Niel_Marais
Niel Marais
Rugby player
Daniel Rudolf Marais (born 21 January 1992, in Bloemfontein) is a South African rugby union player for Yamaha Júbilo in the Top League in Japan.[1] He usually plays as a centre, but can also play as a fly-half or fullback.
| Full name | Daniel Rudolf Marais | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Date of birth | (1992-01-21) 21 January 1992 (age 32) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Bloemfontein, South Africa | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.81 m (5 ft 11+1⁄2 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 97 kg (15 st 4 lb; 214 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| School | Grey College, Bloemfontein | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| University | University of the Free State | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Youth
Marais first represented the Free State in 2005, when he was part of their squad for the 2005 Under-13 Craven Week competition. He represented the Free State U19 side (playing mainly as a fullback) in the Under-19 Provincial Championship competitions in 2010 and 2011, scoring 124 points in the latter competition to finish third in the scoring charts.[2] He advanced to the Free State U21 side, playing the majority of matches for them during the 2012 and 2013 seasons, with 2013 also seeing him starting to play mainly as a centre.
Free State Cheetahs
He was included in the Free State XV squad for the 2013 Vodacom Cup competition[3] and made his senior debut when he started the opening match of the season, a 31–8 victory over the SWD Eagles in George.[4] He made a total of six appearances during the competition.
He returned to Vodacom Cup action in 2014, captaining the side[5] and scoring 41 points in his six starts. His first try in first class rugby came in their opening day match against the SWD Eagles,[6] with Marais adding another 10 points with the boot.
Griquas
In May 2014, he joined Griquas on a two-month deal for the duration of the 2014 Currie Cup qualification series.[7]
- "SA Rugby Player Profile – Niel Marais". South African Rugby Union. Retrieved 2 June 2016.
- "SA Rugby Top Scorers – 2011 ABSA Under 19 Competition". South African Rugby Union. Retrieved 5 May 2016.
- "SA Rugby Squad – Toyota Free State XV : 2013 Vodacom Cup". South African Rugby Union. Retrieved 3 June 2016.
- "SA Rugby Match Centre – South Western Districts 8–31 Toyota Free State XV". South African Rugby Union. 8 March 2013. Retrieved 11 November 2016.
- "Big early win for Free State". Sport24. 8 March 2014. Retrieved 6 May 2014.
- "SA Rugby Match Centre – Toyota Free State XV 52–47 SWD Eagles". South African Rugby Union. 8 March 2014. Retrieved 11 November 2016.
- "Hawies verbeter GW se diepte" (in Afrikaans). Beeld. 21 May 2014. Retrieved 21 May 2014.