Armandt Koster (born 20 January 1990) is a South African professional rugby union player. His regular position is flanker or lock.

Career

Youth and Varsity Cup rugby

Koster was included in the squad for the

2011 Under-21 Provincial Championship The 2011 ABSA Under-21 Provincial Championship was contested from 15 July to 29 October 2011. The tournament featured the Under-21 players from the fourteen provincial rugby unions in South Africa. Competition Division A There were seven partici ...

, but didn't make any appearances for them. In 2012, he was included in the squad for the

2012 Varsity Cup The 2012 Varsity Cup was contested from 6 February to 9 April 2012. The tournament (also known as the ''FNB Varsity Cup presented by Steinhoff International'' for sponsorship reasons) was the fifth season of the Varsity Cup, an annual inter-univers ...

. He played seven times for Shimlas, scoring tries in their matches against and . He returned to make two substitute appearances during the

2013 Varsity Cup The 2013 Varsity Cup was contested from 4 February to 8 April 2013. The tournament (also known as the ''FNB Varsity Cup presented by Steinhoff International'' for sponsorship reasons) was the sixth season of the Varsity Cup, an annual inter-univer ...

and started in five matches for Shimlas during the

2014 Varsity Cup The 2014 Varsity Cup was contested from 3 February to 7 April 2014. The tournament (also known as the ''FNB Varsity Cup presented by Steinhoff International'' for sponsorship reasons) was the seventh season of the Varsity Cup, an annual inter-univ ...

Free State

After his first season of

Varsity Cup Varsity Cup is the collective name for four South African rugby union competitions involving the top rugby playing universities in the country. It was launched in 2008, with eight teams participating in the Varsity Cup competition and each univers ...

rugby, he was included in the squad for the

2012 Vodacom Cup The 2012 Vodacom Cup was played between 10 March and 18 May 2012 and was the 15th edition of this annual domestic cup competition. The Vodacom Cup is played between rugby union teams in South Africa from the Currie Cup Premier and First Divisions, ...

. He made his first class debut when he played off the bench in their match against the in Bloemfontein. A week later, he started their next match against the in

Port Elizabeth Gqeberha (), formerly Port Elizabeth and colloquially often referred to as P.E., is a major seaport and the most populous city in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. It is the seat of the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality, Sou ...

, but that turned out to be his only two appearances for the Bloemfontein-based side.

Griffons

Koster joined Welkom-based side for the

2012 Currie Cup First Division The 2012 Currie Cup First Division was contested from 30 June to 13 October 2012. The tournament (also known as the Absa Currie Cup First Division for sponsorship reasons) is the second tier of South Africa's premier domestic rugby union competit ...

competition. He made his Currie Cup debut in their 53–33 victory over the in

East London East or Orient is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from west and is the direction from which the Sun rises on the Earth. Etymology As in other languages, the word is formed from the f ...

. Three more appearances off the bench followed before Koster started the final two matches of the season, both of those against the – first a 39–29 victory for the Griffons in the final match of the regular season and then in the semi-final, where the Griffons lost 37–30. Koster started five matches for the Griffons during the

2013 Vodacom Cup The 2013 Vodacom Cup was played between 9 March and 18 May 2013 and was the 16th edition of this annual domestic cup competition. The Vodacom Cup is played between provincial rugby union teams in South Africa from the Currie Cup Premier and First ...

competition and returned for the

2014 Vodacom Cup The 2014 Vodacom Cup was played between 7 March and 16 May 2014 and was the 17th edition of this annual domestic cup competition. This edition of the Vodacom Cup was played between fourteen provincial rugby union teams in South Africa from the Cu ...

competition, where he made three appearances. He made six appearances for the during the

2014 Currie Cup qualification The 2014 Currie Cup qualification series was a tournament organised by the South African Rugby Union. It featured seven teams and was played in June and July 2014, with the winner qualifying for the 2014 Currie Cup Premier Division. The remaining ...

competition; during this competition, he scored his first senior try in their match against the and followed it up with further tries in their next two matches against the and the . The Griffons finished third in the competition to remain in the First Division in 2014. Koster appeared in all seven of the ' matches in the

2014 Currie Cup First Division The 2014 Currie Cup First Division was contested between 29 August and 17 October 2014. The tournament (also known as the Absa Currie Cup First Division for sponsorship reasons) was the second tier of South Africa's premier domestic rugby union ...

campaign to help them finish the group stage in second place behind the . He started their semi-final match against the , where the Griffons ran out 45–43 winners and was once again in the starting line-up for the final against the . He played the full 80 minutes of the match as the Griffons ran out 23–21 winners to win their first silverware for six years. Shortly after the conclusion of the 2014 Currie Cup First Division, Koster was also included in the ' wider training squad as part of their preparations for the

2015 Super Rugby season The 2015 Super Rugby season was the 20th season of Super Rugby and the fifth season featuring an expanded 15-team format. For sponsorship reasons, this competition was known as Asteron Life Super Rugby in Australia, Investec Super Rugby in New ...

Grenoble

Koster joined French

Pro D2 Rugby Pro D2, also known as Pro D2 is the second tier of rugby union club competition division in France. It is operated by Ligue Nationale de Rugby (LNR) which also runs the division directly above, the first division Top 14. Rugby Pro D2 was in ...

side , but failed a medical when he was diagnosed with a

cervical disc herniation Spinal disc herniation is an injury to the cushioning and connective tissue between vertebrae, usually caused by excessive strain or trauma to the spine. It may result in back pain, pain or sensation in different parts of the body, and physical ...

and returned to South Africa for surgery.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Koster, Armandt South African rugby union players Living people 1990 births People from Vryheid Rugby union locks Rugby union flankers Free State Cheetahs players Griffons (rugby union) players Rugby union players from KwaZulu-Natal