Van Zyl represented the Blue Bulls as early as primary school level, appearing at the Under-13 Craven Week competition in 2008.

In July 2013, he also played for them at the premier South African high school rugby competition, the Under-18 Craven Week held in Polokwane.

[14] Van Zyl made his first class debut for the Blue Bulls on 6 March 2015, starting their 2015 Vodacom Cup match against the Falcons in Kempton Park, helping them to a 37–13 victory.

He made his Currie Cup debut by playing off the bench in their 57–19 victory against the Free State Cheetahs in Bloemfontein in their opening match of the season.

He played off the bench in their semi-final match against Western Province, but could not prevent the side from Cape Town winning 23–18[24] to eliminate the Blue Bulls from the competition.