Siviwe Soyizwapi

Last updated

Shakes Soyizwapi
Full nameSiviwe Sonwabile Soyizwapi
Date of birth (1992-12-07) 7 December 1992 (age 32)
Place of birth Maclear, South Africa
Height1.72 m (5 ft 7+12 in)
Weight75 kg (165 lb; 11 st 11 lb)
School Dale College
Rugby union career
Position(s) Fullback/ Wing
Current team South Africa Sevens
Youth career
2010 Border Bulldogs
2012–2013 Eastern Province Kings
Senior career
YearsTeamApps(Points)
2012–2016 Eastern Province Kings 35 (45)
2013 Southern Kings 6 (0)
Correct as of 9 October 2016
International career
YearsTeamApps(Points)
2016–present South Africa Sevens 89 (280)
Correct as of 15 November 2018
Medal record
Men's rugby sevens
Representing Flag of South Africa.svg  South Africa
Olympic Games
Bronze medal icon (B initial).svg 2024 Paris Team competition
Commonwealth Games
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2022 Birmingham Team competition

Siviwe Sonwabile 'Shakes' Soyizwapi (born 7 December 1992 in Maclear) is a South African rugby union player, who is currently contracted by the South African Rugby Union to play for the South Africa Sevens national team. [1] His usual position is fullback or winger.

Contents

Youth rugby

He played for the Border Bulldogs at the Under-18 Academy Week in 2010, earning a call-up to the South African Under-18 High Performance team before joining the Eastern Province Kings Academy. He played for them at the Under-21 Provincial Championship level in 2012 and 2013, finishing the latter competition as the top try scorer. [2]

Professional career

Eastern Province Kings

He made his first class debut in the 2012 Currie Cup promotion/relegation series against the Free State Cheetahs. [3] Three appearances followed in the 2013 Vodacom Cup (scoring one try), as well as five appearances in the 2013 Currie Cup First Division (where he scored three tries) before reverting to the U21 side for the remainder of the season.

Southern Kings

[4] He was initially named in the Southern Kings squad for the 2013 Super Rugby season, but was later released to the 2013 Vodacom Cup squad. Having made just four first-team appearances, he was recalled to the Super Rugby squad following an injury to Hadleigh Parkes, [5] [6] and made his Super Rugby debut in the 28–28 draw against the Brumbies in Canberra. [7] [8] He made three starts and three substitute appearances during the 2013 season.

In June 2014, he was selected in the starting line-up for the Eastern Province Kings side to face Wales during a tour match during a 2014 incoming tour. He played the entire match and scored the first try for the Kings in the 57th minute of the match as the Kings suffered a 12–34 defeat. [9]

Stormers

Shortly before the start of their 2014 Super Rugby season, the Stormers signed Soyizwapi on a loan deal to provide cover for them at wing and full-back, following injuries to Cheslin Kolbe and Jaco Taute. [10] However, he returned to the Kings shortly afterwards.

Sevens

In October 2013, Soyizwapi was called into a South Africa Sevens training squad before the 2013 Dubai Sevens. [11] In November 2015, he joined the South African Sevens team on a two-year contract. [12]

In December 2019, Soyizwapi captained the Blitzboks squad in the World Rugby Sevens Series in Dubai. He led the South African Sevens team to the finals against the All Blacks Sevens, earning his very first gold medal with an emphatic 15-0 win on his birthday on 7 December. [13]

In 2022, He was part of the South African team that won their second Commonwealth Games gold medal in Birmingham. [14] [15] [16] [17]

He competed for South Africa at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. [18] [19] They defeated Australia to win the bronze medal final. [20] [21]

Related Research Articles

Marcello Edward Dennis Sampson is a South African professional rugby union player, who most recently played as a winger with Western Province.

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

Sergeal Phillipe Petersen is a South African rugby union player for the Stormers in Super Rugby and Western Province in the Currie Cup. His regular position is winger.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Selvyn Davids</span> Rugby player

Selvyn Davids is a South African rugby union player for the South African Sevens team. His regular position is centre or winger.

Mark Richards is a South African rugby union player, currently playing with the Sharks XV. His regular position is winger.

The Southern Kings participated in their first ever Super Rugby competition in 2013. They won three, drew one and lost twelve of their matches during the regular season to finish fifth and last in the South African Conference and fifteenth and last on the overall log. Their top try scorer in the competition was Wimpie van der Walt, who got six tries, and their top points scorer was Demetri Catrakilis, who scored 142 points. As a result of finishing bottom of the South African Conference, they had to play a two-legged promotion/relegation play-off series against the Lions. The Lions beat them 44–42 on aggregate to return to Super Rugby in 2014 at the expense of the Kings.

Dewald Dawid Human is a South African rugby sevens player, currently playing with the South Africa national team. He can play as a fly-half or fullback.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zain Davids</span> Rugby player

Mogamat Zaïn Davids is a South African rugby union player, that competes in both the 15-man and sevens variants of the game. He is currently contracted by the South African Rugby Union to play for the South Africa Sevens national team. His regular position is in the loose-forward position, but he also played as a centre at schoolboy level.

