Johan Grobbelaar

Johan Grobbelaar
Full nameCornelis Johannes Grobbelaar
Date of birth (1997-12-30) 30 December 1997 (age 26)
Place of birthPaarl, South Africa
Height1.82 m (5 ft 11+1⁄2 in)
Weight98 kg (216 lb; 15 st 6 lb)
SchoolPaarl Gymnasium
Rugby union career
Position(s) Hooker
Current team Bulls / Blue Bulls
Youth career
2015 Western Province
2016–2018 Blue Bulls
Senior career
Years Team Apps (Points)
2017–present Blue Bulls 24 (40)
2018 Blue Bulls XV 5 (15)
2018–present Bulls 72 (125)
Correct as of 23 July 2022
International career
Years Team Apps (Points)
2015 South Africa Schools 3 (5)
2017 South Africa Under-20 5 (20)
Correct as of 15 July 2018

Cornelis Johannes Grobbelaar (born 30 December 1997) is a South African rugby union player for the Bulls in the United Rugby Championship and the Blue Bulls in the Currie Cup.[1] His regular position is hooker.

Rugby career

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Grobbelaar was born and grew up in Paarl. He attended and played rugby for Paarl Gymnasium and was selected for the Western Province squad for the 2015 Under-18 Craven Week tournament. His team won the main match at the tournament held in Stellenbosch, beating Eastern Province 95–0 in the final. After the Craven Week tournament, Grobbelaar was selected for the South Africa Schools squad that participated in the 2015 Under-18 International Series. He started all three of their matches; he scored a try in their 42–11 win over Wales in their first match[2] and helped his team to wins over France[3] and England[4] in the other two.

After school, he moved to Pretoria to join the Blue Bulls academy. He played for them at Under-19 level in 2016, and the following year he was selected in the South Africa Under-20 squad for the 2017 World Rugby Under 20 Championship. He started all five matches at the tournament, helping his side to a 23–23 draw against France,[5] a 38–14 victory over Georgia[6] and a 72–14 win over Argentina (a match in which Grobbelaar scored two of South Africa's eleven tries)[7] as South Africa topped Pool C to qualify for the semi-finals. A 22–24 defeat to England in the semi-finals ended their hopes of winning the competition,[8] but they bounced back in the third-place play-off to beat France 37–15, with Grobbelaar scoring a further two tries.[9]

He made his domestic first class debut shortly after his return to South Africa, coming on as a replacement in the Blue Bulls' 54–22 victory over the Golden Lions in their 2017 Currie Cup Premier Division Round Three match.[10] He became a regular on the Blue Bulls' replacement bench during the season, making a total of ten appearances. He also scored three tries during the season, in matches against Western Province,[11] the Golden Lions[12] and the Free State Cheetahs.[13]

In 2018, Grobbelaar was included in the Bulls squad for their final match of the 2018 Super Rugby season against trans-Jukskei rivals the Lions,[14] and he made his Super Rugby debut by coming on as a second half replacement.[15]

Honours

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  • Super Rugby Unlocked winner 2020
  • Currie Cup winner 2020–21
  • Pro14 Rainbow Cup runner-up 2021
  • United Rugby Championship runner-up 2021–22
  • Selected in the United Rugby Championship "Dream Team" for the 2021–22 season.
  • Bulls URC Players' Player of the Year 2022 [1]

References

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  1. ^ "SA Rugby Player Profile – Johan Grobbelaar". South African Rugby Union. Retrieved 15 July 2018.
  2. ^ "SA Rugby Match Centre – South Africa U18 42–11 Wales U18". South African Rugby Union. 7 August 2015. Retrieved 31 March 2016.
  3. ^ "SA Rugby Match Centre – South Africa U18 12–5 France U18". South African Rugby Union. 11 August 2015. Retrieved 31 March 2016.
  4. ^ "SA Rugby Match Centre – South Africa U18 23–16 England U18". South African Rugby Union. 15 August 2015. Retrieved 31 March 2016.
  5. ^ "U20 World Rugby Championship – Match 4, Pool Stage". South African Rugby Union. 31 May 2017. Retrieved 15 July 2018.
  6. ^ "U20 World Rugby Championship – Match 11, Pool Stage". South African Rugby Union. 4 June 2017. Retrieved 15 July 2018.
  7. ^ "U20 World Rugby Championship – Match 15, Pool Stage". South African Rugby Union. 8 June 2017. Retrieved 15 July 2018.
  8. ^ "U20 World Rugby Championship – Match 23, Semi Final". South African Rugby Union. 13 June 2017. Retrieved 15 July 2018.
  9. ^ "U20 World Rugby Championship – Match 29, 3rd Place Play Off". South African Rugby Union. 18 June 2017. Retrieved 15 July 2018.
  10. ^ "Currie Cup Premier Division – Match 9, Log". South African Rugby Union. 5 August 2017. Retrieved 15 July 2018.
  11. ^ "Currie Cup Premier Division – Match 14, Log". South African Rugby Union. 12 August 2017. Retrieved 15 July 2018.
  12. ^ "Currie Cup Premier Division – Match 30, Log". South African Rugby Union. 16 September 2017. Retrieved 15 July 2018.
  13. ^ "Currie Cup Premier Division – Match 37, Log". South African Rugby Union. 6 October 2017. Retrieved 15 July 2018.
  14. ^ "New halfbacks and captain as Vodacom Bulls close out season against Emirates Lions" (Press release). Bulls. 12 July 2018. Archived from the original on 15 July 2018. Retrieved 15 July 2018.
  15. ^ "Lions 38-12 Bulls". SANZAAR. 14 July 2018. Retrieved 15 July 2018.
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