Marco Kotze enjoying his new identity as a Mako
Tasman Makos lock Marco Kotze in action during their pre-season rugby match against Otago at Trafalgar Park.
It hasn't taken long for Marco Kotze to be reminded about the physical nature of New Zealand rugby.
Just three games into his latest role with the Tasman Makos and the big South African lock was forced from the field after taking an accidental shoulder to the jaw in Tasman's 41-21 national provincial championship win over Manawatu in Blenheim last Thursday.
While Kotze remembers the impact, he had to watch the match replay to determine exactly what happened. He completed the mandatory concussion testing and has now been passed fit for what he hopes will be his next assignment against Otago in Dunedin on Friday. He's feeling no after-effects from the head-knock.
"I actually feel good, I've got no headaches or anything," Kotze said. "If selected, I'll be ready to go because we've got Otago this week and that's going to be a massive game."
At 1.94m-tall and 118kg - and South African to boot - you'd expect the 29-year-old lock to be well versed in the uncompromising nature of southern hemisphere rugby. He certainly enjoys the game's physicality, although it was only during his time with the Natal Sharks' development programme in Durban eight year's ago that he made the transition from wing to loose forward.
It was his coach at the time, former Springbok loose forward Rudolph Straeuli, who suggested he switch to the forwards. It turned out to be an inspired decision.
"I thought this could be a massive decision which could end or make my career," Kotze said. "So I gave it a shot, played a couple of club games at loose forward and felt like, man, this is where I need to be, in the forwards. I loved it and the rest is history, I just continued on from there.
"You move from the wing, where you were comfortable, and step into a big loosie environment where the competition in South Africa among loose forwards is pretty fierce."
His metamorphosis didn't end there, eventually settling into the second row where he now provides back-up to the experienced Makos' duo of Joe Wheeler and Alex Ainley. He left the Queensland Reds' Super 15 franchise to join Tasman, having made his Super Rugby debut earlier this year.
"I was in Brisbane having a chat to a couple of people and this opportunity popped up through my agent. My wife [Kelly] and I had a chat and we said, `definitely, this could be a good opportunity to go and see what New Zealand's all about'. I looked at Tasman and they're a pretty good side coached by two great coaches and thought this could be a really good opportunity for me to learn more and get better at my game."
Tasman certainly appealed as another significant step in his burgeoning career, having previously played at age-group level for the Golden Lions and Natal in his native South Africa ahead of his first class debut, as a loose forward, for the Gauteng Falcons in 2010.
"I've always known that the ITM Cup is a well thought of competition all over the world and playing in it now, I can just experience it.
"The standard is very high, the skill levels of both forwards and backs linking into the game is a massive part of it - it's not just a back-dominated game, the forwards actually play a massive role in playing with the ball and distributing it to the backs.
"But the boys have been pretty good to me, they've helped me settle nicely into the team and from a rugby perspective, it's been good learning the structures and things like that."
He's happy to play either a tight or more mobile role.
"I'm comfortable with that because over the years I've had to play that tighter role at lock at No 4 or more of a running lock at No 5. I'm really able to cover both of those spots.
"Obviously Joe and Alex have been doing such a great job, but they also need a break sometimes and my role is to fit in when I get my opportunity to just make sure I can maintain that standard that they've set."
However, a return to Queensland looks unlikely.
"We're still having a couple of discussions as to where and what we're going to do, so we're not sure at the moment. I'm just focusing on [Tasman] but my agent's busy talking to a couple of people so we'll just see where we go from there.
"I've enjoyed my rugby in Australia but I've just come over to New Zealand to develop as a player and see a bit of New Zealand and how beautiful it is here and experience a new team environment and culture that to me is just amazing. It was sad to leave [Queensland] but I know there's a new adventure for me maybe in New Zealand."
