Rugby: Meet the muscle behind Bulls' pack

Pierre Spies, 24, decided as a young man that the game was where he wanted to be and he has since trained with demonic zeal. Photo / Greg Bowker

While his teammates bash away on the ping-pong table in their Auckland hotel, Pierre Spies settles himself into a lounge chair.

A tracksuit top conceals a frame which is reckoned to be one of the most dynamic in world rugby, a body devoted to religion and rugby, one which unleashes both reverence and fury when the time calls.

Like many of his countrymen, Spies speaks quietly and carefully, as befits intruders in a foreign land.

The one-time athletics champion is here as No 8 for the undefeated Bulls, a side which has rumbled through six games and head to Eden Park for Saturday's action against the Blues.

His rugby targets are a repeat Super 14 title, test success with the Springboks and a return for next year's World Cup.

Spies did not make the last one. He was selected, but withdrew after tests revealed blood clots on his lungs.

His father and grandfather both died from a similar ailment and Spies believes his case developed after being in a cast for long-term knee injury.

"It was such a disappointment, but there were a lot of good things which came out of it," Spies says.

"You learn you have to blend your professional and your private life and if they had not discovered those blood clots there could have been a greater impact on my life."

Spies got the all-clear to return the following year and he celebrated that by releasing a DVD in which he shared his experiences and his faith.

The response has been huge from youngsters who have fallen ill or others who have lost the plot. Now He is back in full rugby mode.

His tests have been all-clear although he is supposed to inject a blood-thinning agent before he flies.

There have been no hiccups with his brutal training regime. Ever since he decided that rugby was his calling, he has trained with demonic zeal.

"I knew I had to have a different work ethic to get to another level. I always wanted to be the best and it was my father who said to me: 'If you want to be the best then you can't be with your mates all the time and go out to parties.' And after that I started to lift really hard.

"Just after school I was partying a lot, I had a blip, but then I decided I wanted to move away from that.

"You want to be the best you can be and to reach your potential and you only get certain chances in life and you want to make the most of it before your body is old and broken and you can't do it any more."

The 24-year-old has played 28 tests and is nearing 50 caps for the Bulls. At 1.94m and 108kg and as someone who stopped the clock at 10.7sec for 100m at school, he is some athlete. And a real gym rat.

He admits to figures like 240kg dead lifts, 180kg bench press and 140kg power cleans. For good measure, he completes pull-ups with a 50kg weight tied round his waist.

He has the mentality of a forward who tried life on the wing, where his father was a star, then moved back into the pack. There he received some great tuition from former Bulls coach Heyneke Meyer.

"It was a good move because there is a lot more action there, you get your hands on the ball a lot more," he says.

Spies believes the changes to the rule interpretations have helped the Bulls and others who play positive rugby.

"You still have to adapt to referees in every game and play positive rugby. It has not changed us so much but it helps the teams who can keep the ball and play with it. Years back the Bulls were one-dimensional, but they are much more inclusive now - we have been scoring lots of tries. Our perception is that we play total rugby.

"My first goal is to help the Bulls win the Super 14. It is our goal because it is such a tough competition that to do it back-to-back would be a great feat. We are taking it day by day and hope it keeps on going."

There are many No 8s Spies admires, men such as Sergio Parisse and Jamie Heaslip while Ryan Kankowski and Duane Vermeulen provide great competition within South Africa.

Playing rugby, staying fit and religion drives Spies. In his spare time, he likes to relax at home near Pretoria. Away from work at Loftus Versfeld he speaks at schools, churches, public functions and sponsors' functions.

At the training ground and in games he admires the work ethic and skills of his Bulls captain, Victor Matfield.

"A lot of people who do not know him or do not recognise his style of play are missing something," Spies says.

"I think he is truly a brilliant player and it will be quite a while before there is someone else like him. For me it is awesome to play rugby with him and I know those days are getting less but each time I try and learn from him. Without even teaching, he teaches, he is very technical, very experienced and he makes it look easy."

The Bulls have been travelling well, Spies says, but there are small margins between success and failure. He knows he plays in a team blessed with a strong network of coaches, management and leaders. They are selfless in hunting team targets.

"It is a potent mix and making it work determines how successful we are," says Spies. "We have to take this forward because a lot of players will finish in the next few years."