Gideon "Kees" Lensing (born 1 June 1978 in Keetmanshoop,

Namibia Namibia (, ), officially the Republic of Namibia, is a country in Southern Africa. Its western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares land borders with Zambia and Angola to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south and ea ...

) is a former Namibian

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 and former

head coach A head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other coaches. In some sports, the head coach is instead called the "manager", as in assoc ...

of the Seattle Seawolves of Major League Rugby (MLR). He played as a

prop A prop, formally known as (theatrical) property, is an object used on stage or screen by actors during a performance or screen production. In practical terms, a prop is considered to be anything movable or portable on a stage or a set, distinc ...

for six different teams over more than 11 years.

Professional rugby career

Lensing played for the

Namibia national rugby union team The Namibia national rugby union team represents Namibia in men's international rugby union competitions nicknamed the Welwitschias, are a tier-two nation in the World Rugby tier system, and have participated in five Rugby World Cup competition ...

in the

2003 Rugby World Cup The 2003 Rugby World Cup was the fifth Rugby World Cup. Originally planned to be hosted by India, all games were shifted to Australia following a contractual dispute over ground signage rights between the Indian Rugby Union and Rugby World Cup ...

and the 2007 Rugby World Cup. He was Captain of the Namibia National Team from 2006 to 2009, and ultimately played 24 matches for Namibia (including leading the team at the 2007 World Cup).

Coaching career

Following a back injury, Lensing retired from his career as a player and transitioned into coaching in 2011. After three years as the specialist scrum/forwards and defense coach of the

Canon Eagles The Yokohama Canon Eagles is a Japanese rugby union team founded in 1981 that competes in the Japan Rugby League One and is owned by Canon. The team was previously based in Machida, Tokyo, Japan. According to the official website, it was founde ...

in Japan's

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 ...

, Lensing relocated to New York City and signed as forwards coach of

Rugby United New York Rugby New York, formerly known as Rugby United New York and now officially nicknamed the Ironworkers, are a professional rugby union team based in New York City that is a member of Major League Rugby (MLR). The team played an exhibition season in ...

for the Major League Rugby 2019 season. He stayed in the MLR and served as the head coach of the Seattle Seawolves in the 2020 and 2021 seasons.

Professional rugby career

South Africa

Lensing played for six teams during his professional rugby career. He made his professional debut at age 21 with South Africa's Northern Free State Griffons, playing 49 matches from 1999 to 2001. In 2001, Lensing was selected for the

South African National Rugby Union Team The South Africa national rugby union team, commonly known as the Springboks (colloquially the Boks, Bokke or Amabokoboko), is the country's national team governed by the South African Rugby Union. The Springboks play in green and gold jersey ...

, the Springboks, U/23 Group, but had to withdraw due to a knee injury. From 2002 to 2003, Lensing played with the (South Africa). He also made his debut for the Namibian National Side during this time (2002), and at age 25 he represented Namibia at the

as first choice loose head prop. From 2004 to 2005, he signed with 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 ...

Rugby Union Team (South Africa). Lensing played 47 matches in two seasons with the Bulls and in 2004 helped bring the team to a first place win at 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 second place at 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 ...

. He played for the Blue Bulls in the 2005 Super 12 international rugby competition, and was selected as

Man of the match In team sport, a player of the match or man of the match or woman of the match award is often given to the most outstanding player in a particular match. This can be a player from either team, although the player is generally chosen from the winn ...

(MVP) in the game against the Australian

Queensland Rugby Union The Queensland Rugby Union, or QRU, is the governing body for the sport of rugby union within the state of Queensland in Australia. It is a member and founding union of Rugby Australia. The QRU was founded in Brisbane in 1883 as the ''Northern ...

(the Reds) at Loftus Versfeld Stadium in

Pretoria Pretoria () is South Africa's administrative capital, serving as the seat of the executive branch of government, and as the host to all foreign embassies to South Africa. Pretoria straddles the Apies River and extends eastward into the foot ...

, South Africa. During this time, he was named in the Super Rugby "Super XV" two weeks in a row. In total, Lensing had 10

Test match Test match in some sports refers to a sporting contest between national representative teams and may refer to: * Test cricket * Test match (indoor cricket) * Test match (rugby union) * Test match (rugby league) * Test match (association football) ...

appearances for the Bulls. While playing for the Bulls, he also gained experience conducting numerous training sessions and clinics at schools.

Europe

In 2006, Lensing signed a three-year contract to play for

Yorkshire Carnegie Leeds Tykes (formerly Leeds RUFC, Leeds Carnegie and Yorkshire Carnegie) is an English rugby union club in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, playing in the National League 1. The club was founded as Headingley FC, but renamed in 1991 when it j ...

