Van Vliet vying for Dutch spot

Wairarapa-Bush rugby captain Johan Van Vliet is about to follow in his younger brother's footsteps.

The 23-year-old Eketahuna openside flanker, who led his team to third place in the 2013 Heartland championship, leaves next week for the Netherlands with the primary objective of making their national side, who are presently in the process of trying to qualify for the 2015 World Cup in England.

And if he manages to achieve his goal he will very likely find himself playing alongside his brother Huib, 22, and in the same position of openside flanker to boot.

Plans are for Johan to join Huib at the Haagsche club and under Netherlands rules he will have to make at least one appearance for them before November 10 to be eligible for national selection, a target which should be comfortably met within the next fortnight or so.

Van Vliet is well aware, however, that the tight timeframe means earning selection for the country in which Huib and he were born (they both still hold Dutch passports) will be a huge challenge.

"Nothing is guaranteed, it will all come down to how well I play and whether there is a spot for me to fill," he said.

"The big thing is to give it a decent crack and see what happens."

Van Vliet is unfazed at the prospect of perhaps having his brother standing in the way of his making the Netherlands side.

He said that while the two of them were openside flankers they had different body types with Huib having the edge in height and himself in weight and, consequently, they had different skill sets as well.

"We don't see ourselves necessarily being in competition, we'd like to think we can both slot into the same side no problems."

Just how long Johan Van Vliet remains overseas will depend on a large part on where his rugby takes him but present intentions are for him to return to Eketahuna in time for the start of the 2014 club season.

And that being the case he would be keen to continue his involvement with Wairarapa-Bush in the Heartland championship as well.

"We do have a bit of unfinished business there, third was a good effort but we can do better," he said while reflecting on their latest Heartland campaign which ended with their 48-34 loss to North Otago in the Meads Cup semi at Oamaru last weekend.

Van Vliet believes the pressures that always go with a "must win" game could have been the main reason for Wairarapa-Bush facing a mammoth 31-12 deficit at halftime.

"Maybe we were a bit uptight for starters, we made a few simple mistakes and they capitalised," he said.

"It said a lot for the boys that they came back so well in the second spell, they fought hard right to the end."