Juan Language

Last updated

Juan Language
Full nameJuan Michael Language
Date of birth (1989-04-19) 19 April 1989 (age 33)
Place of birth Port Elizabeth, South Africa
Height1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)
Weight97 kg (15 st 4 lb; 214 lb)
School Hoërskool Framesby, Port Elizabeth
Rugby union career
Position(s) Flanker / Number eight
Youth career
2007 Eastern Province Kings
2010 Sharks
Amateur team(s)
YearsTeamApps(Points)
2013 College Rovers 5 (0)
2014 NWU Pukke 7 (10)
Senior career
YearsTeamApps(Points)
2014–2018 Leopards 42 (95)
2015 Leopards XV 8 (10)
Correct as of 24 May 2018

Juan Michael Language (born 19 April 1989 in Port Elizabeth, South Africa) is a South African rugby union player who last played for the Leopards. [1] He can play as a flanker or a number eight.

Contents

Career

Youth, club and varsity rugby

He played high school rugby for Hoërskool Framesby in his hometown of Port Elizabeth. In 2007, he was selected to represent an Eastern Province Under-18 side at the Academy Week tournament.

While at Framesby, Language also played sevens rugby. In January 2007, he took part in a high school sevens tournament involving schools from across the Eastern Cape and from Gauteng. He helped Framesby win the competition and was also named Player of the Tournament. [2]

He moved to Durban, where he joined the Sharks academy. In 2010, he played for the Sharks U21 side in the 2010 Under-21 Provincial Competition, making three appearances off the bench.

Between 2011 and 2013, he played club rugby for Durban-based club side College Rovers. In 2012, College Rovers won the KwaZulu-Natal Rugby Union's premier club competition, the Moor Cup, which meant they qualified to the inaugural SARU Community Cup competition in 2013. Language was a regular starter for College Rovers in the competition, playing in all four matches during the pool stages, in their quarter-final match against Durbanville-Bellville [3] and, after sitting out the semi-final, he started in the Final of the competition against Eastern Cape side Despatch. College Rovers fell just short in the final, losing the match 26–24 with Language playing the full 80 minutes. [4]

Prior to the 2014 season, College Rovers head coach Robert du Preez was appointed as the coach of Potchefstroom-based provincial union the Leopards, as well as university side the NWU Pukke. Language was among a number of players that followed Du Preez to North West Province. He featured prominently for NWU Pukke during the 2014 Varsity Cup tournament, starting seven of their nine matches during the competition as they reached the final of the competition for only the second time. He also played in the final, as the Pukke lost the match in dramatic fashion; they were leading 33–15 with five minutes left to play, but allowed the UCT Ikey Tigers to score three late tries to win the match 39–33 and win their second Varsity Cup title. [5]

Leopards

Language's performances during the 2014 Varsity Cup led to his inclusion in the Leopards squad for the 2014 Currie Cup qualification competition. Despite no first class appearances to his name, he was also named vice-captain for the competition. [6]

He made his first class debut on 7 June 2014 against the SWD Eagles at Olën Park , Potchefstroom. He had an immediate and significant impact in the match and scored two tries either side of half-time to help the Leopards to a 51–23 victory. [7] He continued his scoring streak in the next match as he scored a try against the Falcons in Kempton Park to send the Leopards top of the log. [8]

He was the captain of the Leopards team that won the 2015 Currie Cup First Division. [9] He featured in a total of thirteen matches during the 2015 Currie Cup qualification rounds and First Division proper and scored seven tries for the side to be the top try scorer during the second round of fixtures. He also scored two of the Leopards' tries in the final, helping them to a 44–20 victory over the SWD Eagles to win the competition for the first time in their history.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Theuns Kotzé</span> Rugby player

Theuns Andries Willem 'Worsie' Kotzé is a Namibian international rugby union player, currently playing with the Welwitschias in South African domestic rugby. He is a utility back that can play as a scrum-half, fly-half or fullback, but is best known for playing as a fly-half for Namibia in the Rugby World Cup tournaments in 2011 and 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Strand Kruger</span> South African rugby union footballer

Victor Eric 'Strand' Kruger is a South African rugby union player, currently playing with Rustenburg-based club side Impala. His regular position is lock.

Armand H P 'Akker' van der Merwe is a South African professional rugby union player for English Premiership side Sale Sharks. His regular position is hooker.

