DHL Stormers legend: Robbie Fleck

After starring as a founding member of the Men in Black DHL Stormers, Robbie Fleck hung up his boots and continued to serve the team as an enterprising coach.

The former centre began his journey with Western Province Rugby as a schoolboy star at Wynberg and Bishops, growing up and learning the game in the shadow of Newlands. His school coach, the legendary Basil Bey, had a big influence on the way a young Fleck saw the game as he built a reputation as a fearless and incisive midfielder with quick hands and feet.

Having made his senior DHL WP debut in 1997 on a pre-season tour to Argentina, Fleck played for the inaugural DHL Stormers team in the 1998 Super Rugby season.

The following year was the Men in Black campaign, which saw Fleck and the DHL Stormers qualify for a home semifinal and pack out Newlands every week. He would go on to feature in the Springbok team that finished third at the 1999 World Cup.

‘Fleckie’ had astonishing acceleration and was renowned for sparking devastating attacking forays which made him a fan favourite. He earned 56 caps for DHL WP and 49 caps for the DHL Stormers on top of his 31 caps for South Africa.

Following a short stint playing for Bath at the end of his career Fleck returned to Cape Town, where it did not take long for him to become involved in coaching.

His first big assignment was as assistant coach to John Dobson at UCT in the first season of the Varsity Cup in 2008. At the end of 2009 Fleck formally became part of the DHL WP coaching structure.

As backline coach under Allister Coetzee, Fleck formed part of the team that played in successive home playoffs and the final in 2010 and won the Currie Cup in 2012 and 2014. He also won a national championship as Head Coach of DHL WP U21 in 2015.

In 2016 Fleck was appointed as Head Coach of the DHL Stormers and finished third on the combined log before their home quarterfinal against the Chiefs. His team won the South African Conference trophy and did so again the following year.

Fleck’s DHL Stormers numbers:

49 – The number of matches he played for the DHL Stormers from 1998 to 2003

17 – The number of tries he scored for the DHL Stormers