Francois Uys (born 12 March 1986) 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 its m ...

footballer who normally plays as a

lock Lock(s) may refer to: Common meanings *Lock and key, a mechanical device used to secure items of importance *Lock (water navigation), a device for boats to transit between different levels of water, as in a canal Arts and entertainment * ''Lock ...

or flanker. He plays in the 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 ...

competition with .

Career

Uys started his career in

Johannesburg Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu and xh, eGoli ), colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, or "The City of Gold", is the largest city in South Africa, classified as a megacity, and is one of the 100 largest urban areas in the world. According to Demo ...

with the but, he found first-team opportunities hard to come by and in 2009 he switched to the . Initially he played mainly 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 and even had a spell on loan at the in 2012. He made sporadic appearances for the senior team in

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 ...

after his debut in 2009 before finally nailing down a regular starting berth during 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 ...

. In 2014, he extended his contract at the until October 2016.

Toyota Verblitz

Uys joined Japanese

Top League Japan Rugby League One (formerly the Top League) is a rugby union competition in Japan. It is the highest level of professional rugby competition in the country. The Japan Rugby Football Union created the competition in 2003, by absorbing the ...

side

Toyota Verblitz Toyota Verblitz is a Japanese rugby union team in the Japan Rugby League One. Verblitz is a portmanteau of ''verde'' (Spanish and Portuguese for 'green') and ''blitz'' (German for 'lightning'). The team is owned by Toyota Motor Corporation and is ...

on a short-term deal during the

2015–16 Top League The 2015–16 Top League was the 13th season of Japan's domestic rugby union competition, the Top League. It kicked off on 13 November 2015 and was completed on 24 January 2016. The final was won by Panasonic Wild Knights defeating Toshiba Brave L ...

season.

International

Uys was a member of the South Africa Under 19 side that competed in the 2005 IRB Under 19 World Championship.

References

External links

* Living people 1986 births South African rugby union players Rugby union locks Rugby union flankers People from Springs, Gauteng Afrikaner people Cheetahs (rugby union) players Free State Cheetahs players Golden Lions players Griffons (rugby union) players University of Johannesburg alumni Toyota Verblitz players South African expatriate rugby union players South African expatriate sportspeople in Japan Expatriate rugby union players in Japan Sportspeople from Gauteng FC Grenoble players Valence Romans Drôme Rugby players South African expatriate sportspeople in France Expatriate rugby union players in France {{SouthAfrica-rugbyunion-bio-stub