View source for Fritz van Heerden

{{Short description|South African rugby union player}}
{{BLP sources|date=October 2021}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2019}}
{{Use South African English|date=October 2019}}
{{infobox rugby biography
| image = 
| image_size = 
| caption = 
| birth_name = Frederick Johannes van Heerden
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1970|6|29|df=y}}
| birth_place =[[Roodepoort]], [[South Africa]]
| height = {{height|ft=6|in=6}}
| weight = {{convert|231|lb|kg|0|abbr=on}}
| ru_position = [[Lock (rugby union)|Lock]], [[Flanker (rugby union)|Flank]]
| amatyears1 = 
| amatteam1 = 
| years1 =1997–2000 
| clubs1 =[[Leicester Tigers]]
| apps1 =48
| points1 = 25
| ru_provinceyears1 = 1991–1997 
| ru_province1 ={{nowrap|[[Western Province (rugby team)|Western Province]]}}
| ru_provinceapps1 = 74
| ru_provincepoints1 = 
| repyears1 =1994–1999 
| repteam1 ={{nowrap|{{nrut|South Africa}}}}
| repcaps1 = 14
| reppoints1 =5
}}
'''Frederick Johannes "Fritz" van Heerden''' (born 29 June 1970) is a former South African rugby union player who played international rugby for the [[South Africa national rugby union team|Springboks]], making his debut on 4 June 1994 in Pretoria against the England touring side.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.espnscrum.com/southafrica/rugby/player/11793.html |title=Fritz van Heerden |website=ESPN scrum |access-date=2020-12-29}}</ref> Van Heerden played rugby with [[Western Province (rugby team)|Western Province]] and [[Leicester Tigers]].

==Playing career==
Van Heerden matriculated at Roodepoort High School in 1988 and represented {{rut|Transvaal}} at the annual Craven Week tournament in 1988. In 1991 he enrolled for a law degree at the [[University of Stellenbosch]] and represented [[Maties]] on the rugby field. He made his senior provincial debut in July 1991, when he replaced the injured [[Gert Smal]], in the {{rut|Western Province}} team. In 1996 he was named the Western Province captain.<ref>{{Cite book |title=Matieland is rugbyland, 1980-2006 |last=Van der Merwe |first=Floris |date=2007 |publisher=SUN Press |isbn=9781920109790 |location=Stellenbosch |pages=155–156 |oclc=190836768}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |title=Bankfin Annual 1997 |last=Van Rooyen |first=Quintus |publisher=SA Rugby Writers' Society |year=1997 |isbn=0620209607 |location=Montana Park |page=122}}</ref>

He joined Leicester Tigers in 1997, following fellow South African [[Joel Stransky]], and joining up with [[Martin Johnson (rugby union)|Martin Johnson]], and replacing [[Matt Poole]] who acquired a knee injury at about the same time with [[Dean Richards (rugby player)|Dean Richards]] (normally a number eight) playing lock. Also able to play flanker, he complemented Johnson's more powerful play with mobility, but perhaps more importantly he pioneered the contesting of the opposition's [[line-out (rugby union)|line-out]] throws.

He returned to South Africa in 1999 to try to play for his country in the [[1999 Rugby World Cup|1999 World Cup]], and was drafted into the side late as a replacement for [[Selborne Boome]], playing against Spain. After the World Cup, he returned to Leicester where he helped in the development of England lock [[Ben Kay]]. He retired.

=== Test history ===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! No. !! Opponents !! Results<br>(SA 1st) !! Position !! Tries !! Dates !! Venue
|-
| 1. || {{ru|ENG}} || align="center" | 15–32 || [[Flanker (rugby union)|Flank]] || || 4 Jun 1994 || [[Loftus Versfeld Stadium|Loftus Versfeld]], Pretoria
|- style="background: #D0E6FF;"
| 2. || {{ru|ENG}} || align="center" | 27–9 || Replacement || || 11 Jun 1994 || [[Newlands Stadium|Newlands]], Cape Town
|- 
| 3. || {{ru|NZL}} || align="center" | 18–18 || Flank || || 6 Aug 1994 || [[Eden Park]], Auckland
|- style="background: #D0E6FF;"
| 4. || {{ru|ITA}} || align="center" | 40–21 || Flank || || 12 Nov 1995 || [[Stadio Olimpico]], Rome
|- 
| 5. || {{ru|ENG}} || align="center" | 24–14 || Flank || || 18 Nov 1995 || [[Twickenham Stadium|Twickenham]], London
|- style="background: #D0E6FF;"
| 6. || {{ru|NZL}} || align="center" | 32–22 || Replacement || || 31 Aug 1996 || [[Ellis Park Stadium|Ellis Park]], Johannesburg
|- 
| 7. || {{ru|ARG}} || align="center" | 46–15 || Replacement || || 9 Nov 1996 || [[Estadio Arquitecto Ricardo Etcheverry|Ferro Carril Oeste]], Buenos Aires
|- style="background: #D0E6FF;"
| 8. || {{ru|ARG}} || align="center" | 44–21 || Replacement || || 16 Nov 1996 || Ferro Carril Oeste, Buenos Aires
|-
| 9. || {{ru|TON}} || align="center" | 74–10 || [[Lock (rugby union)|Lock]] || align="center"|1 || 10 Jun 1997 || Newlands, Cape Town
|- style="background: #D0E6FF;"
| 10. || {{flag|British and Irish Lions|name=British Lions}} || align="center" | 15–18 || Replacement || || 28 Jun 1997 || [[Kings Park Stadium|Kings Park]], Durban
|- 
| 11. || {{flag icon|British and Irish Lions}} British Lions || align="center" | 35–16 || Replacement || || 5 Jul 1997 || Ellis Park, Johannesburg
|- style="background: #D0E6FF;"
| 12. || {{ru|NZL}} || align="center" | 32–35 || Replacement || || 19 Jul 1997 || Ellis Park, Johannesburg
|- 
| 13. || {{ru|NZL}} || align="center" | 35–55 || Replacement || || 9 Aug 1997 || Eden Park, Auckland
|- style="background: #D0E6FF;"
| 14. || {{ru|ESP}} || align="center" | 47–3 || Lock || || 10 Oct 1999 || [[Murrayfield Stadium|Murrayfield]], Edinburgh
|}

==See also==
*[[List of South Africa national rugby union players#List|List of South Africa national rugby union players]] – Springbok no. '''606'''

==References==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20040821145804/http://www.scrum.com/rwc99/player_profiles/player_profile.asp?id=1003 Scrum.com]
* [http://www.planet-rugby.com/stats/players/players_listing.phtml/p_r/ENG?setCode=archive&search_text=Fritz+van+Heerden&tournament_code=international&country=&scdate=1871&ecdate=2004&position=&sbdate=1871&ebdate=2004&go=Submit Planet-rugby.com]{{dead link|date=December 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}

{{South Africa 1999 Rugby World Cup squad}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Heerden, Fritz}}
[[Category:1970 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:South African rugby union players]]
[[Category:South Africa international rugby union players]]
[[Category:Leicester Tigers players]]
[[Category:Stormers players]]
[[Category:Stellenbosch University alumni]]
[[Category:Rugby union players from Gauteng]]
[[Category:Rugby union flankers]]
[[Category:Rugby union locks]]
[[Category:1999 Rugby World Cup players]]
[[Category:South African expatriate rugby union players in England]]
[[Category:Stellenbosch RFC players]]
[[Category:20th-century South African sportsmen]]