Nicolaas Johannes John "Maks" van Dyk (born 21 January 1992) is a South African professional rugby union player for Exeter Chiefs. His regular position is prop.

Career

Youth

As a scholar at

Paarl Boys' High School Paarl Boys' High School, known in Afrikaans as Hoër Jongenskool Paarl (also known as Boishaai) is one of the oldest schools in South Africa, built in 1868. The school is situated in Paarl, a town in the Western Cape province of South Africa. The ...

, Van Dyk represented at the Under-18 Academy Week and Craven Week competitions in 2010. He then moved to Durban to join the academy. He played for the side during the

2011 Under-19 Provincial Championship The 2011 ABSA Under-19 Provincial Championship was contested from 15 July to 29 October 2011. The tournament featured the Under-19 players from the fourteen provincial rugby unions in South Africa. Competition Division A There were seven partici ...

competition and for the in

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...

– scoring three tries in the competition – and

2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fact ...

2012 IRB Junior World Championship

In 2012, Van Dyk was part of the South Africa Under-20 side that won the

2012 IRB Junior World Championship The 2012 IRB Junior World Championship was the fifth annual international rugby union competition for Under 20 national teams. This competition replaced the now defunct Under 19 and Under 21 world championships. The event was organised in South A ...

held in South Africa. He made substitute appearances in the matches against Ireland and England and started the semi-final against Argentina and the final against New Zealand.

Sharks

Van Dyk made his first two first class appearances for the during the

2012 Vodacom Cup The 2012 Vodacom Cup was played between 10 March and 18 May 2012 and was the 15th edition of this annual domestic cup competition. The Vodacom Cup is played between rugby union teams in South Africa from the Currie Cup Premier and First Divisions, ...

, coming on as a substitute against the in Bloemfontein and against the in Durban. Van Dyk became a regular in the team during the

2013 Vodacom Cup The 2013 Vodacom Cup was played between 9 March and 18 May 2013 and was the 16th edition of this annual domestic cup competition. The Vodacom Cup is played between provincial rugby union teams in South Africa from the Currie Cup Premier and First ...

, starting six of their eight matches (his first senior start coming against in Cape Town) and coming on as a substitute in the other two.

Griquas

Van Dyk joined

Kimberley Kimberly or Kimberley may refer to: Places and historical events Australia * Kimberley (Western Australia) ** Roman Catholic Diocese of Kimberley * Kimberley Warm Springs, Tasmania * Kimberley, Tasmania a small town * County of Kimberley, a ...

-based side prior to the 2014 season and was also included in the training squad for the Griquas'

Super Rugby Super Rugby is a men's professional rugby union club competition involving teams from Australia, Fiji, New Zealand, and the Pacific Islands. It previously included teams from Argentina, Japan, and South Africa. Building on various Southern Hem ...

side, the . He made his Super Rugby debut for the Cheetahs in a 21–20 defeat to the in Bloemfontein.

Leinster

Van Dyk joined Irish

Pro12 The United Rugby Championship (URC) is an annual rugby union competition involving professional teams from Ireland, Italy, Scotland, South Africa, and Wales. The current name was adopted in 2021 when the league expanded to include four South Afr ...

side Leinster on a two-month loan deal in November 2014 during the South African rugby off-season. He made his debut in Leinster's 21–11 victory over Irish rivals Connacht in Round 10 of the

2014–15 Pro12 The 2014–15 Pro12 (also known as the ''Guinness Pro12'' for sponsorship reasons) was the 14th season of the professional rugby union competition originally known as the Celtic League, and the fifth with its current four-country format. It was ...

, his only appearance for the Dublin-based side.

Cheetahs

Van Dyk joined

Port Elizabeth Gqeberha (), formerly Port Elizabeth and colloquially often referred to as P.E., is a major seaport and the most populous city in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. It is the seat of the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality, Sou ...

-based side for the 2015 and 2016 seasons, even though he was still available for the during the

2015 Super Rugby season The 2015 Super Rugby season was the 20th season of Super Rugby and the fifth season featuring an expanded 15-team format. For sponsorship reasons, this competition was known as Asteron Life Super Rugby in Australia, Investec Super Rugby in New ...

. He joined in pre-season training with the Kings prior to the

2015 Currie Cup Premier Division The 2015 Currie Cup Premier Division was the 77th season in the competition since it started in 1889 and was contested from 7 August to 24 October 2015. The tournament (known as the Absa Currie Cup Premier Division for sponsorship reasons) was t ...

, but negotiated an early release from his contract and a return to the without playing a match for the Kings.

Toulouse

Van Dyk moved to France to join prior to the

2016–17 Top 14 season The 2016–17 Top 14 competition was the 118th French domestic rugby union club competition operated by the Ligue Nationale de Rugby (LNR). Two new teams from the 2015–16 Pro D2 season were promoted to Top 14 this year, Bayonne and Lyon in plac ...

Harlequins

In August 2020, it was confirmed that van Dyk had signed a short-term with Harlequins for the remainder of the 2019–20 season.

Exeter Chiefs

In November 2020 it was announced that van Dyk would join Exeter Chiefs ahead of the 2020–21 season on an initial one-year deal.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Van Dyk, Maks South African rugby union players Living people 1992 births Rugby union players from Johannesburg Cheetahs (rugby union) players Sharks (Currie Cup) players Griquas (rugby union) players Rugby union props Alumni of Paarl Boys' High School South Africa Under-20 international rugby union players