Simphiwe Martin Sithole (born 3 February 1984 in Pietermaritzburg) 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 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 flanker.

Career

Youth

He represented the at the 1997 Under-13 Craven Week tournament, at Under-17 level in 2002 and 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 tou ...

in 2001 and 2002. He played in the youth Currie Cup tournaments at Under-19 level in 2002 and Under-20 level in 2003. In 2004, he joined the , whom he represented in various youth competitions, as well as being included in the

2005 Vodacom Cup The 2005 Vodacom Cup was the 8th 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 Divisions. Competition There were 14 teams parti ...

squad, without making an appearance.

Pumas

In wasn't until 2008 following a return to the that he made his first class provincial debut. He was included in their squad for the

2008 Vodacom Cup The 2008 Vodacom Cup was played between 22 February and 16 May 2008 and was the 11th edition of this annual domestic cup competition. This edition of the Vodacom Cup was played between the fourteen provincial rugby union teams in South Africa fro ...

competition and came on as a substitute against the . He quickly became a regular in the first team, making 37 appearances in both 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 ...

and

competitions between 2008 and 2011.

Griffons

By 2011, he was largely limited to substitute appearances at the and 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 cit ...

to join the during the

2011 Currie Cup First Division The 2011 Currie Cup First Division was contested from 15 July to 14 October 2011. The tournament (known as the Absa Currie Cup First Division for sponsorship reasons) was the second tier of the 73rd season of the Currie Cup, an annual rugby union ...

season. He was a key member of their

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 ...

-winning side. He played off the bench in the final and helped the Griffons win the match 23–21 to win their first trophy for six years.

Representative rugby

In 2002, he played for a South African Schools side against France and Wales. Three years later, he represented the South African Under-21s at the

2005 Under 21 Rugby World Championship The 2005 Under-21 Rugby World Championship took place in Argentina between 9 June and 25 June 2005. The 2005 championship was the fourth contested. This championship saw South Africa win the final over Australia 24–20. Venues Participant ...

, playing in one game. He was also selected for the South African Barbarians (North) team against that toured South Africa as part of the

2012 mid-year rugby test series The 2012 mid-year rugby union tests (also known as the Summer Internationals in the Northern Hemisphere) refer to the rugby union Internationals that were played through June, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere. These matches marked the start of ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sithole, Martin 1984 births Living people Griffons (rugby union) players Pumas (Currie Cup) players Rugby union players from Pietermaritzburg South African rugby union players Rugby union flankers