Ernst Frederich Erwin Ladendorf (born 5 February 1992 in Alberton,

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the ...

) 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 . He can play as a flanker, number eight or a lock.

Career

Sharks

After school, Ladendorf joined the Sharks Academy 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 ...

. He represented the side in the

2011 Under-19 Provincial Championship The 2011 ABSA Under-19 Provincial Championship was contested from 15 July to 29 October 2011. The tournament featured the Under-19 players from the fourteen provincial rugby unions in South Africa. Competition Division A There were seven partici ...

, scoring a try against the s as they finished fifth on the log.

Border Bulldogs

He moved down the coast in 2012 to join East London-based side the . He played for the side in the 2012 Under-21 Provincial Championship, making eight appearances and again scoring a try against the . Border finished the season bottom of the log with just two victories in their twelve matches, but a 21–15 victory over saw them retain their place in Group A of the competition. Ladendorf was included in the senior squad for 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 ...

. He made his first class debut for them in their 24–25 defeat to a in Alice, coming on as a first-half blood-bin replacement. Two more appearances off the bench followed in their matches against

Western Cape The Western Cape is a province of South Africa, situated on the south-western coast of the country. It is the fourth largest of the nine provinces with an area of , and the third most populous, with an estimated 7 million inhabitants in 2020 ...

sides and , with the Border Bulldogs winning both matches. In the latter half of the year, he was involved in a disastrous campaign for the side in the 2013 Under-21 Provincial Championship. Ladendorf weighed in with two tries in each of their matches against the , but could not help his side losing all twelve their matches in the competition. He scored a try in their relegation play-off match, to help them to a 23–21 victory against the s for the second year in a row to once again remain in Group A.

Falcons

Ladendorf was one of a number of players that moved from East London to Kempton Park-based outfit the for the 2014 season. He made two appearances for the Falcons in the 2014 Vodacom Cup competition. He started all six of their matches in 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 remainin ...

series, but the Falcons finished in sixth spot, to qualify to 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 ...

. He played in two of their five matches of the First Division regular season, before appearing as a replacement in their 31–24 upset victory over the in the semi-final of the competition. He started the final of the competition, but the Falcons suffered a 21–23 defeat to

Welkom Welkom () is the second-largest city in the Free State province of South Africa, located about northeast of Bloemfontein which is the provincial capital. Welkom is also known as Circle City, City Within A Garden, Mvela and Matjhabeng. The ci ...

-based side the .

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ladendorf, Ernst South African rugby union players Living people 1992 births People from Alberton, Gauteng Rugby union locks Rugby union flankers Rugby union number eights Border Bulldogs players Falcons (rugby union) players Rugby union players from Gauteng