Keegan Rhys Daniel (born 5 March 1985) 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 Super Rugby and 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. Born in the

rural In general, a rural area or a countryside is a geographic area that is located outside towns and cities. Typical rural areas have a low population density and small settlements. Agricultural areas and areas with forestry typically are descri ...

farming Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled peopl ...

town A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world. Origin and use The word "town" shares an ori ...

Humansdorp Humansdorp is a small town and surrounding district in the Eastern Cape of South Africa, with a population of around 29,000 during the census of 2011. It is part of the Kouga Local Municipality of the Sarah Baartman District. The town is th ...

, Daniel started his education at Gonubie Primary before moving off to one of South Africa's best known rugby nurseries, Dale College. Daniel played

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 ...

for the rugby team in 2003 and was recruited afterwards by the

Natal NATAL or Natal may refer to: Places * Natal, Rio Grande do Norte, a city in Brazil * Natal, South Africa (disambiguation), a region in South Africa ** Natalia Republic, a former country (1839–1843) ** Colony of Natal, a former British colony ( ...

Rugby Academy. Daniel came onto the provincial scene in the Super Rugby competition which earned him a place in the South Africa Under-21 team. Daniel represented them in the

2006 Under 21 Rugby World Championship The 2006 Under 21 Rugby World Championship was played in the Auvergne region of France throughout June 2006. The final was played between South Africa and France at the Stade Marcel-Michelin in Clermont-Ferrand, which saw France win 24–13. Part ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

where South Africa lost 24–13 in the final to the hosts. He was nominated for player of the tournament and went on to claim the South African Under-21 Player of the Year for 2006. He has the ability to play flanker, wing, fly-half and fullback because of his blistering speed and good kicking ability. Since then, Daniel has played for the at Super Rugby level. In the 2008 season, he earned Man of the Match awards in consecutive games against 2007 winners the and the high-flying , scoring three tries in the process. His first try against the Blues came after just 16 seconds in the game – a record at Super Rugby level. On 30 October 2010, Daniel was selected to tour with the Springboks in their November tour of England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales. He was not selected as a part of the initial squad of 39 but was later added after his performances in the

semi-final and final. On 16 January 2012, Sharks' coach

John Plumtree John Plumtree is a professional rugby union coach and former first class provincial rugby player. He was previously the head coach for the Hurricanes and the , which competes in the Super Rugby and Currie Cup competitions. As a player Plumtree ...

appointed Daniel as the Sharks captain for the

2012 Super Rugby season The 2012 Super Rugby season was the second season of the current 15-team format for the Super Rugby competition, which involves teams from Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. For sponsorship reasons, this competition is known as FxPro Super R ...

. Twice a

winner with the in 2008 and 2010, Daniel played his 100th

game against the

Blue Bulls The Blue Bulls (known for sponsorship reasons as the Vodacom Blue Bulls) is a South African rugby union team that participates in the annual Currie Cup tournament. They are governed by the Blue Bulls Rugby Union and are based at Loftus Versfe ...

on 4 October 2013. During the 2014 Super Rugby season, it was revealed that Daniel would join 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

Kubota Spears Kubota Spears Funabashi Tokyo Bay (commonly known as the Kubota Spears) is a Japanese rugby union team based in Funabashi, Chiba participating in the Japan Rugby League One. The team rebranded as Kubota Spears Funabashi Tokyo Bay ahead of the rebr ...

on a two-year deal at the conclusion of the tournament. When his contract expired after the 2015–16 Top League season, he returned to South Africa to rejoin the .

References

External links

Sharks Player Profile
*

{{DEFAULTSORT:Daniel, Keegan South African rugby union players South Africa international rugby union players Sharks (Currie Cup) players Sharks (rugby union) players 1985 births People from Humansdorp White South African people South African people of British descent Living people Kubota Spears Funabashi Tokyo Bay players South African expatriate rugby union players South African expatriate sportspeople in Japan Expatriate rugby union players in Japan Rugby union players from the Eastern Cape