Robert Brent Russell (born 5 March 1980) is a South African retired professional

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. He is a " utility back" (capable of playing fullback, fly-half or wing) who plays for Clermont in 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 ...

. Previously, he had played with

Saracens upright 1.5, Late 15th-century German woodcut depicting Saracens Saracen ( ) was a term used in the early centuries, both in Greek and Latin writings, to refer to the people who lived in and near what was designated by the Romans as Arabia ...

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 ...

, and before that 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 premi ...

and the in the

Super 14 Super Rugby is a men's professional rugby union club competition involving teams from Australia, Fiji, New Zealand, and the Pacific Islands. It previously included teams from Argentina, Japan, and South Africa. Building on various Southern Hem ...

for many years. He also featured frequently in the

Springbok The springbok (''Antidorcas marsupialis'') is a medium-sized antelope found mainly in south and southwest Africa. The sole member of the genus ''Antidorcas'', this bovid was first described by the German zoologist Eberhard August Wilhelm ...

squad before his departure for Europe. He won 23 caps and scored 40 points (8 tries) for his country. Russell is known by the nickname ''Pocket Rocket''. His sister, Shelley, were also South Africa field hockey internationals.

National team

Russell was born in

Port Elizabeth Gqeberha (), formerly Port Elizabeth and colloquially often referred to as P.E., is a major seaport and the most populous city in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. It is the seat of the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality, So ...

, but was schooled at

Selborne College Selborne College is a semi-private English medium male-only high school situated in the suburb of Selborne (the suburb was named after the school) of East London in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa; it is one of the few colleges in ...

in East London. He was quickly brought up to international rugby level when he was selected for the 2002 Springboks team after making a good impression whilst in the national sevens team. In that year, he scored an especially memorable try in the Tri Nations against the

Australian Wallabies The Australia national rugby union team, nicknamed the Wallabies, is the representative national team in the sport of rugby union for the nation of Australia. The team first played at Sydney in 1899, winning their first test match against th ...

in which he wriggled out of a seemingly sure tackle and successfully eluded several Wallabies on his way to the tryline. However, he has not been able to consistently break into the Boks lineup in recent years. He is a relatively small player, but what he lacks in size and strength he makes up in speed, acceleration, agility and creativity. He is considered to be one of the most dangerous backline players in South Africa for this very reason, as he has the ability to score a try "out of nothing".

Club rugby

Russell is a victim of his own versatility, with coaches unsure in which position to place him. Although a favourite with the fans and a player of outstanding talent, he made few starts for the Sharks during the 2005/06 season, forcing him to make a move to

Western Province Western Province or West Province may refer to: * Western Province, Cameroon *Western Province, Rwanda *Western Province (Kenya) *Western Province (Papua New Guinea) *Western Province (Solomon Islands) *Western Province, Sri Lanka *Western Provin ...

where it was said he would be given plenty of game time and would also see him play at

fly-half In the game of rugby union, there are 15 players on each team, comprising eight forwards (wearing jerseys numbered 1–8) and seven backs (numbered 9–15). In addition, there may be up to eight replacement players "on the bench", numbered 16– ...

for the Stormers in the Super 14 rather than the utility role he fulfilled at the Sharks. Russell signed for Saracens F.C. in time for their campaign in 2007. In 2008 Russell signed for

ASM Clermont Auvergne Association Sportive Montferrandaise Clermont Auvergne () is a French rugby union club from Clermont-Ferrand in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes that currently competes in Top 14, the top level of the French league system. Clermont are two times French ...

in the French

References

External links

*
ESPN Brent Russell Saracens Rugby Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Russell, Brent 1980 births Living people South African people of British descent ASM Clermont Auvergne players Rugby union players from Port Elizabeth Rugby union fly-halves Rugby union fullbacks Rugby union wings Saracens F.C. players South African rugby union players South Africa international rugby union players Stormers players Western Province (rugby union) players Pumas (Currie Cup) players Sharks (Currie Cup) players Sharks (rugby union) players South Africa international rugby sevens players Male rugby sevens players University of Cape Town alumni Alumni of Selborne College White South African people