Christoffel Johannes van der Linde (born 27 August 1980) is a South African former professional

rugby union Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In its m ...

player and currently the scrum coach at French

Top 14 The Top 14 () is a professional rugby union club competition that is played in France. Created in 1892, the Top 14 is at the top of the national league system operated by the French National Rugby League, also known by its French initialism o ...

side . He played first class rugby between 2002 and 2015 in South Africa, Ireland, England and France and also made 75 test matches for , which included winning the

2007 Rugby World Cup The 2007 Rugby World Cup was the sixth Rugby World Cup, a quadrennial international rugby union competition inaugurated in 1987. Twenty nations competed for the Webb Ellis Cup in the tournament, which was hosted by France from 7 September to 2 ...

. His usual playing position was prop.

Career

Youth

Van der Linde represented the at the Under-18

Craven Week The Craven Week is an annual rugby union tournament organised for schoolboys in the Republic of South Africa. The tournament started in July 1964, and is named after the legendary Springbok rugby union player and coach Dr Danie Craven. The tou ...

tournament in 1998, earning him a call-up to the South African Schools side in the same year. As he progressed through the youth ranks at the Cheetahs, he continued playing for national youth sides, representing the Under-19s in 1999 and the Under-21s in 2000 and 2001.

Free State Cheetahs

Van der Linde was involved in the senior setup at the Cheetahs from 2001, when he was named in their squad for the 2001 Currie Cup competition. His domestic first class debut came in 2002, when he played for the in the

2002 Vodacom Cup The 2002 Vodacom Cup was the 5th 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 Divisions. Competition There were 14 teams part ...

competition. He remained with the Free State Cheetahs until 2008, making 45 domestic appearances in the

Vodacom Cup The Vodacom Cup was an annual rugby union competition in South Africa. Annual Vodacom Cup competitions were played between its inaugural season in 1998 and 2015 and was contested between February and May each year. The Vodacom Cup was the succes ...

and

Currie Cup The Currie Cup is South Africa's premier domestic rugby union competition, played each winter and spring (June to October), featuring teams representing either entire provinces or substantial regions within provinces. Although it is the premier ...

competitions during his spell there. Van der Linde was a member of the Free State Cheetahs side that won the

2005 Currie Cup The 2005 Currie Cup (known as the ''ABSA Currie Cup'' for sponsorship reasons) was the 67th season in the South African Currie Cup competition since it started in 1889. In a rematch of the 2004 final, the reversed the result, coming from behin ...

, also coming on as a substitute in the final, which the Cheetahs won 29–25 against the at Loftus Versfeld. Van der Linde also played in five

Super Rugby Super Rugby is a men's professional rugby union club competition involving teams from Australia, Fiji, New Zealand, and the Pacific Islands. It previously included teams from Argentina, Japan, and South Africa. Building on various Southern Hem ...

seasons during his spell at the Cheetahs. In

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 6 ...

and

2005 File:2005 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf of Mexico; the Funeral of Pope John Paul II is held in Vatican City; "Me at the zoo", the first video ever to be uploaded to YouTube; Eris was discovered in ...

, the were part of the franchise in the Super 12 competition. Van der Linde played for them during both seasons, making 19 appearances. When the Super 12 expanded to become Super 14, the were one of the two new teams and Van der Linde played for them over the next three seasons, making another 19 appearances.

Leinster

Van der Linde signed a three-year contract with Leinster in late 2008. He represented them in the

Celtic League The Celtic League is a pan-Celtic organisation, founded in 1961, that aims to promote modern Celtic identity and culture in Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Brittany, Cornwall and the Isle of Man – referred to as the Celtic nations; it places part ...

and

Heineken Cup The European Rugby Champions Cup (known as the Heineken Champions Cup for sponsorship reasons) is an annual rugby union tournament organised by European Professional Club Rugby (EPCR). It is the top-tier competition for clubs who compete in a pre ...

competitions between 2008 and 2010, but his spell at Leinster was blighted by a recurrent foot problem. He got an early release from his contract, leaving the side in 2010. Van der Linde did play for Leinster in the 2010 Celtic League Grand Final, a match they lost 17–12 to the

Ospreys The osprey (''Pandion haliaetus''), , also called sea hawk, river hawk, and fish hawk, is a diurnal, fish-eating bird of prey with a cosmopolitan range. It is a large raptor reaching more than in length and across the wings. It is brown o ...

Return to Free State Cheetahs

Van der Linde returned to his former side the following his release from Leinster and made four appearances for them during the

2010 Currie Cup Premier Division The 2010 Absa Currie Cup Premier Division was the 72nd season in the competition since it started in 1889. The competition was contested from 9 July through to 30 October. It was won by the , who defeated 30–10 in the final at . Patrick Lambi ...

competition.

Stormers

Van der Linde joined the

Cape Town Cape Town ( af, Kaapstad; , xh, iKapa) is one of South Africa's three capital cities, serving as the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. It is the legislative capital of the country, the oldest city in the country, and the second largest ...

-based for 2011, making 11 appearances for them during the

2011 Super Rugby season The 2011 Super Rugby season was the first season of the new 15-team format for the Super Rugby competition, which involved teams from Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. Including its past iterations as Super 12 and Super 14, this was the 16t ...

