Edinburgh Rugby have recruited 2013 Currie Cup (First Division) and Vodacom Cup winning stand-off Carl Bezuidenhout on an extended trial until the end of the season.
The 27 year-old began training with the squad at Murrayfield Stadium this morning (Monday 30 December) two months after the Pumas’ unbeaten Currie Cup First Division triumph, in which he ended the season as tournament top points’ scorer.
edinburghrugby
He said: “I’m extremely excited to be here. “Playing in Europe is something I’ve wanted to do for a long time now, I just needed the break and this is it. “It’s a fantastic opportunity for a new experience; different rugby, different people, different cultures, it’s all very appealing to me and I’m really glad I’m here. “I’ve always wanted to travel with the sport. I got married in March so it’s something that we both really wanted to try as well. “It’s just going to take hard work. I need to get stuck in from day one. “Hopefully I’ll get a chance out on the paddock soon to play my natural game and kick on from there. I’m delighted about it and want to grab it with both hands and get an extension.”
Seasoned stand-off
Bezuidenhout has enjoyed a long-standing relationship with the business end of South Africa’s domestic cup competition.
He was part of the Natal Sharks Currie Cup squad that lifted the 2008 premier division title and reached the semi-finals on three other occasions.
He then spent a season with Eastern Province before moving to Nelspruit in 2010 where he was a key part of the Pumas’ improved fortunes, going one better than their 2012 runners-up place with this year’s flawless title win.
After eight seasons of southern hemisphere rugby he now has four months to prove that he is capable of offering an equally impressive contribution to the long-term plans of Edinburgh Rugby.
Head coach Alan Solomons said: “Carl [Bezuidenhout] has performed really well for the Pumas and played a pivotal role in their Currie Cup success this year. “His game management is very good, he’s got a good boot out of hand and for goal, and is very athletic. “He now has an excellent opportunity to show us what he is capable of, while also solving an immediate issue in that we are desperately short of fly-halves. We will have to see how he tracks for us but I think he has the ability.”
Carl Bezuidenhout (27), stand-off
Born: February 10, 1986, Grahamstown
Height: 6ft 3in (1.90m)
Weight: 14st 11lb (94kg)
Previous clubs: Natal Sharks (2006-09), Eastern Province (2009), Pumas (2010-2013)
Honours: South Africa President’s XV (IRB Tbilisi Cup winners)
The Steval Pums actually have 2 excellent flyhalves, Carl Bezuidenhout & JC Roos
1 @ grootblousmile:
Was just about to post asking how anyone rates Bezuidenhout, what are his strengths GBS, always try to get a more balanced view on players where possible as these club announcements will highlight player strengths a lot, I read Alan Solomons reckons he has a good boot
1 @ grootblousmile:
Maybe that is past tense GBS as if he is on trial to the end of the season then surely he will be here after the SA season starts, and then if succesful will stay on or do you think he end up hopping back for part of the SA season?
Looking at his stats, height and weight, he will be a giant among Scottish flyhalves.
I can understand the need for a backup flyhalf for Edinburgh as I’ve been calling for a good one most of the season. But this may in the end be a backward step for Scottish rugby if he takes over as number one as the enforced move of fullback Tonks to flyhalf seems to have worked really well and is certainly an experiment I would like to see continued for a while longer as it may offer a flyhalf with a different dimension to Scotland if Tonks continues improving. BUT I guess I am not on the coaching staff so its easier for me to say experiment…
2 @ Bullscot:
Great all round flyhalf skills, including attack, defence, distribution of the ball, good tactical kicking and an ace goal kicker.
I was actually hoping the Bulls would sign either or both Carl Bezuidenhout and JC Roos.
Jimmy Stonehouse has transformed these two okes… and I bet you one or both of them will go places in future.
6 @ grootblousmile:
Great thanks for that GBS, I suppose we will get to see how he gets on at a higher level of competition, some of the PRO12 teams would be on par with Vodacom Cup teams but others play to a higher standard and then of course there is still the Heineken Cup which is almost Super Rugby level. I was thinking that maybe he had reached his peak environment in the Vodacom Cup/First Division Currie Cup considering no Super rugby franchises had drafted. But you have me thinking now that he is better than that. Was JC Roos not from Pretoria in the first place?
7 @ Bullscot:
Carl Bezuidenhout was the preferred Steval Pumas flyhalf most of the season, but what was impressive was that Jimmy Stonehouse managed to make the switch to JC Roos seem so seemless.
So, I attribute a lot of Carl’s success to Stonehouse.
In fact there are now a number of Pumas players one cannot treat lightly… Coenie van Wyk immediately springs to mind as well as Rosco Speckman.
The fact that the Pumas beat a strong Griquas side in the Currie Cup Promotion / Relegation games also highlites that both Bezuidenhout and Roos are true Currie Cup Premier Division quality… if not Super Rugby quality already.
Don’t know much about JC Roos, think he was at Hoërskool Waterkloof, Tuks and junior Blue Bulls ranks, but I’m just going on free mind gasp and not on facts.
