Downtime with Werner Kok

Who is the funniest team you’ve ever had?

Definitely Chris Dry. He is a clown in the team. He always makes jokes, always funny, always plays the weirdest music – anything from reggae to music mixed up with funny words. He’s a clown, but he’s a good guy.

Any pranks you can share?

On the sevens series, if you leave your door open you can be assured that your whole room is going to be be tipped over and you’re not going to find anything in that room. You’ll get some few messages written with toothpaste on the mirrors but that’s all I can say for the clean ones.

Any nicknames?

Tarzan, after the movie. The guys called me it because they saw me running around like a monkey. I’m from the area of South Africa where the Bushveld is thick, thick and it’s where all the baboons are from.

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If your house was on fire and everyone is safe, what’s the one thing you’d save?

Other than my dog and my wife, it’ll probably be my rifles. I’m a big hunter – I really like shooting and fishing and things like that.

What’s your guilty pleasure?

Well, since they came to South Africa, Krispy Kreme – the best donuts ever! That and a proper, proper coffee… we keep it quiet, we keep it quiet. The coaches don’t always know about it, but there’s a few of our (Blitzboks) team-mates who started a coffee brand.

Who’s that?

Cecil Afrika, with Kyle Brown and Philip Snyman started 18 Coffee. It’s wonderful, wonderful coffee. It’s only in South Africa at the moment, but it’s one of the best coffees I’ve tasted.

Are you entrepreneurial?

I am a little bit, but I always want to just try help them out. But I’ll maybe start my own wine – that’s maybe on the table.

If you could have one superpower what would you have?

I’d want to be able to turn into everything that I touch. So if I touched metal I could turn into metal. If somebody came against me with fire, if he touches me I’ll become fire. It’s a broad one, but quite cool.

I’ve given it some thought!

Who would you like to be stuck in a lift with?

It would have to be my best friend Kwagga (Smith). I don’t have any like heroes or Marvel characters that I’d want, but  he’s an awesome friend and you can you can just sit there.

He’s always my room-mate, because I know if he’s not my room-mate he will bust up my room!

Kok for South Africa Sevens (Getty Images)

If you could be any of your team-mates, who would you be?

I think probably Cecil Afrika, because he’s got so much speed. He’s got the vision. He always think like two, three steps ahead. And he’s got a rugby brain that I haven’t seen seen in my life and the intelligence he has for rugby is phenomenal.

I think he would make an amazing coach one day. He is phenomenal. Phenomenal.

Any fears or phobias?

Clowns. I’m not a big fan of clowns. It’s based a little bit on childhood experience but mainly movies and stuff. Like that movie, It – it took me a while to get into it.

Any bugbears?

If somebody pulls my hair.

In the game, it’s alright because I know it’s part of the game. But off the field or if you just want to chill out with your friends and they want to come and irritate you, just looking for a fight. I’ve got a little bit of a short fuse when it comes to that.

Your dream three dinner party guests?

Maybe the Rock, I think he’s quite good and I also saw that he likes fishing as well. Kevin Hart, just because he’s so funny. And then probably Chris Hemsworth, because at this stage he has a good head of hair!

Most important person in your phone?

My wife Zanyika. She always give me feedback, good and bad. She’s like my coach back home. She watches the game a lot and her father is actually one of the biggest jersey collectors in South Africa – he has probably over 500 jerseys.

How would you like to be remembered?

As a nice guy and in rugby, as one of the hardest workers. So a good guy on and off the field.

And what would you like to achieve outside of rugby?

I just want to be happy. I don’t want to be rich or anything like that – I want to be on a farm, I really want to start farming and just sustain.

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