If anyone pulls my beard, I really lose it! Irne Herbst brings the beast to Harlequins’ beauty

Irne Herbst’s eyes light up when he starts talking about daisies. He is reflecting on his happy childhood memories of South Africa. Summer holidays with friends. But do not be fooled. This 19st 5lb Afrikaner, with a beard the size of a brush, is not telling a story of petals and petticoats.

‘I was six years old when I got my first daisy,’ he says. ‘A daisy is a small gun that shoots metal pellets. Me and my friend would go outside the house and shoot birds that we would cook on the barbeque. Not rhinos or lions or anything like that. Not trophy hunting. Shoot to eat.’

It does not take long to realise why Harlequins went out of their way to sign Herbst as their new enforcer. He grew up in the South African town of Witbank, home to 22 coal mines and recently recorded as the dirtiest air in the world.

Irne Herbst loves life at Harlequins and says they like beards more than they did in Italy!

‘Witbank has got good people but it’s a tough place to grow up,’ says the 29-year-old. ‘Full of miners and people who like to fight. They work hard and then drink. Living hard. Big Afrikaners who work with their hands. You can see because their hands are cut up and rough. Hard people, working in tough conditions.

‘When my dad came back from work, my mum could just see his eyes because his face was so dirty from all the coal. Now he’s got problems with his lungs because he was working in all that filthy s**t.

‘They say it’s one of the most polluted in the world. It’s dark. Misty. There was a big community of poor people that made fires in the winter for heat so the two things combined. In the mornings you would wake up and there would be a bit of black soot on your car.’

Herbst is a tough operator. He started life at the local farm school, following in the footsteps of his two older brothers. They would spend the summer holidays with their grandparents on their 1,000-hectare ranch in the Free State, throwing a rugby ball around for fun.

‘The farm was close to Lesotho on the border, where they had lots of weed,’ he says. ‘These guys would drive across in massive trucks at midnight and my grandfather would go out with his gun to scare them off. I wasn’t allowed to go with him. It was scary because you didn’t know if someone would shoot him. They kill a lot, man.’

Size and aggression made him a natural rugby player, but his heart was initially set on shot put

Herbst lived in Witbank until he was 12, before waving goodbye to his family and moving to a new school in Pretoria. His sporting journey took off. Size and aggression made him a natural rugby player, but his heart was initially set on shot put.

‘My dream was to become an Olympic shot putter,’ he said. ‘I had a talent for just throwing a ball. It grew on me. I liked it. It’s just you out there. It’s no one else’s fault if you have a s**t throw. I liked just being on my own, training with my dad on Sundays.

‘I was No1 in South Africa every year from under nine to under 15. I was decent. I was staying in a hostel in Pretoria and training at the same place as Oscar Pistorius. I always thought he had a good heart. He said, “Who needs a lift to training?” and I said yes. Oscar would come and pick me up at the hostel. Audi were his sponsor so he would come and pick me up in this Audi R8 and drive me to training. I was just a schoolboy. It was awesome. They had built special stuff for him to drive the car with his prosthetics.’

Were they friends? ‘He was just someone who wanted to help us younger boys. He was older than me. He used to train so hard. An awesome athlete.

‘Where I lived in Pretoria was one estate away from him. It was just that one night… I was drinking a coffee outside and we just heard police cars. I went on the TV and it said that he had killed his girlfriend. I was 19 then. He was such an icon, man. It was crazy.’

Around the same time, Herbst’s sporting career reached a crossroads. The Bulls franchise — home to giants of Springbok rugby — made an offer and he could not refuse. He chose rugby over shot put and did not look back, forging a career as a lock. Soon enough, he was a part of the South Africa Under 20 team featuring Handre Pollard and Cheslin Kolbe.

Harlequins went out of their way to sign the 19st 5lb Afrikaner as their new enforcer

‘I always loved the confrontation. Getting in someone’s face gives me energy. Just f*****g get yourself up for it. It was the same with shot put. Bakkies Botha was my hero. One of the best locks ever. He didn’t take any s**t. He got into guys’ heads. So physical. I’ve met him a lot. When I was young we had the same agent so he would often give me stuff and tell me what to do. Off the field he’s such a guy. I want to be like that.

‘That confrontation is how I get my energy. If somebody pulls my beard then I lose my s**t, but I don’t really let myself get into that space. If you let them get into your head then you lose the battle.’

During his early days at Harlequins, where he arrived from Treviso this summer, Herbst has been practising what he preaches. Five minutes into his home debut at the Stoop last week, he pinned Maro Itoje down to the turf with his forearm. Was it part of his plan?

‘I was thinking about it!’ he says with a laugh. ‘He is a good player. You pick him because you respect him. He’s such a big name. People think he is invincible. Sometimes you see the team and you know there’s a guy who will also be confrontational.’

On Sunday, Herbst will line up against Exeter. No doubt he already has a target in mind. He adds a hard edge to a Harlequins line-up that is better known for its pretty patterns and eye-catching attack. A beauty and the beast partnership.

‘When I got the call about signing for Harlequins I told my wife immediately that we should come. I still had two years left on my contract in Italy so it was a bit difficult, but I wanted to make it happen. Quins are a club you always hear about when you are overseas.

‘It’s been great. They like beards here more than they did in Italy! I’ve loved working with Marcus Smith. The energy he brings on the field is just insane. He makes everyone around him better. A good character. He talks a lot but he doesn’t talk s**t. He runs the ball more than South African fly-halves. He will be one of the best fly-halves England has had since Jonny Wilkinson. He’s different to Jonny, an extrovert.’

As Herbst prepares for a photoshoot, he talks through his plans to go back to Italy for a holiday and gorge on red meat. There is a softer side to him away from the pitch. He explains the grooming routine for his beard: occasional oiling and one shave at the end of the season. And finally, he reveals his dream of one day catching a flight back home to represent the Springboks.