7 @ grootblousmile:
Ok if I get to see any of Edinburgh’s games that he is playing will try watch him closely and comment how he gets on. Kind of snuck in underneath the radar if he was already training with Edinburgh today, maybe he will already be in Edinburgh team for the 2nd leg of 1872 Cup on New Years day against Glasgow, at least on the bench, although they do have another guy there who was sub against Glasgow on Boxing Day – Tonny Fenner who came over from playing club rugby in Auckland and guess what also played some rugby for EP, didn’t see the last part of that game so am not sure how good Fenner was.
8 @ grootblousmile:
It will be good if Stonehouse can build a strong Currie Cup team in the Laeveld, I suppose their big problem will be the quality of their depth should injuries strike.
9 @ Bullscot:
Don’t know Tony Fenner at all.
10 @ Bullscot:
If Jimmy Stonehouse can persuade most of the Steval Pumas players to stay aboard and not move to greener pastures, he should build quite a Currie Cup side.
The problem is that the Steval Pumas fall within the Lions Super Rugby spectre and I do not see the Lions using too many of the Pumas players well enough in Super Rugby.
Depth of player stocks will always be a problem for the poorer and smaller SA rugby Unions and unfortunately the big 5 SA Unions will buy some players, as will the UK, French and Italian Clubs.
9 @ Bullscot:
Seems Tony Fenner (Anthony Fenner) is already a well-travelled youngster and quite a utility back, slotting in at flyhalf, centre and even wing… after a quick squiz at his merits on the web. Born and raised in the UK, having played for EP Kings, Auckland and in Italy as well.
Personally I’m a bit sceptic about the mercenary nature of the 24-year old Fenner who has now already played rugby in 4 different countries accross the globe.
Hi there, i am still alive, working hard to keep the till rolling. Back is alright, Nursery doing good and the whole Gauteng is down here again. We are getting buckets full of water. Raining for almost 5 days on and off, but more on than off.
Will chat more after this Gauteng invasion.
I saw this fight , there was quite a few good punches thrown.
@ superBul:
Shocking. Behaviour like that does not belong on a rugby field. The odd bit of handbags is part of the game, but the way fists and boots were going in there was terrible.
13 @ superBul:
Jinne… net soveel houe en skoppe as wat in die video is, soveel lafhartige geweghardlopery en agterbakse van agter af stront is daar!
Hulle moes altwee daai spanne geskors het vir ‘n jaar… geen rugby, geen kompetisies, flokkol!
12 @ grootblousmile:
Hi GBS ja didn’t know much about Fenner until I was rating Glasgow and Edinburgh’s chances ahead of their game here and found all that about him, he does seem to have moved about a fair but so wonder how good he really is, but if he played youth rugby for England he must be ok. Think he was brought in quite recently as injury cover for Edinburgh, regular flyhalf Francis (another import) was injured already early in the season and so young Hunter who think featured for Scotland u20 was given the starting jersey, probably ended up playing quite a bit more than he would have expected at the start of the season, unfortunately he got injured just before that Heineken Cup game that you covered between Edinburgh and Gloucester and that is when Tonks was shifted from fullback to flyhalf. What I saw of Tonks in the game before last I thought he was doing quite well at flyhalf, but I guess with Bezuidenhout there now Tonks will go back to sharing fullback duties with Cuthbert.
Glasgow and Edinburgh have announced their teams for tomorrow’s PRO12 game which is also the second leg of the 1872 Cup, will put an article up later, need an afternoon siesta
Glasgow team – 15 Stuart Hogg
14 Sean Maitland
13 Byron McGuigan
12 Alex Dunbar
11 Sean Lamont
10 Ruaridh Jackson
9 Henry Pyrgos
1 Ryan Grant
2 Dougie Hall
3 Ed Kalman
4 Tim Swinson
5 Tom Ryder
6 Robert Harley
7 Chris Fusaro (Captain)
8 Josh Strauss
Substitutes
16 Pat MacArthur
17 Jerry Yanuyanutawa
18 Jon Welsh
19 Leone Nakarawa
20 James Eddie
21 Ryan Wilson
22 Nikola Matawalu
23 Duncan Weir
Edinburgh still have Tonks starting flyhalf and Tonny Fenner on the bench so no game yet for new trialist Bezuidenhout
Edinburgh team to face Glasgow- 15 Jack Cuthbert
14 Dougie Fife
13 Nick De Luca
12 Ben Atiga
11 Tom Brown
10 Greig Tonks
9 Greig Laidlaw CAPTAIN
1 Alasdair Dickinson
2 Ross Ford
3 Willem Nel
4 Grant Gilchrist
5 Ollie Atkins
6 Cornell Du Preez
7 Roddy Grant
8 David Denton
Substitutes
16 Aleki Lutui
17 Wicus Blaauw
18 Geoff Cross
19 Izak van der Westhuizen
20 Mike Coman
21 Grayson Hart
22 Tony Fenner
23 Sam Beard
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