As career summations go, Werner Kok’s has a pretty decent look to it.
An Olympic bronze medal, Commonwealth gold and World Sevens Player of the Year accolade have all been collected during his time in the shorter game and then if we go more mainstream, Currie Cup and European Challenge Cup medals are in there too
He has rubbed shoulders at Sevens with none other than Cheslin Kolbe and Kwagga Smith and then at XVs alongside Eben Etzebeth, Ox Nche and Thomas Ramos to name drop just a few of those he can count as teammates.
And if you might ponder on the notion that the 31-year-old has arrived to ease his way towards finishing up in the pro game, think again; he is here to make an impact and, anyway, not giving it his absolute all is anathema to him.
Kok’s first carry after emerging from the bench an hour into last Saturday’s dramatic URC opener with Glasgow Warriors demonstrated that the former Sharks player with the distinctive long hair — supporters wearing wigs were seen at Ravenhill seven days ago to mark his home debut – only knows one way of playing: full on.
“I was sitting on the bench, and I was shaking,” he says of his home debut, “I just wanted to get on the pitch.
“When I got my opportunity, it was just phenomenal.
“I couldn’t hear my team-mates next to me and just to finish the game like we did makes it (the first home game) even more special.
“I think I was a little bit excited when I got the ball,” he recalls of his first carry which resulted in the South African swatting Sione Tuipolotu aside.
“I decided to tuck it and go, it was nice to be out there and hear the fans when I got my first ball.”
Just to make clear that this is the way the utility back plays the game — his Ulster team-mates already know this anyway having faced him when taking on the Sharks — Kok outlines his general philosophy and what he will bring to Ravenhill.
“I’m a physical player so I’ll try and bring as much physicality as I can.
“I’m going to be a very loyal player; I’m going to work and work both day in and day out to make everyone proud and hopefully they can see that I’m someone who won’t stop working.”
He’s back on familiar enough territory today for Ulster’s clash with the Lions in Johannesburg’s heat and altitude and though he is originally from Nelspruit — three hours east of Pretoria where the province will face the Bulls next week with some of Kok’s family present — having been located at sea level in Durban with the Sharks for five years will still make this quite challenging on this his first start for the province.
“Altitude is going to be a big difference,” Kok explains. “The heat is probably going to get us as we’re playing at 1.00pm in Joburg and it will be tough.
“I think the way we are going to play the game will be a little bit slower and will benefit us and the team we have at the weekend is an agile team so we can put a lot of pressure on them and (hopefully) keep it on.”
In terms of the decision for he and his wife to relocate to Belfast, Kok is unequivocal in explaining that playing again in the northern hemisphere — he had a spell at Toulouse as a medical joker in the early part of the 2019/20 season — was an ambition as well setting a new challenge at this stage of his career.
“That was one of the journeys we took (to Toulouse) that sealed the deal that we definitely wanted to come overseas,” he says though, of course, his contract to come here was agreed while Dan McFarland was still in charge at Ravenhill.
“I’m 31 now and if I stayed in South Africa, I don’t think there would be another option after that to come.
“That was one of the big reasons and I really want to get into a different culture and play in a different team in a different style of rugby.
“Ulster spoke about trying to build a new team and culture, so it is going to take a bit of time, but I think Richie has done quite a bit last season to get everyone on the right page and to become like a brotherhood.
“They spoke about the family culture in the team and that’s one of the things that drew me to Ulster as well, they are like a band of brothers.”
Naturally he took some advice and there was plentiful to be had.
“I had a very good chats with Ruan Pienaar and Duane Vermeulen, Duane is also from Nelspruit, I also spoke to Marcell Coetzee and his father and they all said that the decision to come to Ulster would probably be one of the best decisions.
“And I think they were 100 per cent right.”
Having made the switch from Sevens to the full-fat game, he can obviously be helpful to Zac Ward — due in South Africa this weekend but with Emerging Ireland — as the younger man embarks on the same journey.
“We had a brief chat the other day about it, and I told him the biggest thing is the space,” he says
“There isn’t a lot of space on the field (in 15-a-side) so you can’t just run around hitting gaps and things like that, I told him to work very smart and make sure he’s in the right place at the right time.
“If he can work on all that he’ll have the ability to slot in nicely and he’ll be an exciting player,” he explained.
There is no argument when it comes to Kok having found his place in the game post-Sevens and how he sees himself faring in an Ulster shirt.
“I can run the whole day; you just have to give me the ball,” he adds.
Message delivered, now let’s see if Ulster can manage to supply Werner what he wants.