Willem Nicolaas Frederik du Plessis (born 5 June 1990) 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, currently playing in France with the

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

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 ...

side . His regular position is fly-half. He plays for

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

at international level.

Career

Youth

Du Plessis played for the at the 2008 Under-18 Academy Week competition before moving 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 ...

to join the . He played for the team in the 2009 Under-19 Provincial Championship and for the team in the 2010 Under-21 Provincial Championship, scoring 96 points in twelve matches. He was named in the Sharks' squad for the

2011 Vodacom Cup The 2011 Vodacom Cup was contested from 25 February to 13 May 2011. The tournament was the 14th edition of the Vodacom Cup, an annual domestic South African rugby union competition, and was played between the fourteen provincial teams in South A ...

competition, but failed to make an appearance. He made two more appearances for the Sharks in the

2011 Under-21 Provincial Championship The 2011 ABSA Under-21 Provincial Championship was contested from 15 July to 29 October 2011. The tournament featured the Under-21 players from the fourteen provincial rugby unions in South Africa. Competition Division A There were seven partici ...

, before returning to the team for the latter part of the competition, making a further four appearances.

Blue Bulls

Du Plessis was included in the squad for the

2012 Vodacom Cup The 2012 Vodacom Cup was played between 10 March and 18 May 2012 and was the 15th edition of this annual domestic cup competition. The Vodacom Cup is played between rugby union teams in South Africa from the Currie Cup Premier and First Divisions, ...

competition and made his first class debut against the , coming on as a half-time substitute and scoring a try within five minutes of his debut, as well as two conversions. He also appeared as a substitute in two of their remaining fixtures in the competition. He was once again included in their squad for the

2013 Vodacom Cup The 2013 Vodacom Cup was played between 9 March and 18 May 2013 and was the 16th 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 ...

competition and made his first start for the Blue Bulls, once again against the , this time scoring seven conversions. Du Plessis's next game in the competition came against the , with the running out 110–0 victors. Du Plessis weighed in with two tries and fifteen conversions (missing just one attempt), scoring 40 points in one match, a

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 ...

record.

Free State Cheetahs

Du Plessis joined the on a short-term deal for the

2013 Currie Cup Premier Division The 2013 Currie Cup Premier Division was the 75th season in the competition since it started in 1889 and was contested from 10 August to 26 October 2013. The tournament (known as the Absa Currie Cup Premier Division for sponsorship reasons) was t ...

Golden Lions

Du Plessis signed a two-year deal with the , joining them in November 2013.

Return to Cheetahs

However, Du Plessis's time in

Johannesburg Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu and xh, eGoli ), colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, or "The City of Gold", is the largest city in South Africa, classified as a megacity, and is one of the 100 largest urban areas in the world. According to Demo ...

was short-lived and he returned to Bloemfontein for the

2015 Super Rugby season The 2015 Super Rugby season was the 20th season of Super Rugby and the fifth season featuring an expanded 15-team format. For sponsorship reasons, this competition was known as Asteron Life Super Rugby in Australia, Investec Super Rugby in New ...

, signing a contract until the end of 2016.

Toulon

In August 2015, Du Plessis joined French

side as a medical joker on a three-month loan deal.

Bayonne

Du Plessis joined in November 2015 as a medical joker, before signing a full-time contract a month later, signing a three-year deal starting in the 2016–17 season.

Varsity Cup

Du Plessis also played

Varsity Cup Varsity Cup is the collective name for four South African rugby union competitions involving the top rugby playing universities in the country. It was launched in 2008, with eight teams participating in the Varsity Cup competition and each univers ...

rugby for , making twelve appearances in

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...

and

2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fact ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Du Plessis, Willie South African rugby union players South African expatriates in France Dutch rugby union players Expatriate rugby union players in France Living people 1990 births Rugby union players from Pretoria Blue Bulls players Free State Cheetahs players Golden Lions players Rugby union fly-halves