Hillegard Muller du Plessis is a South African rugby union player for the Sharks in the United Rugby Championship and the Currie Cup. He is a former rugby sevens player for the South Africa national rugby sevens team. He represented them in more than 100 matches and won two World Rugby Sevens Series titles, as well as a Commonwealth Games gold medal.

Mfundo Kevin Ndhlovu is a South African rugby sevens player for the South Africa national team. His regular position is wing.

Impi Brecher Visser is a South African rugby sevens player for the South Africa national team in the World Rugby Sevens Series. In sevens he usually plays as a forward, but is a centre in fifteen-a-side rugby.

Johannes Christoffel Pretorius is a South African rugby sevens player for the South Africa national team and a rugby union player for the Emirates Lions in the United Rugby Championship and the Currie Cup. His regular position is flanker.

Sakoyisa Makata is a South African rugby sevens player for the South Africa national team, where his regular position is a forward.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Angelo Davids</span> South African rugby union player

Angelo Davids is a South African rugby sevens player for the South Africa national rugby sevens team, where his regular position is wing and back. He also plays for the DHL Stormers in super rugby and the Western Province in the currie cup.

Ronald Brown is a South African rugby sevens player. He competed in the men's tournament at the 2020 Summer Olympics. In 2022, He was part of the South African team that won their second Commonwealth Games gold medal in Birmingham.

Christie Grobbelaar is a South African rugby union player.

Shaun Williams is a South African rugby union player.

Felicia Jacobs is a South African rugby player.

Unathi Elis Mali is a South African rugby union and sevens player.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mathrin Simmers</span> Rugby player

Mathrin Simmers is a South African rugby sevens player.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nadine Roos</span> Rugby player

Nadine Roos is a South African rugby union and sevens player.

References

  1. "SA Rugby Player Profile – Shakes Soyizwapi". South African Rugby Union. Retrieved 2 June 2016.
  2. "SA Rugby Try Scorers – 2013 Absa Under 21 Competition". South African Rugby Union. Retrieved 5 May 2016.
  3. Green, Michael (23 October 2012). "'Elektriese' King Shakes". Media24 (in Afrikaans). Beeld. Retrieved 24 October 2012.
  4. "Siviwe "Shakes" Soyizwapi called up to replace injured Parkes". Rugby 15. Retrieved 15 May 2018.
  5. "Southern Kings name reduced 35-man Super Rugby squad". Rugby15. 12 February 2013. Archived from the original on 15 February 2013. Retrieved 12 February 2013.
  6. "Parkes blow for Kings". Sport24. 30 March 2013. Retrieved 9 April 2013.
  7. "Soyizwapi sizzles for Kings". Sport Live. 9 April 2013. Retrieved 9 April 2013.
  8. "SA Rugby Match Centre – Brumbies 28–28 Southern Kings". South African Rugby Union. 5 April 2013. Retrieved 6 December 2016.
  9. "SA Rugby Match Centre – Eastern Province Kings 12–34 Wales". South African Rugby Union. 10 June 2014. Retrieved 6 December 2016.
  10. "Stormers sign Kings' Soyizwapi". Sport24. 17 February 2014. Retrieved 17 February 2014.
  11. "Kings players called up to the Blitzbok training squad". Rugby15. 25 October 2013. Archived from the original on 29 October 2013. Retrieved 25 October 2013.
  12. "New recruits Soyizwapi, Agaba in strong Academy line-up for Dubai" (Press release). South African Rugby Union. 27 November 2015. Retrieved 27 November 2015.
  13. "Blitzboks down All Blacks for emphatic Dubai 7s win". supersport.com. Retrieved 28 July 2021.
  14. Mostert, Herman. "Team SA squad named for 2022 Commonwealth Games". news24.com. Retrieved 2 August 2022.
  15. "Soyizwapi, Plaatjies to lead SA Sevens teams at Commonwealth Games". sarugby.co.za. Retrieved 2 August 2022.
  16. "South Africa stun Fiji to win men's rugby sevens Commonwealth gold". the Guardian. 31 July 2022. Retrieved 8 August 2022.
  17. "Australia and South Africa win rugby sevens gold at Commonwealth Games". www.world.rugby. 31 July 2022. Retrieved 8 August 2022.
  18. "Springbok Sevens squad named for 2024 Olympic Games". SA Rugby. 10 July 2024. Retrieved 26 July 2024.
  19. "South Africa - Rugby Sevens Olympic Games Paris 2024". www.world.rugby. 2024. Retrieved 27 July 2024.
  20. Glover, Ben; Bone, Alyssa (27 July 2024). "Aussie devastation as captain's send-off turns clash for bronze". Nine. Retrieved 4 August 2024.
  21. Baloyi, Charles (28 July 2024). "Men's rugby sevens clinch Team South Africa's first medal in Paris". SABC. Retrieved 4 August 2024.