friends supporting me. I also try to do it for myself and for the people who were there for you in the beginning. You don’t want to give up for those guys.”
‘I think I’m a romantic when it comes to a game’
Another unintended consequence of playing for the Lions was that Van Vuuren unknowingly lost his England Qualified Player status, which was not only a point of pride but also a crucial selling point for Premier League clubs. Conor O’Shea, the Rugby Football Union’s executive director of performance rugby, and the Rugby Players’ Association have helped him regain his status. “It was very stressful,” says Van Vuuren. “Hopefully common sense will prevail.”
Fortunately, he was still able to sign for Newcastle, now coached by Codling, where he has been excited by the city and the potential of a young squad. “There are many young players who could certainly play for England,” said Van Vuuren. “It’s about how you nurture and develop them. It takes time to bring about a change in mindset and change a culture that is used to losing. It doesn’t happen overnight, but Codders is the right man to do it.”
His contract at Kingston Park runs until the end of the season, when further uncertainty awaits. Van Vuuren repeatedly states that he does not want sympathy. He also does not reject the journeyman label. Indeed, he is setting up a company called Journeyman with Jeff Williams, the former Bath and Sevens player, to provide advice to aspiring players and their parents and children. Despite everything, he pretty much retains his passion for the sport.
“I guess it’s love-hate,” Van Vuuren said. “I guess I’m a romantic when it comes to a game, but it’s also a business and that’s where the hate comes in.”