World Rugby Player of the Year Malcolm Marx’s U14A schoolboy coach has recalled the brilliance of the young star and the qualities that made him stand out even then.
Marx, who matriculated from King Edward VII School (KES) in 2012, was recently crowned the world’s best after a stellar season with the Springboks.
His former KES U14A coach, Tutty Faber, who retired in 2021, remembers Marx’s early brilliance vividly.
“When you think back to coaching Malcolm in the unbeaten U14A side in 2008, the early qualities were already there,” Faber told local newspaper the Rosebank Killarney Gazette.
“He was a very strong and talented player. I played him at No 8. As a junior, he was considerably better than Bryan Habana – but Bryan was an U13 boy when I coached him. As a coach, you always hope your charges will attain the highest level.”
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Habana was crowned World Rugby Player of the Year in 2007.
One Marx moment still stands out for him: an unstoppable try against Jeppe in which four defenders failed to bring the player down. Some things never change.
Another memory reveals Marx’s trademark dedication.
“When it was suggested his future was at hooker, he stood on a tryline throwing ball after ball at an upright pole – before and after practice. It has paid off.”
MORE: Japan hails Marx’s World Player of the Year win
While Marx’s positional switch to hooker came later under a different school coach, the foundations of discipline and character were laid early. Faber believes KES played a crucial role in shaping the man behind the player.
“I like to think the school lends itself to developing boys into men of strong beliefs and actions.”
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