Lions

Van der Linde left the Stormers after the 2011 Super Rugby season to join the . He made his Lions debut in the

2011 Currie Cup Premier Division The 2011 Currie Cup Premier Division was the 73rd season in the competition since it started in 1889 and was contested from July to October 2011. The tournament (known as the Absa Currie Cup Premier Division for sponsorship reasons) is the top t ...

semi-final match against and also started the final, when the Lions beat the Sharks 42–16 to win the Currie Cup for the first time in 12 years. He also played for the Lions during the

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...

and 2013 seasons, as well as making seven appearances for the in the

2013 Super Rugby season The 2013 Super Rugby season was the third season of the new 15-team format for the Super Rugby competition involving teams from Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. The tournament was won by the Chiefs, who defeated the Canberra-based Brumb ...

. He left the Lions after his contract expired at the end of 2013.

London Irish

On 12 December 2013, it was announced that he had signed with

London Irish London Irish RFC is a professional rugby union club which competes in the Premiership, the top division of English rugby union. The club has also competed in the Anglo-Welsh Cup, the European Champions Cup and European Challenge Cup. While ...

until the end of the 2013–14 season in the

Aviva Premiership Premiership Rugby, officially known as Gallagher Premiership Rugby, or the Gallagher Premiership for sponsorship reasons, is an English professional rugby union competition. The Premiership has consisted of thirteen clubs since 2021, and is the ...

. However, Van der Linde only made a single appearance for London Irish, playing 20 minutes.

Eastern Province Kings

In May 2014, Van der Linde trained with the in an attempt to get a contract for their

2014 Currie Cup Premier Division The 2014 Currie Cup Premier Division was the 76th season in the competition since it started in 1889 and was contested from 9 August to 25 October 2014. The tournament (known as the Absa Currie Cup Premier Division for sponsorship reasons) is the ...

campaign. The Eastern Province Rugby Union later confirmed that he got a contract for the until the end of 2014. He made ten appearances for the Eastern Province Kings and were named their scrum coach prior to the

2015 Currie Cup Premier Division The 2015 Currie Cup Premier Division was the 77th season in the competition since it started in 1889 and was contested from 7 August to 24 October 2015. The tournament (known as the Absa Currie Cup Premier Division for sponsorship reasons) was t ...

Montpellier

Van der Linde joined prior to the 2015–16 Top 14 season on a two-year contract. He made just four appearances for Montpellier before tearing a bicep, which resulted in his decision to retire from playing rugby. However, he stayed on at Montpellier, where he joined the coaching staff by becoming the scrum coach.

International rugby

Van der Linde made his debut for the

Springboks The South Africa national rugby union team, commonly known as the Springboks (colloquially the Boks, Bokke or Amabokoboko), is the country's national team governed by the South African Rugby Union. The Springboks play in green and gold jersey ...

as a 20-year-old on 16 November 2002 in a match against

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

Murrayfield Murrayfield is an affluent area to the west of Edinburgh city centre in Scotland. It is to the east of Corstorphine and north of Balgreen and Roseburn. The A8 road runs east–west through the south of the area. Murrayfield is often conside ...

, which South Africa lost 21–6. He earned another cap for South Africa that year, playing

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

Twickenham Twickenham is a suburban district in London, England. It is situated on the River Thames southwest of Charing Cross. Historically part of Middlesex, it has formed part of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames since 1965, and the boroug ...

. Van der Linde next played for the Springboks in 2004, against

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

in a two test series in South Africa, and also played against the Pacific Islands team in

Gosford Gosford is the city and administrative centre of the Central Coast Council local government area in the heart of the Central Coast region, about north of Sydney and about south of Newcastle. The city centre is situated at the northern extre ...

. He was subsequently named in the Springboks'

2004 Tri Nations Series The 2004 Tri Nations Series, an annual rugby union competition between the national teams of Australia, New Zealand and South Africa, was the ninth in the series. The competition is organised by SANZAR, a consortium of the three countries' rugb ...

squad, and played in three matches during the series. He earned another five caps for South Africa during the end-of-year Northern Hemisphere tests. Van der Linde played 17 times for the Springboks in 2005 including mid-year matches against

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

and in the

2005 Tri Nations Series The 2005 Tri Nations Series, an annual rugby union competition between the national teams of Australia, New Zealand and South Africa, was the tenth in the series. The competition is organised by SANZAR, a consortium of the three countries' rugby ...

. After playing for the Springboks in the

2006 mid-year rugby tests The 2006 June rugby union tests (also known as the summer tests in the Northern Hemisphere) were rugby union Test matches played during between June in 2006. It saw several tests between touring Northern Hemisphere sides and home Southern Hemisphe ...

he was named in the

2006 Tri Nations Series 6 (six) is the natural number following 5 and preceding 7. It is a composite number and the smallest perfect number. In mathematics Six is the smallest positive integer which is neither a square number nor a prime number; it is the second small ...

squad. On 26 November 2006, he scored his first try in international play against England at Twickenham. Van der Linde was part of the South African team which won the

References

External links

Van der Linde profile at Lions website
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Van der Linde, CJ 1980 births Living people Afrikaner people Alumni of Grey College, Bloemfontein Cheetahs (rugby union) players Expatriate rugby union players in Ireland Free State Cheetahs players Golden Lions players Leinster Rugby players Lions (United Rugby Championship) players London Irish players Montpellier Hérault Rugby players Rugby union players from Welkom Rugby union props South Africa international rugby union players South African expatriate rugby union players South African expatriate sportspeople in Ireland South African rugby union coaches South African rugby union players Stormers players