Ulster’s Werner Kok joy at ‘the best decision I’ve made’ to join Belfast set-up
Werner Kok was voted the Sharks’ ‘Players’ Player of the Year’ last season as he helped the club full of Springbok World Cup winners become the first South African team to lift European glory.
The Sharks will be heavily tipped to challenge for the URC title and Champions Cup this season - but Kok has decided to swap Durban for Belfast and makes his first Ulster start today against the Lions.
“It was tough, Durban was a good place to be, but when contract negotiations came up I spoke to Bryn (Cunningham) and the coaching staff here and it just seemed like they wanted me more and the Sharks knew that I wanted to go overseas,” said Kok. “So they really had to spin a good story to keep me there.
“It was tough to leave and leave family behind but, being here now, it’s probably the best decision I’ve made for my rugby career. I’ve been slotting in very nicely, everyone is very friendly and the town (Belfast) is an amazing place to be and we saw a little bit of the countryside as well.”
The winger had plenty of advice about coming to Kingspan Stadium from other Ulster South African imports.
“All those I spoke to had been at the Sharks and then came to Ulster.” he said. “I had a very good chat with Ruan Pienaar and Duane Vermeulen, who’s also from Nelspruit...recently I spoke to Marcell Coetzee and his father.
"And they said that the decision to come to Ulster would probably be one of the best decisions and they were 100 per cent right.”
Kok has experienced playing in the northern hemisphere before when he had a stint as a medical joker at Toulouse.
“That was one of the journeys we took that sealed the deal that we definitely wanted to come overseas,” he said. “I’m 31 now and if I stayed in South Africa I don’t think there will be another option after.
“I really want to get into a different culture and play in a different style of rugby...I wanted to just sharpen up my skill.”
Kok was part of South Africa’s Sevens, along with Cheslin Kolbe and Kwagga Smith, that won bronze at the 2016 Olympics – but he decided to switch to the XV-man code.
He added: “When all of us started playing Sevens we were 19 so we were like a dream team of 19-year-olds coming through the Academy and then into the Sevens.
“They went early and it was a good decision, I also wanted to go but injury kept me away from leaving a bit earlier but if I can follow the same road that they did then it’s a very successful campaign, so they are brilliant.
“The biggest reason (I switched) was financial and then I’ve played so much Sevens, over 50 tournaments, in the World Cup, the Olympics and things like that.
“But I wanted a different challenge and when I saw friends like Seabelo Senatla and Kwagga Smith going back to the 15-man code, they didn’t make it look easy.
“It was a big shift with the field so much smaller and a lot of guys on the pitch and there’s not a lot of space and then to manage myself and not over-working.
“It’s nice being in now and I’m really enjoying it.”
Emirates Lions v Ulster Rugby (Saturday, September 28; round two, BKT United Rugby Championship; 11.55am UK time; Emirates Airline Park; live on Premier Sports).
ULSTER: (1-8) Andrew Warwick, John Andrew, Tom O’Toole, Kieran Treadwell, Alan O’Connor (C), Matty Rea, Sean Reffell, Nick Timoney. (15-9) Ethan McIlroy, Werner Kok, Stewart Moore, Stuart McCloskey, Jacob Stockdale, Aidan Morgan, John Cooney.
Replacements: James McCormick, Eric O’Sullivan, Corrie Barrett, Iain Henderson, James McNabney, Nathan Doak, Mike Lowry, David McCann.