Theo Ernst Stapelberg (born ) 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 who last played for the in

Pro14 The United Rugby Championship (URC) is an annual rugby union competition involving professional teams from Ireland, Italy, Scotland, South Africa, and Wales. The current name was adopted in 2021 when the league expanded to include four South Afr ...

, the in the

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 ...

and the in the Rugby Challenge. His regular position is fly-half.

Rugby career

Youth rugby

Stapelberg was born in

Bloemfontein Bloemfontein, ( ; , "fountain of flowers") also known as Bloem, is one of South Africa's three capital cities and the capital of the Free State province. It serves as the country's judicial capital, along with legislative capital Cape To ...

, but grew up in Port Elizabeth. He represented throughout his school career, playing for them at the Under-13 Craven Week in 2008, the Under-16 Grant Khomo Week in 2011 and 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 ...

tournaments in both 2012 and 2013. After school, Stapelberg moved to

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 ...

to join the academy. He was the top scorer in the 2014 Under-19 Provincial Championship with 175 points, helping to the title, scoring 18 points in the final against the . He progressed through the age groups, playing for the team in 2015 and also representing university side in the

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 ...

Western Province

Stapelberg made his first class debut in 2017, coming on as a replacement in 's 35–28 victory over neighbours in the 2018 Rugby Challenge, and made a further two appearances as a replacement in the competition.

Free State Cheetahs

In August 2017, Stapelberg moved to Bloemfontein to join the . He made his

debut for the Cheetahs against former side in their Round Nine clash in the

Currie Cup Premier Division Currie ( gd, Currach, IPA: �kʰuːᵲəx is a village and suburb on the outskirts of Edinburgh, Scotland, situated south west of the city centre. Formerly within the County of Midlothian, it now falls within the jurisdiction of the City of Edi ...

, and was drafted into the

squad, making his debut in that competition a week later, kicking seven conversions in a 54–39 victory over Italian side . He started their next matches in that competition, scoring 72 points in total, and also made a further appearance for the Free State Cheetahs in the Currie Cup. In 2018, Stapelberg made eight starts for the in the 2018 Rugby Challenge, top scoring for his side with 61 points.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Stapelberg, Ernst South African rugby union players Living people 1995 births Rugby union players from Bloemfontein Rugby union fly-halves Cheetahs (rugby union) players Free State Cheetahs players Western Province (rugby union) players