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| Human Interest | |
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Further Personal Information | |
| Higher education | Finance - University of Cape Town: South Africa |
Sport Specific Information | |
| Name of coach | Neil Powell [national], RSA |
International Debut | |
| Year | 2008 |
| Competing for | South Africa |
| Location | Dubai, UAE |
Further Personal Information | |
| Occupation | Athlete |
| Residence | Stellenbosch, RSA |
General Interest | |
| Injuries | He suffered a chest injury during the Vancouver leg of the 2015/16 World Series in March 2016. He developed pneumothorax, air between his chest wall and his lungs. He was admitted to hospital and remained overnight for observation. (enca.com. 15 Mar 2016) He broke his ankle during a match against England at the Dubai leg of the 2012/13 World Series in November 2012. (sport24.co.za, 01 Dec 2012) |
Sport Specific Information | |
| Why this sport? | He did not initially enjoy rugby and began playing hockey instead, but was persuaded to give rugby another try by a friend. |
General Interest | |
| Ambitions | To achieve as much as possible with the South Africa sevens team. (supersport.com, 10 Oct 2012) |
| Awards and honours | He captained South Africa at the 2013 World Cup in Moscow, Russian Federation. (rugby15.co.za, 20 Jun 2013) He was named South Africa's Sevens Player of the Year in 2010. (Facebook page, 25 May 2016) |
Sport Specific Information | |
| When and where did you begin this sport? | He first played rugby in primary school, but did not take up sevens until around 2008. |
Further Personal Information | |
| Languages | Afrikaans, English |
General Interest | |
| Nicknames | Scully (Facebook profile, 08 Oct 2013) |
| Other information | BROTHERS He has previously captained South Africa and calls the sevens team a 'Band of Brothers' that has driven his own development as a player. "For me, it is about looking back years from now and saying, 'I was part of that set-up, we won that medal or we narrowly missed out in that tournament, but what a fight it was'. We go through so much together as a group, we have truly become a band of brothers. I believe that the person and player I have developed into today is because of all the positive, supportive people surrounding me." (sport24.co.za, 04 Mar 2016) SUSPENSION He received an initial six-match ban for making contact with the eyes or eye area of an opponent against Scotland at the 2013 World Cup in Moscow, Russian Federation. The suspension was reduced to two matches following an appeal. (rugby15.co.za, 30 Jun 2013) |
| Hobbies | Gadgets, video games, music, exploring, the beach, photography, family, braais, trail running, reading. (Facebook page, 25 May 2016) |
| Other sports | He played representative rugby union up to U21 level. (blitzbokke.com, 29 May 2010) |
| Hero / Idol | Australia rugby union player George Smith. (sport24.co.za, 04 Mar 2016) |
| Sporting philosophy / motto | "I'll step any man, any day of the week." (blitzbokke.com, 2010) "We spend so much time together on the road and in each other's faces representing the Blitzboks on the World Sevens circuit, the ability to work effectively in a group setting is paramount." (sport24.co.za, 04 Mar 2016) |
Further Personal Information | |
| Family | Wife Tarryn |