SP Marais

SP Marais
Personal information
Full nameSarel Petrus Marais
Born16 March 1989
Parow
Height1.84 m (6 ft 0 in)
Weight80 kg (12 st 8 lb)
School(s) attendedPaarl Boys' High School
Club information
Playing positionFullback
Current clubNatal Sharks / Sharks
Youth career
2008Boland Cavaliers
Amateur team(s)
YearsTeam
2010NWU Pukke4(10)
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps†(Pts)†
2009Boland Cavaliers0(0)
2010Leopards2(17)
2011–13Eastern Province Kings36(98)
2013Kings10(0)
2013–Natal Sharks21(41)
2014–Sharks25(8)
Representative team(s)‡
2011South African Kings3(0)
* Senior club appearances and points correct as of 28 March 2015.

† Appearances (Points).

‡ Representative team caps and points correct as of 23 February 2013.

Sarel Petrus Marais (born 16 March 1989) is a South African rugby union player, currently playing with the Natal Sharks.[1]

Career

Youth and Varsity rugby

He played for the Boland Cavaliers in youth competitions and was part of the 2009 Vodacom Cup squad, without making a senior appearance. He then moved to Potchefstroom in 2010, where he played four matches for the NWU Pukke in the 2010 Varsity Cup competition.

He also played for the Leopards U21 team during the 2010 Under-21 competition.

Leopards

Although he didn't play any games for the Leopards during the 2010 Currie Cup season, his made his first class debut in the Leopards' first relegation play-off match against the SWD Eagles, scoring his first try within a minute of his debut when he came on as a first-half blood replacement and a second try right before the end of the match.[2] He maintained his try-scoring exploits in the following match, scoring another try in the return leg[3] to help keep the Leopards in the 2011 Currie Cup Premier Division.

Kings

It was then announced that he moved to the Eastern Province Kings for the 2011 Currie Cup First Division season.[4] He remained with them for three seasons, making 36 appearances for them in the Currie Cup and Vodacom Cup competitions in 2011 and 2012. He reached the top ten in the scoring charts for the 2011 Currie Cup First Division, scoring ten tries and two conversions during the season.[5] He firmly established himself as the first choice full-back, starting fifteen of their sixteen matches in the 2012 Currie Cup First Division season and also started their match in the First Division final, which the Kings won 26–25 to win their second First Division title in three seasons.[6]

In 2013, he was also named in the Kings squad for the 2013 Super Rugby season. He made his Super Rugby debut for the Kings in their first ever Super Rugby match, a 22–10 victory over Australian side the Force in Port Elizabeth.[7] After starting the first three matches of the season, he missed the next seven due to a knee injury.[8] He returned to make a further five appearances, as well as playing in both legs of the Kings' Super Rugby promotion/relegation play-offs against the Lions,[9][10] which saw the Kings lose their Super Rugby status.

Sharks

He joined the exodus of players leaving the Kings after their defeat to the Lions, joining Durban-based side the Natal Sharks for the 2013 Currie Cup Premier Division season.[11] He made his debut in their second match of the season against the Golden Lions[12] and immediately established himself as their first-choice full-back, starting all the remaining games of the season, scoring four tries. He was also in the starting fifteen for the Currie Cup final, which the Sharks won 33–19 against Western Province.[13]

He was included in the Sharks squad for the 2014 Super Rugby season[14] and made his Sharks Super Rugby debut in a 31–16 victory against the Bulls in Durban.[15][16]

References

  1. ↑ "Player Profile SP Marais". sarugby.net. Retrieved 3 January 2011.
  2. ↑ "Match Breakdown: Leopards vs SWD Eagles". South African Rugby Union. 23 October 2010. Retrieved 15 November 2013.
  3. ↑ "Match Breakdown: SWD Eagles vs Leopards". South African Rugby Union. 29 October 2010. Retrieved 15 November 2013.
  4. ↑ "EP Kings beef up ranks for new season". epherald.co.za. Retrieved 3 January 2011.
  5. ↑ "2011 Currie Cup First Division Top Scorers". South African Rugby Union. Retrieved 15 November 2013.
  6. ↑ "Match Breakdown: Eastern Province Kings vs Ford Pumas". South African Rugby Union. 13 October 2012. Retrieved 15 November 2013.
  7. ↑ "Match Breakdown: Southern Kings vs Force". South African Rugby Union. 23 February 2013. Retrieved 14 November 2013.
  8. ↑ "SWD-held pak dalk Crusaders". Media24 (in Afrikaans). Die Burger. 21 March 2013. Retrieved 15 November 2013.
  9. ↑ "Match Breakdown: Southern Kings vs MTN Lions". South African Rugby Union. 26 July 2013. Retrieved 15 November 2013.
  10. ↑ "Match Breakdown: MTN Lions vs Southern Kings". South African Rugby Union. 3 August 2013. Retrieved 15 November 2013.
  11. ↑ "Sharks snap up Kings' Marais". Planet Rugby. 6 August 2013. Retrieved 9 August 2013.
  12. ↑ "Match Breakdown: The Sharks vs MTN Golden Lions". South African Rugby Union. 16 August 2013. Retrieved 15 November 2013.
  13. ↑ "Match Breakdown: DHL Western Province vs The Sharks". South African Rugby Union. 26 October 2013. Retrieved 15 November 2013.
  14. ↑ "Sharks 2014 squad" (Press release). Sharks. 11 February 2014. Retrieved 11 February 2014.
  15. ↑ "Match Centre: Sharks v Bulls". SANZAR. 15 February 2014. Retrieved 15 February 2014.
  16. ↑ "Match Breakdown: Cell C Sharks vs Vodacom Bulls". South African Rugby Union. 15 February 2014. Retrieved 15 February 2014.