Latest news with #Quinten
Otago Daily Times
24-06-2025
- Sport
- Otago Daily Times
All Black selection makes mum proud
Margot de Haas misses seeing her big boys every day, but she is quite happy the grocery bill is a lot smaller. The proudest mum in the Netherlands is enjoying some time in Dunedin with her sons, new All Blacks lock Fabian Holland and New Zealand Schools rugby player Quinten. Talk about perfect timing. Her holiday to New Zealand coincided with a heart-warming family moment when Holland got the call of his dreams from All Blacks coach Scott Robertson. "It's very special, of course," Ms de Haas said yesterday. "It's something that develops over time, but you never know if it will really happen. "He's worked so hard for this, so it is really amazing. I have so much respect for all the things he is doing and has done. It's marvellous. "What's very special is his focus on what he really wants. I think that comes from himself." Holland became obsessed with New Zealand rugby as a child. His mother recalled taking him to an All Blacks v Scotland test in Edinburgh as a treat for his 10th birthday, and when they saw Richie McCaw and Sam Whitelock walking down the Royal Mile, the Dutch lad was too shy to go anywhere near them. Holland was just 16 when he left Castricum, his beachside home near Amsterdam, to play rugby for Christchurch Boys' High School. His mother had planned to come visit him in April 2020, but her hopes were dashed when New Zealand closed its borders during the Covid-19 pandemic. "It was, of course, a very strange time. "For Fabian, for his development, New Zealand was a good place to be. But it was also a lonely place for him." The family did not see their eldest — Quinten has a twin, Franka, who also plays rugby and is back in the Netherlands with father Reinout — for two and a-half years through Covid, by which time Holland was established with the Dunedin club, Otago and the Highlanders. They are proud Dutch people, but hearing Fabian's name included in an All Blacks squad made them immensely proud, Ms de Haas said. "If you love rugby, and what it means, that is the utmost you can get. So it's very special." Holland has developed into a 2.04m, 125kg giant — and his move to New Zealand certainly had an effect on the weekly grocery shop. "It is much lower than it used to be, ha ha. "He was always hungry, right from a baby. We are cheese people, of course. He was born in Alkmaar, the cheese city of Amsterdam. "But he is a very good eater. He loves healthy food." The proud mum is in New Zealand for the whole three-test series against France and, ideally, will get to see her boy make his test debut at Forsyth Barr Stadium on Saturday next week.
The Citizen
07-06-2025
- The Citizen
Roodepoort family pleads for justice after brutal attack
A peaceful morning turned into a horrific scene when Quinten van Niekerk's life was almost taken in the early hours of May 21. Roodepoort Record reports that he was brutally attacked by a wanted suspect who is on the run for attempted murder and several other charges. This comes after his sister Geneké van Niekerk shared a post on her Facebook page about the attack, highlighting that the suspect in question is on the run. According to Geneké, Quinten's life was threatened twice in just over a month, both times by the same suspect. 'Since Quinten was busy with renovations, the suspect saw an opportunity to gain access to his house and attack him. We are still unable to determine how he managed to enter the estate when the CCTV footage only provides evidence of him leaving the premises. When Quinten saw him, he shouted and yelled for help, which woke up his partner, only for her to find the suspect on top of Quinten with a knife. 'His partner ran to him and tried to protect him by lying on top of him with her back faced to the suspect, but unfortunately, got caught in the chaos and was stabbed in the chest by the suspect after a brutal tussle between all three of them. 'The suspect tried to flee the scene but hid behind their home in an attempt to attack Quinten again. While feeling slightly dizzy from his stab wound, Quinten took the belt from the bathrobe and wrapped it around his wound to stop the bleeding and check if the suspect was gone,' Geneké explains. The suspect stole Quinten's vehicle and fled the scene, driving through the estate's security gates to escape. The stolen vehicle was later found abandoned near a shopping complex on Hendrik Potgieter Road. Geneké added that they opened a case at the Honeydew Police Station for the second time. 'On April 13, the suspect broke into Quinten's home and stabbed him in the foot, causing significant damage to his property while his children were in his home, further heightening the horror of the situation. In the wake of the second attack, it was revealed to us that the suspect's friends were allegedly sharing messages on WhatsApp, expressing hope that Quinten had died from his injuries while he was still recovering at Life Wilgeheuwel Hospital. 'Quinten's children are still traumatised, watching these two situations unfold and feeling helpless, pleading with the suspect to leave their father alone. 'We just want justice for my brother and for him and his family to be safe and not have to constantly look over their shoulders,' Geneké adds. Geneké confirmed that the police assured her that an investigation is still ongoing. Questions have been sent to the police for comment, and no response has been forthcoming. Breaking news at your fingertips… Follow Caxton Network News on Facebook and join our WhatsApp channel. Nuus wat saakmaak. Volg Caxton Netwerk-nuus op Facebook en sluit aan by ons WhatsApp-kanaal. Read original story on At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
