Leolin Lucien Zas (born 20 October 1995) 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 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.
His regular position is winger and centre.
Career
Youth / Boland / South African Schools
Zas was selected by the to represent them at the 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 ...
competition held in
in 2013. He started three matches for them at outside centre and scored 18 points for his side, which consisted of one try in their match against hosts
and 13 points with the boot. His performances were also noticed by the selectors of the
South African Schools team and he made two appearances for them in the 2013 Under-18 International Series; he started both their 17–13 victory against
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 ...
and match against
Wales
Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...
, as a try by Zas proved crucial in a 14–13 victory.
Western Province Under-19 / South Africa Under-20
After high school, Zas joined the Western Province Rugby Institute and he represented in the
2014 Under-19 Provincial Championship. Zas started eight of their twelve matches during the regular season and scored five tries – three of those came in a single match against ,
while he also scored against in both their home
and away
matches in the competition. Western Province finished in third spot on the log to qualify for the semi-finals, where they met the Free State U19s and Zas scored for a third time against the same opposition in a 29–22 victory in
Bloemfontein
Bloemfontein, ( ; , "fountain of flowers") also known as Bloem, is one of South Africa's three capital cities and the capital of the Free State province. It serves as the country's judicial capital, along with legislative capital Cape To ...
.
He also started the final, where Western Province became champions by beating the s 33–26.
In 2015, Zas was selected a 37-man
South Africa Under-20 training squad
and started for them in a friendly match against a 2015 Varsity Cup Dream Team, scoring a try in a 31–24 victory.
He was named in their squad to tour
Argentina
Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...
for a two-match series as preparation for the 2015 World Rugby Under 20 Championship.
He started both their 25–22 victory over
Argentina
Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...
in the first match,
and their 39–28 win in the second match four days later, scoring a second-half try for the visitors.
Upon the team's return, Zas was named in the final squad for the
2015 World Rugby Under 20 Championship
The 2015 World Rugby Under 20 Championship was the eighth annual international rugby union competition for Under 20 national teams. The event was organised for the second time in Italy by rugby's governing body, World Rugby. Twelve nations played i ...
.
He started all three of their matches in Pool B of the competition; a 33–5 win against hosts
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...
,
a 40–8 win against
Samoa
Samoa, officially the Independent State of Samoa; sm, Sāmoa, and until 1997 known as Western Samoa, is a Polynesian island country consisting of two main islands ( Savai'i and Upolu); two smaller, inhabited islands ( Manono and Apolima); ...
which saw Zas score a try shortly after half-time
and their final match against
Australia, with Zas again on the scoresheet in a 46–13 win.
The results meant that South Africa finished top of Pool B to qualify for the semi-finals with the best record in the pool stage of all the teams in the competition. Zas also started their semi-final match against
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
, but couldn't prevent them losing the match 20–28 to be eliminated from the competition by England for the second year in succession.
He started their third-place play-off match against
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 ...
, helping South Africa to a 31–18 win to win the bronze medal.
Western Province Under-21 / Currie Cup
Zas returned to domestic action by representing in the
2015 Under-21 Provincial Championship Group A
The 2015 Under-21 Provincial Championship Group A was contested from 10 July to 24 October 2015. The competition (also known as the ''ABSA Under-21 Provincial Championship'' for sponsorship reasons) was the top tier of 2015 edition of the Under-21 ...
and he made his domestic first class debut – and his first appearance 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 ...
competition – after being named in the starting line-up for 's final match of the
2015 Currie Cup Premier Division
The 2015 Currie Cup Premier Division was the 77th season in the competition since it started in 1889 and was contested from 7 August to 24 October 2015. The tournament (known as the Absa Currie Cup Premier Division for sponsorship reasons) was t ...
regular season against the .
South Africa 'A'
In 2016, Zas was included in a
South Africa 'A' squad that played a
two-match series against a touring
England Saxons
England A is England's men's second national rugby union team. The team has previously been known by a number of names, such as England B, Emerging England and, most recently, England Saxons. England A play a key role in the development of emer ...
team.
He was named in the starting line-up for their first match in
Bloemfontein
Bloemfontein, ( ; , "fountain of flowers") also known as Bloem, is one of South Africa's three capital cities and the capital of the Free State province. It serves as the country's judicial capital, along with legislative capital Cape To ...
,
but ended on the losing side as the visitors ran out 32–24 winners.
He also started the second match of the series, kicking one conversion in a 26–29 defeat to the Saxons in
George
George may refer to:
People
* George (given name)
* George (surname)
* George (singer), American-Canadian singer George Nozuka, known by the mononym George
* George Washington, First President of the United States
* George W. Bush, 43rd Presid ...
.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Zas, Leolin
South African rugby union players
Living people
1995 births
Cape Coloureds
People from Worcester, South Africa
Rugby union centres
Rugby union wings
Western Province (rugby union) players
South Africa Under-20 international rugby union players
Stormers players
Sharks (Currie Cup) players
Sharks (rugby union) players
Rugby union players from the Western Cape