This is the third in the series of Cheetas Squad Contenders for Super Rugby 2014. We do 2 articles per week per South African Super Rugby participating franchise.
We discuss the players IN the Super Rugby Group, and not all the options beyond that.
In this Article we look at the contenders for LOCKS in the Toyota Cheetahs 2014 Super Rugby group, and whether they could force their way into Bok contention.
The Contenders:
Name: Lodewyk “Lood” de Jager:
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Lood is a product of Jan van Riebeeck Primary School, Hugenote High School in Springs and North-West University (Pukke).
He played at youth level for the Leopards and also played for Potchefstroom-based university side NWU-Pukke.
In 2012, he was included in the Leopards’ Currie Cup squad, but failed to make an appearance. Yet, his performances in the 2012 Under-21 Currie Cup earned him a move to the Free State Cheetahs and he was included in the Cheetahs final squad for the 2013 Super Rugby season.
De Jager has made quite an impact since making his debut for the Cheetahs in the 2013 Super Rugby season.
He is most likely to continue where he left off. The Cheetahs do however have quite a bit of experience in their lock division so it would seem that no one player will have to much margin for error.
Young De Jager can expect to see quite a bit of game time should he display the same form as in the 2013 season.
His playing career is as follows:
- 2011 – Leopard – ABSA Under 19 Competition
- 2012 – Pukke – Varsity Cup, Leopards – ABSA Currie Cup First Div, Platinum Leopards – ABSA Under 21 Competition
- 2013 – Toyota Cheetahs – Lions Challenge, Cheetahs – Vodacom Super Rugby, Toyota Free State Cheetahs – ABSA Currie Cup Premier Division
Name: Andries Stephanus “Andries” Ferreira:
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Andries is a product of Sonop Primary School, Afrikaans Hoër Seunsskool (Affies) and University of Pretoria (Tuks).
After school he joined the Blue Bulls although he didn’t make any senior appearances for them. In search of top-level rugby, he moved to Bloemfontein to join the Cheetahs in 2012. He made 14 appearances during the 2012 Super Rugby season, his first for the franchise before an injury curtailed his season. The subsequent emergence of former Leopards lock, Lood de Jager, has seen him spend time playing for the Free State Cheetahs in the Vodacom Cup as well as having a spell on loan at the Griffons.
Ferreira is most likely the most unknown of all the locks at the Cheetahs.
He will most likely see some game time but not nearly as much as the other locks in the side.
His playing career is as follows:
- 2005 – Eastern Province – U16 Coca Cola Grant Khomo Week
- 2006 – Eastern Province – U16 Coca Cola Grant Khomo Week
- 2008 – U18 Elite Squad – Elite Squads, SA Schools, Vodacom Blue Bulls – U18 Coca-Cola Craven Week – 2008, Vodacom Blue Bulls U19 – ABSA Under 19 Competition – 2008, Mpumalanga – ABSA Under 21 Competition
- 2009 – Blue Bulls – ABSA Under 21 Competition, Blue Bulls – SA Under 19 Competition
- 2010 – Tuks – Varsity Cup, Blue Bulls – ABSA Under 21 Competition
- 2011 – Vodacom Blue Bulls – Vodacom Cup, TUT – Varsity Cup
- 2012 – Toyota Cheetahs – Vodacom Super Rugby, Toyota Free State Cheetahs – ABSA Currie Cup Premier Division
- 2013 – Toyota Free State XV – Vodacom Cup, Toyota Cheetahs – Vodacom Super Rugby, Down Touch Griffons – ABSA Currie Cup First Division, Toyota Free State Cheetahs – ABSA Currie Cup Premier Division
Name: Rynard Jaco “Ligtoring” Landman:
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Ligtoring Landman is a product of Sonop Primary School, Despatch High School and North-West University (Pukke).
He played his youth rugby with the Leopards and that’s where he began his senior rugby career. He played more than 40 games for the Potchefstroom based side before joining the Boland Cavaliers in 2011. He only spent one season in Wellington before moving to the Griquas in 2012. Strong performances in the local Vodacom Cup and Currie Cup competitions allied to injuries to Martin Muller and Andries Ferreira saw him become an important member of the Cheetahs team that reached the play-offs in the 2013 Super Rugby season.
