Heinrich Rashid Roelfse (born 25 January 1990) is a professional 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 SWD Eagles 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 Rugby Challenge. His regular position is tighthead prop.

Career

Youth

Roelfse went to school in George High School and earned a selection to the 2008 South Western Districts 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 ...

squad. In 2009, he moved 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 ...

to join the rugby team. He played for the side in the 2009 Under-19 Provincial Championship and then progressed to the side, making eleven appearances for them in the 2010 and 2011 Under-21 Provincial Championships.

Griffons

Roelfse was included in the ' senior squad for the

2012 Vodacom Cup The 2012 Vodacom Cup was played between 10 March and 18 May 2012 and was the 15th edition of this annual domestic cup competition. The Vodacom Cup is played between rugby union teams in South Africa from the Currie Cup Premier and First Divisions, ...

competition. He made his first class debut playing off the bench in their opening match of the competition against in Kimberley, with the Griffons suffering a 55–10 loss against their franchise partners. Roelfse was named in the run-on sides of their remaining five matches of the competition, with the Griffons only winning their match against the to finish bottom of the log. Roelfse returned to the side for their

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 ...

campaign, but was limited to just three appearances off the bench during the competition. In the latter half of 2013, he got his first opportunity in to play

rugby for the . He came on as a substitute on the hour mark in their match against the to make his debut in the First Division of the Currie Cup, with his first start in the competition coming a week later in a 50–35 victory against the , eventually making five appearances in the competition. Roelfse played in all of the Griffons' matches in 2014, starting all seven of their matches in the 2014 Vodacom Cup competition and all five of their

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 ...

matches. He made five starts and a substitute appearance to help the Griffons reach the final of 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 ...

against the . He played in the final and helped the Griffons win the match 23–21 to win their first trophy for six years.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Roelfse, Heinrich South African rugby union players Living people 1990 births People from Mossel Bay Rugby union props Griffons (rugby union) players Falcons (rugby union) players SWD Eagles players Rugby union players from the Western Cape