Bullocky South African Kobus van Wyk stormed into recognition among New Zealanders with his performances on the wing for the Hurricanes in Super Rugby.
He had a delayed start to the season, having to wait for his opportunity for a place on the right flank against the Sunwolves in Napier.
But he took it with both hands to score a hat-trick on debut, the first of his tries coming 11 minutes into the game with his first touch of the ball.
The Hurricanes had suffered a rare home loss 15-24 to the Blues in their next game but then achieved a notable 27-24 win over the Chiefs in Hamilton before the competition went into shutdown as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.
That proved a frustrating time for van Wyk with family back in South Africa. However, it has also been a time when his rugby future is being firmed up.
Discussion with a possible one or two-year extension of his contract with the Hurricanes is expected to be sorted within the next two weeks while he has also been in discussion with Manawatu about playing for them in the Mitre 10 Cup competition later in the year.
Van Wyk said while lockdown hadn't been easy for anyone, he had been training hard throughout with a concentration on speed work although some minor weight training was possible with some gear he had in his garage.
Being so far away from his family in South Africa had been a concern but daily chats had been a help. However, there was always the concern of being unable to get home quickly if the need arose was a frustration.
Returning to rugby had been a relief and had lightened some of those concerns.
"I'm feeling right at home with the boys, it had been an awesome few weeks, or few months with them until Covid," he said.
Excited like all other players to be preparing to play again, van Wyk said his rivalry for the right-wing berth with another South African-born player, Wes Goosen, was good-natured as they were mates off the field.
Their rivalry was about pushing one another and making the team better, he said.
While the Hurricanes wouldn't have the benefit of a warm-up game before their first match, against the Blues in Wellington at 3.05 pm on Sunday, June 21, he said it would be all about preparation instead.
"Everyone will be a bit rusty but hopefully we are [going] in the right direction with the stuff we are doing so hopefully that gets us on top," he said.
Circumstance had resulted in van Wyk becoming something of a rugby nomad. The 2012 South Africa Under-20 play had played 30 games for the Stormers in 2014-16, before playing for Bordeaux in France and then playing 23 games for the Sharks in Super Rugby in 2017-19.
It was his relationship with former Hurricanes coach and now All Blacks assistant coach John Plumtree that provided the opportunity for a switch to Wellington.
And while the goal of playing for the Springboks remained, he said he was thankful to be able to play in New Zealand.
"Growing up in South Africa, you always watched the New Zealand teams, their skill sets and things like that and you always wanted to play against the best. For me, playing here is a dream," he said.
Comparing rugby in the two countries, he didn't think there were a lot of differences in approach.
With everything changed as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, he felt the early reaction to the pandemic would see players opting to stay home for longer.
"It's not easy to go away now, especially in these hard times. I think a lot of players have realised it is family first before money," he said.
He also revealed his preferred position is centre. That was where he played his earlier rugby and it was when playing Super Rugby for the Sharks that he transferred to the wing.
However, he said he was craving the opportunity to get back into the centres again.
But for the moment his concentration was on playing good rugby for the Hurricanes and claiming the No14 jersey for himself.
"Playing for the best teams in New Zealand will showcase what I can do and what I can bring to the table," he said.