Steven Sykes

Born in Middelburg (Eastern Cape) on 5 August 1984, 31-year-old Steven Robert Sykes will play his 100th Currie Cup game when the EP Kings take on ORC Griquas at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Port Elizabeth on Saturday 26 September.

Sykes attended Cradock Primary School and Marlow Agricultural, and represented EP at various age-group levels, including the EP Under 13 team in 1997 and the Under 18 EP Craven Week team in 2002.

In 2003, Sykes linked up with the Sharks Academy in Durban and that year he also represented South Africa at the World Under 19 Championship.

Playing lock, he made his 1st-class debut for the Natal Wildebeest during the 2005 Vodacom Cup competition, coming on as an early substitute in a 43 / 0 victory over Border in Durban. He started their next match against the Pumas in Witbank and remained in the starting line-up for the remainder of the competition.

He made his Currie Cup debut for the Sharks in a qualification round match against Eastern Province in 2005, coming off the bench.

In 2007, Sykes made his Super Rugby debut for the Sharks against the Bulls – the Sharks won 17 / 3 and Sykes played in their 1st 3 matches of the season. However, Johan Ackermann returned for the remainder of the competition and Sykes made 5 starts for the Wildebeest in the Vodacom Cup and 14 appearances in the Currie Cup Premier Division.

He made 8 appearances for the Sharks Super Rugby side in 2008 and scored his 1st Super Rugby try in a 47 / 25 victory over the Chiefs. He remained a key player for the Sharks in the Currie Cup, starting the final against the Bulls, which the Sharks won 14 / 9.

He scored 4 tries for the Sharks in the 2009 Super Rugby season and was then involved in several matches against the 2009 British and Irish Lions touring side. Firstly, he played for the Sharks in the Lions’ 4th tour match. He also featured in a match between the Lions and an Emerging Springboks side in Cape Town (13 / 13 draw) and was called into the Springbok squad for the 3rd Test, but remained an unused substitute as the British & Irish Lions ran out 28 / 9 winners.

Sykes made a further 13 appearances for the Sharks in the 2010 Super Rugby season and helped the Sharks to the Currie Cup title with a 30 / 10 win over Western Province in Durban.

After 7-and-a-half years in Durban, Sykes signed a 3-year contract with Irish side Leinster. However, he made just 4 appearances for the Dublin-based side before returning to South Africa.

He returned to the Sharks, signing for them on a 1-year contract in 2012 before joining the Southern Kings for their debut season in Super Rugby in 2013. He made his debut for the Kings in their historic 1st-ever Super Rugby match, helping them to a 22 / 10 victory against the Western Force in Port Elizabeth.

He played for the EP Kings Currie Cup team in 2013, when EP reached the First Division final, and 2014, when they were promoted to the Premier Division.

He was loaned to the Toyota Cheetahs for the 2015 Super Rugby season.

Sykes has scored 21 tries during his 1st-class career.

Anthony Johnson, Managing Director of World Artists, who act as the rugby star’s agent, paid tribute to Sykes for his achievement.

“Steven joined World Artists in June 2005, 3 months before I started with the company. It is quite fitting that he now celebrates his 100th Currie Cup cap in the same season as we share our 10 years with World Artists. I have always enjoyed a good working relationship with Steven and have appreciated his loyalty over the years. Congrats on your 100th cap Steven from all of us at World Artists, said Johnson.

Eastern Province Kings: 15 Scott van Breda, 14 Sylvian Mahuza, 13 JP du Plessis, 12 Tim Whitehead (Captain), 11 Luther Obi,  10 Karlo Aspeling, 9 Dwayne Kelly, 8 Vleis Engelbrecht, 7 Stefan Willemse, 6 Paul Schoeman, 5 Cornell Hess, 4 Steven Sykes, 3 Tom Botha, 2 Martin Ferreira, 1 Lizo Gqoboka
Replacements: 16 Edgar Marutlulle, 17 Schalk Ferreira, 18 Simon Kerrod, 19 Thembelani Bholi, 20 Tim Agaba, 21 Enrico Acker, 22 Elgar Watts.

Sport24