His earliest memory is of running around with a rugby ball and his earliest ambition - at age two already - was to play for the Springboks. That dream is by no means a fancy says Hermanus High captain, Thomas Bednall, as they prepare to take on Hawston Secondary in their FNB Classic Clash this Saturday.

"It's still my dream to play for the Springboks," the six-foot tall flyhalf says.

But first up for the 17-year-old matriculant is the little matter of the local - Classic Clashes - derby against Hawston.

He tells classicclashes.co.za: "For us it's all about regaining the bragging rights after a dramatic late defeat in last year's fixture."

Bednall, though, is confident that his side can erase the memory of their defeat come game-day, adding: "Everyone is psyched up for the game.

"It is always great to play against Hawston and everyone contributes to the great atmosphere."

Bednall, despite his strong performances in the No.10 shirt, has not always played at flyhalf.

He played at inside centre and then switched to flyhalf when the team incumbent suffered an injury and could not continue playing rugby. The playmaker, though, says that the switch has not bothered him in the least, as rugby is his passion and he'd gladly play anywhere for his team.

Strangely enough, rugby seems to have skipped a generation in his family as Bednall attributes his love for the game to his grandfather, who played junior level provincial rugby for Griquas.

While the matriculant admires Springbok flyhalf Patrick Lambie for achieving his rugby success at such a young age, he says that he has based his playing style on that of Wallabies star, Quade Cooper - "Even though he is the enemy," he quips.

As for the future, Bednall has his bases covered (just in case the Springbok brainstrust lose his CV), as the 80-kilogram inside back intends to do a B.Comm degree at either Stellenbosch University (Maties) or the University of Cape Town (Ikeys).

By Zunaid Ismael