PIERRE Schoeman attended his first-ever football match last weekend - and the Edinburgh and Scotland prop enjoyed the experience at Tynecastle so much that he has now declared himself to be a “loud and proud” Heart of Midlothian fan.

Born and brought up in a rugby-mad part of South Africa, the 27-year-old and his wife Charissa were invited to the Edinburgh derby by some Hearts-supporting neighbours. The home team beat Hibernian 3-1 to clinch third place in the Premiership and deny their rivals a place in the top six, and Schoeman admitted to being surprised by the supporters’ energy and enthusiasm.

“It was my and my wife’s first football game,” the forward explained. “I’m loud and proud now that I’m a Hearts supporter.

“I really enjoyed the passion of the fans. It was incredible to see. I thought that rugby fans were brutal, physical and emotionally involved, but I could see all of that in football as well. They are so passionate. It was a really amazing experience.

“Our neighbours are actually season-ticket holders at Hearts,” he continued. “I believe they are one of the few clubs in the world where the fans own the club and invest their own money as shareholders. That was amazing to see. I would definitely go back to another game. 

“With our neighbours, it’s a generation of Hearts fans which goes back through fathers and grandfathers. They invited us. It’s great to be part of the Heart of Midlothian fan club.”

Schoeman was able to attend last Saturday’s league match because Edinburgh had played the night before, beating Pau in their last Challenge Cup pool game to set up a last-16 game this Saturday at home to Bath. In theory he could get to this Saturday’s 12.15pm kick-off at Hampden, when Hearts and Hibs meet again in the Scottish Cup semi-final, and still be back in plenty of time for his team’s 8pm kick-off against the English Premiership club. In practice, however, matchday preparations are all about remaining calm and avoiding the unnecessary expenditure of energy - something which the ebullient loosehead prop would find impossible if he were to go along to the national stadium.

“If we weren’t playing this Saturday, I would have tried my best to get to Hampden for the semi-final against Hibs,” he added. “It’s difficult to get tickets. There’s not always tickets available for the big derbies.”