Morné Hugo

Morné James Hugo (born 11 October 1991 in Oudtshoorn, South Africa) is a South African rugby union player.^[1] His regular position is fly-half.

Career

Youth and Varsity Shield

Hugo went to Worcester Gymnasium, where he played rugby for their first XV and earned a selection to the Boland Under-18 team that played at the 2009 Craven Week competition. In 2010, he represented the Boland U19 side in the 2010 Under-19 Provincial Championship, starting three of their matches.

In 2012, he was named in the Maties side that played in the 2012 Varsity Cup competition. However, Hugo failed to make any appearances as the side ended the competition as losing finalists.

He then moved to Pretoria for the latter half of 2012. He was named on the bench for one of the Blue Bulls U21's matches – against Gauteng rivals Golden Lions U21 – but failed to make an appearance on the playing field.^[2] He enrolled at the Tshwane University of Technology and became their first-choice fly-half for their Varsity Shield campaigns in both 2013 and 2014. He finished the 2013 season as TUT Vikings' top scorer - and joint second overall in the competition^[3] – with 68 points from his eight starts as his side disappointingly finished bottom of the log. His record in 2014 was remarkably similar, this time getting 70 points in his eight starts, but again not enough to lift TUT off the foot of the Varsity Shield log.

Eastern Province Kings

At the conclusion of the 2014 Varsity Shield, Hugo made the move to Port Elizabeth to join the Eastern Province Kings for their 2014 Vodacom Cup campaign. He made his first class debut against Boland Cavaliers, coming on as a second-half replacement to help his side to a 28–21 victory against the team he represented as a youth.^[4] He made another appearance in their next match two weeks later as the Kings secured a victory over the previously-unbeaten Sharks XV, prevailing 27–11 in a match in Durban.^[5] However, they finished the season in fifth spot and missed out on a Quarter Final spot.

Boland Cavaliers

He returned to the Western Cape later in 2014, joining Boland Cavaliers prior to the 2014 Currie Cup qualification series. He was selected to make his first senior start in their match against the Falcons in Kempton Park, also making his debut in the Currie Cup competition and scoring his first points – three conversions, two penalties and a drop goal for a personal haul of 15 points to help Boland to a 35–20 victory.^[6] He also started their next match against the Leopards^[7] as his side finished in fifth place in the qualifying competition and therefore being involved in the 2014 Currie Cup First Division. Hugo made three starts and played off the bench on two occasions, scoring fifteen points as Boland missed out on the semi-finals, finishing the season in fifth position.

References