JP du Preez
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Jean-Pierre du Preez | ||
| Born |
9 November 1994 Florida, Gauteng, South Africa | ||
| Height | 2.09 m (6 ft 10 in) | ||
| Weight | 115 kg (18 st 2 lb) | ||
| School(s) attended | Hoërskool Dr. E.G. Jansen, Boksburg | ||
| Club information | |||
| Playing position | Lock | ||
| Current club | Golden Lions / Lions | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2012 | Falcons | ||
| 2013–present | Golden Lions | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Pts)† |
| 2015–present | Lions | 1 | (0) |
| 2015–present | Young Lions | 11 | (0) |
| 2016–present | Golden Lions | 4 | (5) |
|
* Senior club appearances and points correct as of 25 October 2016. | |||
Jean-Pierre du Preez (born 9 November 1994 in Florida, South Africa) is a South African rugby union player, currently playing domestic rugby with the Golden Lions and Super Rugby with the Lions.[1] His regular position is lock.
He is the tallest player in the history of Super Rugby.
Career
Youth
Du Preez represented the Falcons at the 2012 Under-18 Craven Week tournament in Port Elizabeth,[2] scoring a try in their match against the Leopards.[3][4] Despite still being at school, he was also included in the Falcons U19 squad that played in the 2012 Under-19 Provincial Championship a few months later, starting six of their matches as they reached the semi-finals of the competition.
In 2013, Du Preez made the short move to the Johannesburg-based Golden Lions. He was once again heavily involved at the Under-19 level, starting eleven matches for the Golden Lions U19s in the 2013 Under-19 Provincial Championship, helping them reach the final of the competition, where they lost 23–35 to Blue Bulls U19.[5] In addition, he also made two appearances for the Golden Lions U21 side in the 2013 Under-21 Provincial Championship.
Du Preez was included in the Golden Lions' squad for the 2014 Vodacom Cup, but failed to appear in the competition. He made nine appearances for the Golden Lions U21 during the round-robin stage of the 2014 Under-21 Provincial Championship, scoring a try in their match against Leopards U21.[6] He missed the final regular season matches of the season when he picked up a four-week suspension following a dangerous tackle on Sharks U21 scrum-half Stefan Ungerer,[7] but returned to the line-up for their semi-final clash with the Blue Bulls U21. He scored an early try for the Lions in the match, but it wasn't enough to prevent the Lions falling to a 19–23 defeat and being eliminated from the competition.[8]
Golden Lions / Lions
In 2015, he was included in the Lions squad for the 2015 Super Rugby season and was named on the bench for their Round Two match against the Sharks.[9] He made his Super Rugby debut, coming on as a substitute just after the hour mark[10] and, in doing so, becoming the tallest player ever to play Super Rugby.
References
- ↑ "SA Rugby Player Profile – JP du Preez". South African Rugby Union. Retrieved 29 May 2016.
- ↑ "EP magic at Craven Week". Rugby365. 9 July 2012. Retrieved 20 February 2015.
- ↑ "EP retain unbeaten status". Rugby365. 11 July 2012. Retrieved 20 February 2015.
- ↑ "SA Rugby Match Centre – Valke 38-5 Leopards". South African Rugby Union. 11 July 2012. Retrieved 22 July 2016.
- ↑ "SA Rugby Match Centre – MTN Golden Lions 23-35 Vodacom Blue Bulls". South African Rugby Union. 26 October 2013. Retrieved 22 July 2016.
- ↑ "SA Rugby Match Centre – Golden Lions U21 43-13 Leopards U21". South African Rugby Union. 26 July 2014. Retrieved 22 July 2016.
- ↑ "JP du Preez suspended for four weeks". Rugby15. 25 September 2014. Retrieved 20 February 2015.
- ↑ "SA Rugby Match Centre – Blue Bulls U21 23-19 Golden Lions U21". South African Rugby Union. 17 October 2014. Retrieved 22 July 2016.
- ↑ "Team Announcement - Cell C Sharks vs Emirates Lions". Lions. 19 February 2015. Retrieved 20 February 2015.
- ↑ "SA Rugby Match Centre – Cell C Sharks 29-12 Emirates Lions". South African Rugby Union. 21 February 2015. Retrieved 22 July 2016.