Irné Philip Herbst (born 4 May 1993) is a South African rugby union player, currently playing with English team Harlequins in the Premiership Rugby.[1] His regular position is lock.[2]
Rugby career
Schoolboy rugby
Herbst was born in Witbank and earned a call-up to represent Mpumalanga at primary school level at the Under-13 Craven Week in 2006. At high school level, he attended Hoërskool Waterkloof in Pretoria, where he was chosen to represent the Blue Bulls at the Under-18 Craven Week in 2011. He was included in a South Africa Schools squad that beat their counterparts from France 21–14 in August 2011.[3]
He was selected in the South Africa Under-20 squad that played in the 2013 IRB Junior World Championship held in France.[5] He started all five of their matches in the tournament, scoring a try in their semi-final defeat to Wales,[6] a result which eliminated South Africa from the competition, eventually finishing third after beating New Zealand in their final match.[7]
He played in the 2014 Varsity Cup competition for Pretoria-based university side UP Tuks, making four appearances, and then made a further eleven starts for the Blue Bulls U21s in the 2013 edition of the Under-21 Provincial Championship. In a repeat of the 2013 final, they again faced Western Province, but turned the tables on this occasion, winning the match 20–10 to be crowned champions.[10]
Herbst's 2015 season again started with him representing UP Tuks in the Varsity Cup, where he made seven starts. He was also named in a Varsity Cup Dream Team at the conclusion of the tournament and played in their match against the South Africa Under-20 squad as they prepared for the 2015 World Rugby Under 20 Championship.[11] However, he then suffered a knee injury that kept him out for the entire season.[12]