Leeds Leeds () is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds district in West Yorkshire, England. It is built around the River Aire and is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. It is also the third-largest settlement (by popula ...

, England (formerly Leeds Carnegie/LeedsTykes). The move was seen as a loss to the Bulls. However, at the end of his first season with Leeds, Lensing exercised the opt-out release clause in his contract and was aggressively recruited by the

Sharks Sharks are a group of elasmobranch fish characterized by a cartilaginous skeleton, five to seven gill slits on the sides of the head, and pectoral fins that are not fused to the head. Modern sharks are classified within the clade Selachimorp ...

. He returned to South Africa to play for the Sharks in the Super 14 in 2006, generating controversy surrounding a reportedly high salary that was allegedly leaked to the media by a competing agent. Brian Smith, then-director of the

London Irish London Irish RFC is a professional rugby union club which competes in the Premiership, the top division of English rugby union. The club has also competed in the Anglo-Welsh Cup, the European Champions Cup and European Challenge Cup. While ...

, publicly criticized Lensing for the move, claiming that he had agreed to play for the Exiles. Lensing played for the Sharks from 2006 to 2008. In 2007, at age 29, Lensing represented Namibia for the second time at the Rugby World Cup, this time as Team Captain. Although he was living in South Africa at the time, Lensing was barred from playing for South Africa under

World Rugby World Rugby is the world governing body for the sport of rugby union. World Rugby organises the Rugby World Cup every four years, the sport's most recognised and most profitable competition. It also organises a number of other international rug ...

Regulations because he had already represented Namibia in the 2003 World Cup. In 2008, Lensing signed with Castres Olympique (France) in the

Top 14 The Top 14 () is a professional rugby union club competition that is played in France. Created in 1892, the Top 14 is at the top of the national league system operated by the French National Rugby League, also known by its French initialism o ...

French rugby union league. He continued to play for the Namibian national team until 2009. In 2010, after helping Namibia qualify for the 2011 Rugby World Cup, Lensing announced his retirement at the age of 32. In 2014, Lensing played for the Classic Springboks (South Africa), at the World Rugby Classic in Bermuda.

Coaching career

South Africa

In 2011, Lensing completed his Level 1 and Level 2

(International Rugby Board) coaching certification and began coaching both players and other coaches. He first worked as a Forward Coach with the South African Correctional Services team in 2011. In 2012, Lensing became a forwards coach with the Blue Bulls Tuks Rugby Academy at the

University of Pretoria The University of Pretoria ( af, Universiteit van Pretoria, nso, Yunibesithi ya Pretoria) is a multi-campus public research university in Pretoria, the administrative and de facto capital of South Africa. The university was established in 1908 ...

. Within the year he transitioned to head coach, and in November 2012 he became a scrum and forwards coach of the Tuks team. In 2013, Lensing was named Forward Coach of the Limpopo Blue Bulls, U/21. In 2014, he was selected as Forward Coach at the Investec International Rugby Academy in South Africa.

Overseas

In 2015, Lensing was recruited as Specialist Scrum/Forward and Defense Coach of the

in Japan's

in Tokyo, Japan. In 2015, the Eagles placed 6th out of 16 teams in the Top League. In 2018,

announced via its website and social media accounts that it had signed Lensing as the forwards coach for the New York City side's first season in Major League Rugby. Additionally, Lensing continues to do education and training seminars for

USA Rugby USA Rugby (officially the United States of America Rugby Football Union, Ltd.) is the national governing body for the sport of rugby union in the United States. Its role is to achieve and maintain “high levels of quality in all aspects of ru ...

, the

Tuks Rugby Academy, and th
Kees Lensing Front Row Academy
at th
International Rugby Institute
in

, South Africa.

Successive clubs

* Northern Free State Griffons (South Africa) 1999–2001 *

Eastern Province Elephants The Eastern Province Elephants (known as the Multisure Eastern Province Elephants for sponsorship reasons) are a South African rugby union team that participates in the annual Currie Cup and Rugby Challenge competitions. They are governed by the ...

(South Africa) 2002–2003 *

(South Africa) 2004–2005 *

Leeds Tykes Leeds Tykes (formerly Leeds RUFC, Leeds Carnegie and Yorkshire Carnegie) is an English rugby union club in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, playing in the National League 1. The club was founded as Headingley FC, but renamed in 1991 when it j ...

(England) 2005–2006 * (South Africa) 2006–2007 * Castres Olympique (France) 2008

Professional rugby career

Coaching career

Professional rugby career

South Africa

Europe

Coaching career

South Africa

Overseas

Successive clubs

References

External links