Daniel du Preez (born 5 August 1995 in

Durban Durban ( ) ( zu, eThekwini, from meaning 'the port' also called zu, eZibubulungwini for the mountain range that terminates in the area), nicknamed ''Durbs'',Ishani ChettyCity nicknames in SA and across the worldArticle on ''news24.com'' from ...

, South Africa) is a South African

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 it ...

player for the in the English Premiership. His usual position is number eight, but he can also play as a lock or flanker.

Career

Youth

Du Preez was selected in a number of KwaZulu-Natal youth squads whilst still at school. At primary school level, he was selected for their squad that played at the 2008 Under-13 Craven Week competition. He also played in the premier schools competition in South Africa – 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 to ...

in three different seasons; he made two appearances at the 2011 event in Kimberley, three appearances at the 2012 event in Port Elizabeth – scoring a try in their match against the Free State – and a further three appearances in 2013, scoring a try against Border. In both 2012 and 2013, Du Preez was selected to represent a South African Schools team. In 2012, he played in their matches against

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

and

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...

and in 2013 he made appearances against

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 ...

and

. He recovered from an injury that kept him out of the

2014 IRB Junior World Championship The 2014 IRB Junior World Championship was the seventh annual international rugby union competition for Under 20 national teams. The event was organised in Auckland, New Zealand by rugby's governing body, World Rugby, then known as the Internation ...

to play a key part in the side that played in the 2014 Under-19 Provincial Championship, making eleven appearances and scoring tries in their matches against and to help them qualify for the semi-finals, where they lost 20–43 to the .

Sharks

In 2015, despite not having featured at senior provincial level for the , Du Preez was included on the bench for the ' Round Five Super Rugby match against the . He made his Super Rugby debut in the Sharks' 27–10 victory, coming on for the final ten minutes of the match.

South Africa Under-20

In 2014, he was selected in the South Africa Under-20 squad to play at the

, but an injury ruled him out of the competition and was replaced by Jacques Vermeulen. In March 2015, Du Preez was named in an extended South Africa Under-20 training group as part of their preparation for the

2015 World Rugby Under 20 Championship The 2015 World Rugby Under 20 Championship was the eighth annual international rugby union competition for Under 20 national teams. The event was organised for the second time in Italy by rugby's governing body, World Rugby. Twelve nations played i ...

. He featured for them in a friendly match against a Varsity Cup Dream Team in April 2015. In May 2015, he was included in the South Africa Under-20 squad that toured

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...

. He started both of their tour matches, scoring a try in the 25–22 victory in the first encounter and was then included in the final squad for the

. He played off the bench in the first of their three matches in Pool B of the competition, a 33–5 win against hosts

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

, started their 40–8 win against

Samoa Samoa, officially the Independent State of Samoa; sm, Sāmoa, and until 1997 known as Western Samoa, is a Polynesian island country consisting of two main islands ( Savai'i and Upolu); two smaller, inhabited islands ( Manono and Apolima); ...

and again came on as a replacement in their 46–13 win over Australia to help South Africa finish top of Pool B to qualify for the semi-finals with the best record pool stage of all the teams in the competition. Du Preez came on in the second half of their semi-final match against

, but could not prevent them losing 20–28 to be eliminated from the competition by England for the second year in succession and started their third-place play-off match against

, scoring two tries in the match to help South Africa to a 31–18 win to secure third place in the competition.

Personal

Du Preez's father

Robert The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of '' Hruod'' ( non, Hróðr) "fame, glory, honou ...

is a former

Springbok The springbok (''Antidorcas marsupialis'') is a medium-sized antelope found mainly in south and southwest Africa. The sole member of the genus ''Antidorcas'', this bovid was first described by the German zoologist Eberhard August Wilhelm ...

scrum-half that made seven appearances for South Africa between 1992 and 1993. He has an older brother – also called

– and a twin brother Jean-Luc. Both of them also represented the South Africa Under-20 side at the

IRB Junior World Championship The World Rugby Under 20 Championship (known as the IRB Junior World Championship until 2014) is an international rugby union competition. The event is organised by the sport's governing body, World Rugby, and is contested by 12 men's junior nat ...

, in

2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fa ...

and

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...

respectively.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:du Preez, Dan 1995 births Living people Rugby union flankers Rugby union locks Rugby union number eights Rugby union players from Durban Sharks (Currie Cup) players Sharks (rugby union) players South Africa international rugby union players South Africa Under-20 international rugby union players South African rugby union players South African twins Twin sportspeople Alumni of Kearsney College South African expatriate sportspeople in England Expatriate rugby union players in England South African expatriate rugby union players