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Schoeman and DvdM look to Hollywood as they plan for life after rugby
By Bryn Palmer
When Pierre Schoeman jokes with his Edinburgh team-mates and coaches that he’s going to play for another ten years, you suspect they would be unwise to dismiss the notion out of hand.
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The barrel-chested, human pinball of a prop may be 30 now, but he has already shown incredible durability and stamina in his first six years in Scottish rugby.
After arriving at Edinburgh in 2018, Schoeman played his 50th game for the club two months into his third season and reached his 100th early in his sixth campaign, last November.
His first three seasons saw him play 23, 21 and 21 games respectively, 78 per cent of those as a starter. But since becoming qualified for Scotland on residency grounds in 2021, his output has gone through the roof. The last three seasons have seen him rack up, respectively, 30, 24 and 30 matches, starting in 83 per cent (70) of those 84 games.
Schoeman has featured in 34 of his adopted country’s 38 Tests since his debut against Tonga in October 2021, starting 28 of them.
The only four he wasn’t required for were a couple of Rugby World Cup warm-up matches last year, the 84-0 rout of Romania in the tournament itself and the first game of this summer’s Americas tour against Canada, all occasions when frontliners were rested and Gregor Townsend was giving fringe operators an opportunity.
It is remarkable given Schoeman’s abrasive style and the physical demands of his position that he has barely missed a game for club or country through injury during his time in Scotland.
He is as close to a permanent fixture as it is possible to be in elite rugby, and a highly productive and popular one at that.
But while the South Africa-born loosehead may yet go on to emulate the likes of compatriot Brok Harris – still going strong for the Stormers aged 39 – he has already made plans for life after rugby.
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Earlier this year Schoeman and Edinburgh and Scotland team-mate Duhan van der Merwe, who have known each other for a decade since they started out with the Bulls, launched their own whisky brand, ‘Against the Grain’.
“It was actually my wife who had the idea of the name,” Schoeman explained. “I wanted to use it for maybe a book after rugby, as a biography or something, but then I spoke to Duhan and asked if he wanted to join this idea. He said he loved the proposal and he was on board.
“It just suits both our stories: going against the grain from South Africa to Scotland and Edinburgh and embracing it. And we wanted to give something back to our friends, family and fans to enjoy while we are playing and long after we are playing.”
Schoeman says their business project has been a success so far, with the first two limited releases selling out and their next – a 12-year-old malt whisky – launching next month.
“The first job is rugby, but the more it rains in Edinburgh, the better it is for us because today’s rain is tomorrow’s whisky,” he quips. “Both our wives – Duhan’s wife Nika and my wife Charissa – are working very hard behind the scenes supporting us so we can just play rugby and do our best as professionals because that’s our main job.
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“But it is nice to have this whole thing going – just as a passion – and it is going very well.”
If Schoeman has done plenty to elevate Scotland’s status in the rugby world with his dynamic on-field displays, he admits he won’t be shy about using the connections he has made since his arrival to advance his off-field interests.
“We might even get footballers, cricketers or movie stars involved because rugby connects people worldwide,” he said about his future plans for the venture.
“I know (Scottish actor) Sam Heughan from Outlander. He’s a massive fan of Duhan and I but we are massive fans of him firstly. He has his own whisky as well, which is amazing. We’ve seen (Hollywood A-lister) Gerald Butler around Scotland camp and at matches so we could push the boat out and get him on board.
“Another good friend of ours is (6ft 8in British actor and bodybuilder) Martyn Ford. He was at three of the Six Nations games and comes to watch Edinburgh too. They call him the ‘world’s scariest man’ and he’s been in a few A-list movies but I’m name dropping now! Maybe we can get someone famous like Blair Kinghorn in Toulouse to keep all the French fans happy!
“People in South Africa love whisky through hunting, fishing and the outdoors. So do all our friends in Scotland on a cold evening with a glass of whisky around the fire or watching the game.
“We might one day enjoy a glass while watching our kids play rugby in Scotland. You have to use these opportunities while you play to add value to life after rugby, but it can’t be a distraction. It just made sense for Duhan and I. He’s getting even more into the peat whiskies because he’s not really one for strong whisky – he likes the light stuff.”
If Schoeman sneaked a bottle into his luggage for Edinburgh’s current mini-tour of South Africa, there has been no cause for a celebratory dram yet.
Last Saturday’s 22-16 defeat by the Bulls in Pretoria may have gleaned a losing bonus point, but it was another missed opportunity for Sean Everitt’s side following an equally frustrating 31-33 home defeat by Leinster on opening night.
Edinburgh could do with a victory over the Lions in Johannesburg this Saturday – no easy feat at altitude, for a second successive week – if their stated ambitions of a top-four finish in the URC are not to disappear over the horizon with the season still in its infancy.
“I strongly believe we are a top-four team in the URC,” added Schoeman. “That’s our goal. We are disappointed that we didn’t beat Leinster and the Bulls, we could have easily won both. Without beating ourselves up over it, we need to use our opportunities to score.
“We are confident going into the Lions game that we can beat them, but it is going to take graft. They have a good scrum and also some really good athletes, especially in the backline and the back row as well.
“So we know what to expect and we know we have to match them – but I have a really good feeling. We are confident, we have clarity and we just have to execute on Saturday to take our opportunities.”
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