With hard work, an eye for opportunity and an undying love for rugby, Drikus Hancke took his career from Uitenhage to Stellenbosch – with a ‘slight’ detour through France.
Drikus Hancke is the head of rugby at Stellenbosch University. Prior to this, Hancke applied his trade as a player and coach at Montpellier Hérault Rugby in France. PHOTO: Instagram/@MatieRugby
Growing up in Uitenhage, now known as Kariega, Drikus Hancke always had an affinity for rugby. He was never the best player at school, he says, but his hard work and ability to seize opportunities would eventually see him carve out a professional career in the sport.
After a lengthy playing career in which Hancke played for clubs around South Africa and in France, he transitioned into a coaching role and is now the head of rugby at Stellenbosch University (SU).
Kick-off
During Hancke’s childhood, it was seen as the norm for children to play rugby growing up. Partnered with the fact that his family were very involved in sports, it was a simple choice for Hancke to pick up the oval ball from a young age.
“Rugby was probably the number one passtime in our house,” says Hancke. “My dad was involved with Despatch Rugby. So, from a young age I was standing next to the field and watching Despatch Rugby.”
During his teen years in the early 1990s, Hancke continued to be a passionate player. He recalls a radio bulletin on a car ride back from school as being the catalyst for his long standing career.
“While we were driving back, my dad and I, they announced on the radio that rugby was ‘going professional’,” Hancke recalls. “I looked at my dad and I said; ‘What does that exactly mean?’. He said; ‘Well, it means you can make a living from playing rugby.’”
His dad urged him to work harder and become one of the better players at school – and with a little bit of “luck”, Hancke managed to create a professional career after school. He joined Western Province in 1999.
Drikus Hancke is a former professional rugby player for Montpellier Hérault Rugby. Following his retirement, Hancke transitioned into a coaching and recruitment role at the club. PHOTO: Getty Images/Manuel Blondeau
Au revoir
Hencke played for several rugby clubs in South Africa, including the SWD Eagles, Lions and Eastern Province. Towards the end of his spell at Eastern Province in 2005, an unexpected opportunity came 26-year-old’s way.
“At the time, I was planning to go into the family business and actually end my career – to stop playing rugby,” he recalls. “At one of my last matches, there was a guy sitting in the stands – I did not know he was there,” says Hancke.
“He was an agent.”
Following the match, the agent approached Hancke and asked if he would be interested in playing in France.
“One of the locks in the Montpellier [Hérault Rugby] team had a bad back injury and they needed a lock forward,” says Hancke.
After deliberations with his dad, Hancke would accept the offer – thinking that he would be there for only one season.
However, upon arrival, Hancke “fell in love” with the town and felt incredibly welcomed by the club, he says. So much so that after two weeks in Montpellier, he was offered a two year contract.
“Then I had big decisions to make,” Hancke says. “It was not just an opportunity, it was now a big decision. I had to speak to my wife – obviously because then it impacted her career. I had to speak to my dad,” Hancke explains.
Eventually, Hancke made the decision that he was once again going to try his hand at a full-time professional career in rugby. He would spend the next nine and a half years at Montpellier.
Drikus Hancke managed to carve out a career for himself in rugby. His keys to success are hard work, support, and “little bit of luck”, he says. PHOTO: Tim Malinzi
Into the dugout
Hancke officially hung up his boots in 2013 aged 35, but his love for rugby continued to grow. Feeling at home in Montpellier, he transitioned into a coaching and recruitment role.
“I was already part of the furniture by then,” says Hancke. “They offered me an academy coaching job and to help out with recruitment.”
By this stage, Hancke could speak both French and English – an attribute that helped him secure the job, he says.
As comfortable as he felt at the club, Hancke initially found it difficult to transition into a coaching role.
“It was not easy,” he says. “When you play, you only really think of your own technical aspects and you do not need to explain it. When you start coaching, your communication has to improve a lot.”
Today, the 44-year-old Hancke is renowned for his communication skills as a coach, according to Tom Bursey, a DHL Western Province scrumhalf who played for Hancke at FNB Maties.
“[Hancke] is a good coach – he is good with people and getting things right in the system,” says Bursey.
Bursey adds that Hancke’s communication skills were evident despite the two not spending “too much time together”.
Siba Xamlashe, a Maties utility back who has worked with Hancke for several years, concurs with Bursey’s sentiments.
“For me, the thing that stands out the most is just how friendly he is,” says Xamlashe. “You can see that he really makes an effort to connect and engage with every player, and that really makes a difference to our performances.”
After his coaching spell in France, Hancke returned to South Africa and was appointed the forwards coach for Maties in 2015.
This transition was not as difficult, he says. Hancke already knew Stellenbosch well from his time as a student at the university.
“I really love spending time with the students and just coaching them,” he says. “I am very happy where I am at the moment.”
As the current head of rugby at SU, Hancke has plans to improve inclusivity at the club for both the men’s and women’s teams. He also aims to increase memberships for campus rugby, create a more welcoming environment at the club, and reestablish SU rugby as an international brand.
“Performance-wise, we definitely want a season where we win all the tournaments that we are involved in.”
Drikus Hancke’s FNB Maties placed second in the 2022 FNB Varsity Cup competition. Maties lost 29-23 to FNB UP-Tuks in the final. PHOTO: Tim Malinzi
Measure of success
For Hancke, his best achievements as a coach involve seeing his players succeed – whether that be on the rugby field or academically.
“It is always so special to see players get their degrees,” he says. “Maties has been very successful, so we have had a couple of great collective moments. But I think the most fulfilling thing is seeing your players have success – be that with their degrees, or playing for a professional side.”
One such player who Hancke has seen succeed is Leon Lyons, Bursey’s teammate at Western Province and former Maties player.
“I really appreciate how [Hancke] takes pride in what we do as players,” says Lyons. “He never made it feel like rugby is the only thing in life, and that is pretty rare in a coach,” he adds.
Away from rugby, Hancke finds comfort in his family, he says. He and his wife got married before moving to France. They now stay in a complex in Durbanville with their three children and two Jack Russells.
“Probably not the best dogs to have in a complex, but they’re very much a part of the family,” Hancke says.
Drikus Hancke is currently the head of rugby at Stellenbosch University – a role he hopes to stay in for the foreseeable future. PHOTO: Tim Malinzi
Having been a student at Stellenbosch University, Drikus Hancke says he can relate to his players and what they are going through on a daily basis. He expresses satisfaction in his role at Stellenbosch University. AUDIO: Tim Malinzi