JP du Preez
| Full name | Jean-Pierre du Preez | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Date of birth | 9 November 1994 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Florida, Gauteng, South Africa | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 2.09 m (6 ft 10+1⁄2 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 115 kg (18 st 2 lb; 254 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| School | Hoërskool Dr. E.G. Jansen, Boksburg | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Jean-Pierre du Preez (born 9 November 1994 in Florida, South Africa) is a South African rugby union player, currently playing domestic rugby with the Template:Rut Golden Lions.[1] His regular position is lock.
He is the tallest player in the history of Super Rugby.
Career
Youth
Du Preez represented the Template:Rut Falcons at the 2012 Under-18 Craven Week tournament in Port Elizabeth,[2] scoring a try in their match against the Template:Rut Leopards.[3][4] Despite still being at school, he was also included in the Template:Rut Falcons U19 squad that played in the 2012 Under-19 Provincial Championship a few months later, starting six of their matches as they reached the semi-finals of the competition.
In 2013, Du Preez made the short move to the Johannesburg-based Template:Rut Golden Lions. He was once again heavily involved at the Under-19 level, starting eleven matches for the Template:Rut Golden Lions U19s in the 2013 Under-19 Provincial Championship, helping them reach the final of the competition, where they lost 23–35 to Template:Rut Blue Bulls U19.[5] In addition, he also made two appearances for the Template:Rut Golden Lions U21 side in the 2013 Under-21 Provincial Championship.
Du Preez was included in the Golden Lions' squad for the 2014 Vodacom Cup, but failed to appear in the competition. He made nine appearances for the Template:Rut Golden Lions U21 during the round-robin stage of the 2014 Under-21 Provincial Championship, scoring a try in their match against Template:Rut Leopards U21.[6] He missed the final regular season matches of the season when he picked up a four-week suspension following a dangerous tackle on Template:Rut Sharks U21 scrum-half Stefan Ungerer,[7] but returned to the line-up for their semi-final clash with the Template:Rut Blue Bulls U21. He scored an early try for the Lions in the match, but it wasn't enough to prevent the Lions falling to a 19–23 defeat and being eliminated from the competition.[8]
Golden Lions / Lions
In 2015, he was included in the Template:Rut Lions squad for the 2015 Super Rugby season and was named on the bench for their Round Two match against the Template:Rut Sharks.[9] He made his Super Rugby debut, coming on as a substitute just after the hour mark[10] and, in doing so, becoming the tallest player ever to play Super Rugby.
References
- ^ "SA Rugby Player Profile – JP du Preez". South African Rugby Union. Retrieved 29 May 2016.
- ^ "EP magic at Craven Week". Rugby365. 9 July 2012. Retrieved 20 February 2015.
- ^ "EP retain unbeaten status". Rugby365. 11 July 2012. Retrieved 20 February 2015.
- ^ "SA Rugby Match Centre – Valke 38–5 Leopards". South African Rugby Union. 11 July 2012. Retrieved 22 July 2016.
- ^ "SA Rugby Match Centre – MTN Golden Lions 23–35 Vodacom Blue Bulls". South African Rugby Union. 26 October 2013. Retrieved 22 July 2016.
- ^ "SA Rugby Match Centre – Golden Lions U21 43–13 Leopards U21". South African Rugby Union. 26 July 2014. Retrieved 22 July 2016.
- ^ "JP du Preez suspended for four weeks". Rugby15. 25 September 2014. Retrieved 20 February 2015.
- ^ "SA Rugby Match Centre – Blue Bulls U21 23–19 Golden Lions U21". South African Rugby Union. 17 October 2014. Retrieved 22 July 2016.
- ^ "Team Announcement - Cell C Sharks vs Emirates Lions". Lions. 19 February 2015. Archived from the original on 20 February 2015. Retrieved 20 February 2015.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ "SA Rugby Match Centre – Cell C Sharks 29–12 Emirates Lions". South African Rugby Union. 21 February 2015. Retrieved 22 July 2016.