Jean-Luc du Plessis (born 7 May 1994 in

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 ...

) 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 ...

player for the 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 ...

and for 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 fly-half.

Career

Youth

He represented at youth level, represented them at the 2007 Under-13 Craven Week competition and at the 2012 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 tou ...

competition. However, at the end of 2012, despite being offered a spot in the Western Province Rugby Institute and receiving a contract with Western Province, he moved to

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 ...

instead to join the Academy. Du Plessis was the third-highest scorer in the

2013 Under-19 Provincial Championship The 2013 ABSA Under-19 Provincial Championship will be contested from 12 July to 26 October 2013. The tournament will feature the Under-19 players from the fourteen provincial rugby unions in South Africa. Competition Group A There are seven part ...

Division A competition for the , scoring 116 points in eleven starts. In April 2014, Du Plessis was named in the South Africa Under-20 squad for 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 ...

Sharks

Du Plessis' first class debut came for the during the

2014 Vodacom Cup The 2014 Vodacom Cup was played between 7 March and 16 May 2014 and was the 17th edition of this annual domestic cup competition. This edition of the Vodacom Cup was played between fourteen provincial rugby union teams in South Africa from the Cu ...

competition. He came on as a substitute in their 40–3 victory over

Kenya ) , national_anthem = "Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi , ...

n side at . Within five minutes of coming on, Du Plessis scored a try and kicked the subsequent conversion. His first start came in the following match, a 27–11 defeat to the in

, with Du Plessis scoring two penalties.

Western Province

He returned to

in 2015, joining for the 2015 Vodacom Cup competition.

Personal

Du Plessis is the son of 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 v ...

player and head coach,

Carel du Plessis Carel Johan du Plessis (born 24 June 1960) is a former South African rugby union coach and player. Playing career Du Plessis played for Western Province and the Springboks, his skills earning him the nickname the ''Prince of Wings''.

. Two of his uncles,

Michael du Plessis Michael Josias du Plessis (born 4 November 1958) is a former South African rugby union player. Playing career Du Plessis played for Western Province, Northern Transvaal, Transvaal, Eastern Province and the Springboks. He made his test debut a ...

and Willie du Plessis, are former Springboks. His cousin

Daniël du Plessis Daniël Michael du Plessis (born 17 March 1995) is a South African rugby union player for the in Super Rugby. His regular position is centre. Career Youth Du Plessis' first provincial selection came in 2013, when he was selected to repre ...

is also a rugby player that represented the South Africa Under-20 team in 2015. He went to Kenridge Primary School and to

Paarl Boys' High School Paarl Boys' High School, known in Afrikaans as Hoër Jongenskool Paarl (also known as Boishaai) is one of the oldest schools in South Africa, built in 1868. The school is situated in Paarl, a town in the Western Cape province of South Africa. The ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Du Plessis, Jean-Luc South African rugby union players Living people 1994 births Rugby union players from Cape Town Sharks (Currie Cup) players Stormers players South Africa Under-20 international rugby union players Western Province (rugby union) players Mie Honda Heat players Tokyo Sungoliath players Rugby union fly-halves