 The lock adds a hard edge to a Harlequins line-up better known for its eye-catching attack

‘When I was living in Treviso, I wanted to play for Italy. That’s why I stayed for four years. They applied to World Rugby but they said no. I couldn’t because I played SA Under 20s. It was so s**t at the time. You can’t make a 20-year-old make that decision and it happened to a few of us. It doesn’t make sense.

‘Maybe it will be a blessing, because it will always be a dream to play for the Springboks. I will just give my best and if I make it then I make it. That was always a childhood dream.’

‘When my dad came back from work, my mum could just see his eyes because his face was so dirty from all the coal. Now he’s got problems with his lungs because he was working in all that filthy s**t.

‘They say it’s one of the most polluted in the world. It’s dark. Misty. There was a big community of poor people that made fires in the winter for heat so the two things combined. In the mornings you would wake up and there would be a bit of black soot on your car.’

Herbst is a tough operator. He started life at the local farm school, following in the footsteps of his two older brothers. They would spend the summer holidays with their grandparents on their 1,000-hectare ranch in the Free State, throwing a rugby ball around for fun.

‘The farm was close to Lesotho on the border, where they had lots of weed,’ he says. ‘These guys would drive across in massive trucks at midnight and my grandfather would go out with his gun to scare them off. I wasn’t allowed to go with him. It was scary because you didn’t know if someone would shoot him. They kill a lot, man.’

Herbst lived in Witbank until he was 12, before waving goodbye to his family and moving to a new school in Pretoria. His sporting journey took off. Size and aggression made him a natural rugby player, but his heart was initially set on shot put.

Five minutes into his home debut, Herbst pinned Maro Itoje down to the turf with his forearm

‘My dream was to become an Olympic shot putter,’ he said. ‘I had a talent for just throwing a ball. It grew on me. I liked it. It’s just you out there. It’s no one else’s fault if you have a s**t throw. I liked just being on my own, training with my dad on Sundays.

‘I was No1 in South Africa every year from under nine to under 15. I was decent. I was staying in a hostel in Pretoria and training at the same place as Oscar Pistorius. I always thought he had a good heart. He said, “Who needs a lift to training?” and I said yes. Oscar would come and pick me up at the hostel. Audi were his sponsor so he would come and pick me up in this Audi R8 and drive me to training. I was just a schoolboy. It was awesome. They had built special stuff for him to drive the car with his prosthetics.’

Were they friends? ‘He was just someone who wanted to help us younger boys. He was older than me. He used to train so hard. An awesome athlete.

‘Where I lived in Pretoria was one estate away from him. It was just that one night… I was drinking a coffee outside and we just heard police cars. I went on the TV and it said that he had killed his girlfriend. I was 19 then. He was such an icon, man. It was crazy.’

Around the same time, Herbst’s sporting career reached a crossroads. The Bulls franchise — home to giants of Springbok rugby — made an offer and he could not refuse. He chose rugby over shot put and did not look back, forging a career as a lock. Soon enough, he was a part of the South Africa Under 20 team featuring Handre Pollard and Cheslin Kolbe.

‘I always loved the confrontation. Getting in someone’s face gives me energy. Just f*****g get yourself up for it. It was the same with shot put. Bakkies Botha was my hero. One of the best locks ever. He didn’t take any s**t. He got into guys’ heads. So physical. I’ve met him a lot. When I was young we had the same agent so he would often give me stuff and tell me what to do. Off the field he’s such a guy. I want to be like that.

‘That confrontation is how I get my energy. If somebody pulls my beard then I lose my s**t, but I don’t really let myself get into that space. If you let them get into your head then you lose the battle.’

Herbst has backed teammate Marcus Smith to be one of the best England’s fly-halves

During his early days at Harlequins, where he arrived from Treviso this summer, Herbst has been practising what he preaches. Five minutes into his home debut at the Stoop last week, he pinned Maro Itoje down to the turf with his forearm. Was it part of his plan?

‘I was thinking about it!’ he says with a laugh. ‘He is a good player. You pick him because you respect him. He’s such a big name. People think he is invincible. Sometimes you see the team and you know there’s a guy who will also be confrontational.’

Today, Herbst will line up against Exeter. No doubt he already has a target in mind. He adds a hard edge to a Harlequins line-up that is better known for its pretty patterns and eye-catching attack. A beauty and the beast partnership.

‘When I got the call about signing for Harlequins I told my wife immediately that we should come. I still had two years left on my contract in Italy so it was a bit difficult, but I wanted to make it happen. Quins are a club you always hear about when you are overseas.

‘It’s been great. They like beards here more than they did in Italy! I’ve loved working with Marcus Smith. The energy he brings on the field is just insane. He makes everyone around him better. A good character. He talks a lot but he doesn’t talk s**t. He runs the ball more than South African fly-halves. He will be one of the best fly-halves England has had since Jonny Wilkinson. He’s different to Jonny, an extrovert.’

As Herbst prepares for a photoshoot, he talks through his plans to go back to Italy for a holiday and gorge on red meat. There is a softer side to him away from the pitch. He explains the grooming routine for his beard: occasional oiling and one shave at the end of the season. And finally, he reveals his dream of one day catching a flight back home to represent the Springboks.

‘When I was living in Treviso, I wanted to play for Italy. That’s why I stayed for four years. They applied to World Rugby but they said no. I couldn’t because I played SA Under 20s. It was so s**t at the time. You can’t make a 20-year-old make that decision and it happened to a few of us. It doesn’t make sense.

‘Maybe it will be a blessing, because it will always be a dream to play for the Springboks. I will just give my best and if I make it then I make it. That was always a childhood dream.’