Landman has become a familiar face at the Cheetahs and Griquas respectively. He is a hard player and will always give 100% when his number is called up.
Under the circumstances at the Cheetahs one would think that Landman will be a regular bench player behind Lood de Jager and Francois Uys.
His playing career is as follows:
- 2004 – Eastern province – U18 Coca-Cola Craven Week
- 2005 – Leopards – SA Under 19
- 2006 – Leopards – ABSA Under 21 Competition
- 2007 – Leopards U/21 – ABSA Under 21 Competition
- 2008 – Platinum Leopards – Absa Currie Cup Promotion / Relegation, Platinum Leopards – Vodacom Cup, Profert Platinum Leopards – ABSA Currie Cup First Division
- 2009 – Platinum Leopards – Vodacom Cup, Auto & General Lions – Vodacom Super 14, Royal XV – British & Irish Lions Tour, Platinum Leopards – ABSA Currie Cup Premier Division, Leopards – ABSA Currie Cup Promotion / Relegation
- 2010 – Platinum Leopards – Vodacom Cup, Platinum Leopards – ABSA Currie Cup Premier Division
- 2011 – Leopards – Vodacom Cup, Pukke – Varsity Cup, Boland Cavaliers – ABSA Currie Cup Compulsory friendlies, Regent Boland Cavaliers – ABSA Currie Cup First Division
- 2012 – GWK Griquas – Vodacom Cup, GWK Griquas – ABSA Currie Cup Premier Division
- 2013 – Toyota Cheetahs – Lions Challenge, GWK Griquas – Vodacom Cup, Toyota Cheetahs – Vodacom Super Rugby, GWK Griquas – ABSA Currie Cup Premier Division, GWK Griquas – ABSA Currie Cup Promotion / Relegation
Name: Francois Uys:
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Francois Uys is a product of Die Arend Primary School in Brakpan, Dr EG Jansen High School and University of Johannesburg (UJ).
He started his senior career in Johannesburg with the Golden Lions but, he found first-team opportunities hard to come by and in 2009 he switched to the Free State Cheetahs. Initially he played mainly in the Vodacom Cup and Currie Cup competitions and even had a spell on loan at the Griffons in 2012. He made sporadic appearances for the senior Cheetahs team in Super Rugby after his debut in 2009 before finally nailing down a regular starting berth during the 2013 Super Rugby season.
Uys was a member of the South Africa Under 19 side that competed in the 2005 IRB Under 19 World Championship.
Uys has been around the block for the Cheetahs and has become a well known face in SA Rugby.
Uys will most likely be one of the starting locks due to his consistent performances.
His playing career is as follows:
- 2004 – Falcons – U18 Coca-Cola Craven Week
- 2005 – South Africa – IRB U19 World Championships, Golden Lions – SA Under 19
- 2006 – Golden Lions – ABSA Under 21 Competition, Lions – Vodacom Cup
- 2007 – Lions – Vodacom Cup, Golden Lions – ABSA Currie Cup Premier Division, Golden Lions – ABSA Under 21 Competition
- 2008 – Golden Lions – Vodacom Cup, Xerox Lions – ABSA Currie Cup Compulsory Friendlies, Xerox Lions – ABSA Currie Cup Premier Division
- 2009 – Free State – Vodacom Cup, Vodacom Cheetahs – Vodacom Super 14, Vodacom Free State Cheetahs – British & Irish Lions Tour, Vodacom Free State Cheetahs – ABSA Currie Cup Compulsory Friendlies, Vodacom Free State Cheetahs – ABSA Currie Cup Premier Division
- 2010 – Free State – Vodacom Cup, Vodacom Free State Cheetahs – ABSA Currie Cup Compulsory Friendlies, Griffons – ABSA Currie Cup First Division, Vodacom Free State Cheetahs – ABSA Currie Cup Premier Division
- 2011 – Toyota Cheetahs – Vodacom Super Rugby, Emerging Cheetahs – ABSA Currie Cup Compulsory friendlies, Toyota Free State Cheetahs – ABSA Currie Cup Premier Division
- 2012 – Toyota Cheetahs – Vodacom Super Rugby, Toyota Free State XV – Vodacom Cup, Griffons – ABSA Currie Cup First Division, Toyota Free State Cheetahs – ABSA Currie Cup Premier Division, Toyota Free State Cheetahs – ABSA Currie Cup Promotion / Relegation
- 2013 – Toyota Cheetahs – Lions Challenge, Toyota Cheetahs – Vodacom Super Rugby, Toyota Free State Cheetahs – ABSA Currie Cup Premier Division
Name: Petrus Van Der Walt “Waltie” Vermeulen:
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Waltie Vermeulen is a product of Hopetown Primary School, Grey College in Bloemfontein and University of the Free State (Kovsies).
