Van der Linde determined to put best foot forward

AT 6’2” and almost 20 stone, CJ van der Linde shouldn’t be hard to miss but sightings of the big Springbok prop have been few and far between since his move to Ireland 14 months ago.

The South African arrived on a three-year deal from the Cheetahs in September 2008 on the same week as Rocky Elsom, but the pair’s paths while at Leinster diverged wildly from there on.

The Australian’s impact was that of a meteor’s, equally majestic and destructive and gone all too quickly. Van der Linde’s career with the Irish province has yet to get off the ground.