Sylvian Mahuza is a South African professional rugby union player. He can play as a winger, centre or fullback.

Henro-Pierre Swart is a professional South African rugby union player, currently playing with the Leopards. His regular position is flanker or number eight.

Sidney McNeil Tobias is a South African rugby union player. He plays for the Bulls in the United Rugby Championship and for the Blue Bulls in the Currie Cup. His regular position is hooker.

Marius Fourie is a South African rugby union player who most recently played for Griquas. His regular position is hooker.

Daniel Barend Jordaan is a South African professional rugby union player who played first class rugby with the Leopards between 2012 and 2016. His regular position is lock.

Dillon Smit is a South African rugby union player for the Houston SaberCats in Major League Rugby (MLR). He previously played for the Lions in Super Rugby, the Golden Lions in the Currie Cup and the Golden Lions XV in the Rugby Challenge. His regular position is scrum-half, but he can also play as a winger.

Daniel Niell Jordaan is a South African professional rugby union player for Griquas in the Currie Cup and the Rugby Challenge. His regular position is number eight.

Johan Smith is a South African professional rugby union player who last played for the Leopards in the Currie Cup and in the Rugby Challenge. His regular position is prop, but he also played as a hooker earlier in his career.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Johan Deysel</span> Namibia international rugby union player

Johan Deysel is a Namibian professional rugby union player for Colomiers in the Pro D2 in France. His regular position is centre.

Tiaan Arno Dorfling is a South African professional rugby union player, who most recently played for Griquas. His regular position is scrum-half.

Chuma Sean Kenosi Faas is a South African rugby union player, who most recently played with the Eastern Province Kings. His regular position is scrum-half.

Rhyno Christo Smith is a South African professional rugby union player for the Benetton in United Rugby Championship. He usually plays as a fullback, but can also play as a fly-half or winger.

Bartholomeus Gabriel le Roux is a South African rugby union player, who most recently played for the Falcons in the Currie Cup. He usually plays as a tighthead prop.

Sergio Lorenzo Torrens is a South African professional rugby union player who last played for the Boland Cavaliers in the Currie Cup and the Rugby Challenge. He is a utility back that can play as a winger, centre or fullback.

Barend Johannes Janse van Rensburg is a South African professional rugby union player for the Cheetahs in the Pro14, the Free State Cheetahs in the Currie Cup and the Free State XV in the Rugby Challenge. He is a utility back that can play as a fly-half, centre or fullback.

Malherbe Swart is a South African professional rugby union player currently playing with theLeopards. His regular position is scrum-half.

Beyers Johannes de Villiers is a former South African rugby union player, who played as a flanker. He played first class rugby for Western Province in 2016 and represented university side Maties in the Varsity Cup between 2013 and 2017. He retired in February 2017 on medical grounds.

References

  1. ↑ "SA Rugby Player Profile – Juan Language". South African Rugby Union. Retrieved 29 May 2016.
  2. ↑ "Framesby seëvier in sewes-rugbytoernooi". Die Burger (in Afrikaans). 22 January 2007. Archived from the original on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 17 June 2014.
  3. ↑ "SA Rugby Match Centre – Jonsson College Rovers (KZN) 27–17 Durbanville-Bellville (WP)". South African Rugby Union. 28 March 2013. Retrieved 27 July 2016.
  4. ↑ "SA Rugby Match Centre – Jonsson College Rovers (KZN) 24–26 GAP Despatch (EP)". South African Rugby Union. 1 April 2013. Retrieved 27 July 2016.
  5. ↑ "SA Rugby Match Centre – FNB NWU-PUKKE 33–39 FNB UCT 1ST XV". South African Rugby Union. 7 April 2014. Retrieved 27 July 2016.
  6. ↑ "Petoors is Luiperdkaptein" (in Afrikaans). SupaRugby. 30 May 2014. Retrieved 17 June 2014.
  7. ↑ "SA Rugby Match Centre – Leopards 51–23 SWD Eagles". South African Rugby Union. 7 June 2014. Retrieved 27 July 2016.
  8. ↑ "SA Rugby Match Centre – Valke 22–45 Leopards". South African Rugby Union. 13 June 2014. Retrieved 27 July 2016.
  9. ↑ "Leopards clinch Absa Currie Cup First Division title in style". South African Rugby Union. 8 October 2015. Archived from the original on 9 October 2015. Retrieved 8 October 2015.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.