He has come through the Free State junior ranks from Under 18 to Under 21 levels.
Vermeulen will most likely be seen as the 4th pick for the locks at the Cheetahs.
He will see some game time but is still quite low on in the pecking order.
His playing career is as follows:
- 2006 – Free State – U18 Coca Cola Craven Week
- 2008 – Free State u21 – ABSA Under 21 Competition
- 2009 – Free State – Vodacom Cup, Vodacom Free State Cheetahs – ABSA Currie Cup Premier Division, Free State – ABSA Under 21 Competition
- 2010 – Vodacom Cheetahs – Vodacom Super 14, Vodacom Free State Cheetahs – ABSA Currie Cup Compulsory Friendlies, Vodacom Free State Cheetahs – ABSA Currie Cup Premier Division
- 2011 – Toyota Free State Cheetahs – Vodacom Cup, Toyota Cheetahs – Vodacom Super Rugby, Toyota Free State Cheetahs – ABSA Currie Cup Premier Division
- 2012 – Toyota Cheetahs – Vodacom Super Rugby, Toyota Free State XV – Vodacom Cup, Toyota Free State Cheetahs – ABSA Currie Cup Premier Division
- 2013 – Toyota Cheetahs – Lions Challenge, Toyota Free State XV – Vodacom Cup, Toyota Cheetahs – Vodacom Super Rugby, Toyota Free State Cheetahs – ABSA Currie Cup Premier Division
Starters:
The Cheetahs have quite number of good locks to pick from. All of their locks have Super Rugby experience, which makes prediction of selections tricky. The plus point one can take out of this is the fact that there will be no margin for error this season amongst the Cheetahs locks, due to the depth on the bench and eagerness to latch down a starting berth.
The most likely starters will be the pairing of Lood de Jager (No 5) and Francois Uys, with Ligtoring Landman providing bench cover.
The next Article in the range will deal with the Cheetahs loose forwards.
All good players, not great though.
I also changed this article quite a bit as the information was far too limited.
The Cheetahs have good locks… they will be a force to be reconed with, unlike previous years where lock was a problem.
There are some other lock options in case of injury setbacks:
Boela Serfontein (ex Pumas) Height 195 cm, Weight 112 kg’s, aged 25.
Chris Ehlers (ex Valke & Griffons) Height 204 cm, Weight 128 kg’s, aged 26.
Jaco Nepgen (Griquas) Height 198 cm, Weight 110 kg’s, aged 28.
Cornel Hess (ex Blue Bulls) Height 200 cm, Weight 110 Kg’s, aged 24.
4 @ Cheetah4eva:
We’ve limited lock contenders to only 5 per Super Rugby squad (See the first paragraphs of the article).
Of course there are always other options… but the only 1 of the ones you have mentioned who I think could possibly break through to take part, seems to be Jaco Nepgen.
@ grootblousmile:
No arguments there, no slight on the article intended, just saying.
4 @ Cheetah4eva:
Hello Cheetah, had wondered where Cornel Hess was, think he spent a fair bit of his most recent time at Blue Bulls injure, is he now with Free State or Griquas?
7 @ Bullscot:
Yes, Cornell Hess had a long term injury and has moved on to Griquas.
@ Bullscot:
Howdy Bully,yes as GBS stated Hess has been signed by Griquas.. I haven’t a clue what he offers, so will wait and see. Have a good a year.
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