François Steyn
Encyclopedia
Francois Steyn is a South African rugby union
player, who plays for the South African national team
; and Racing Métro 92 in Paris
. He was a member of the South African team that won the 2007 Rugby World Cup
. He is renowned for his long distance kicking ability.
in the 2006 Currie Cup Premier Division (at fly-half), Steyn was, at 19 years old, selected to represent South Africa in the Northern Hemisphere touring squad by national coach Jake White
. He debuted at wing against Ireland
, he scored a try on his debut. In his next international match he was moved to fullback against England
, scoring a long range drop-goal, from his own half. Steyn has shown to possess superb goal kicking qualities as well.
In his debut season of Super 14
rugby, Frans Steyn was selected on the right wing, however, was moved to fullback when Percy Montgomery
was injured. He played as the last line of defence until Percy Montgomery returned for the game against the Blues in Round 11, and was moved to fly-half for this game.
He kicked two drop goals in the 2007 Tri Nations
opener against Australia
at Newlands Stadium
in Cape Town
, to win the game for the Springboks. One of these, a 42 metre effort from a fielded clearance kick next to the sideline, and another three minutes from time next to the posts about 30 metres out.
In South Africa's first game at the 2007 Rugby World Cup
, their star centre Jean de Villiers
got injured. Steyn replaced him, playing only his second game at professional level at inside centre, but he made a break on first touch of the ball and his inclusion sparked the Springboks to a 37–0 second half demolition of Samoa
.
On 24 September 2007 Steyn was cited to appear before a disciplinary hearing for allegedly biting Tongan
winger Joseph Vaka during the Springboks v. Tonga 2007 Rugby World Cup
game on 22 September. (Match report). Both players were sent to the sinbin in the 60th minute for an off-the-ball incident. He was subsequently cleared of the charge, due to insufficient evidence and Vaka conceding that the apparent "bite mark" could have been received during normal play.
Steyn was the starting inside centre for the Springboks in the 2007 Rugby World Cup Final
, he made a fantastic break that resulted in a penalty for the Boks and also converted one himself later on in the game. He is therefore the youngest player to win a Rugby World Cup
.
In April 2009, Steyn signed a two-year contract with French Top 14 club Racing Métro 92 for an estimated €750,000 per season.
In the Springboks' final match of the 2009 Tri Nations
against New Zealand, his last match with the Boks before his departure for France
, he converted three penalties from within his own half of the field; he is believed to be the first player ever to do so in a Test match.
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
player, who plays for the South African national team
South Africa national rugby union team
The South African national rugby union team are 2009 British and Irish Lions Series winners. They are currently ranked as the fourth best team in the IRB World Rankings and were named 2008 World Team of the Year at the prestigious Laureus World Sports Awards.Although South Africa was instrumental...
; and Racing Métro 92 in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
. He was a member of the South African team that won the 2007 Rugby World Cup
2007 Rugby World Cup
The 2007 Rugby World Cup was the sixth Rugby World Cup, a quadrennial international rugby union competition inaugurated in 1987. Twenty nations competed for the Webb Ellis Cup in the tournament, which was hosted by France from 7 September to 20 October. France won the hosting rights in 2003,...
. He is renowned for his long distance kicking ability.
Player History
After playing only ten matches for the Natal SharksNatal Sharks
The Natal Sharks are a South African rugby union team that participate in the annual Currie Cup and Super Rugby tournaments. The Sharks home stadium is Kings Park. They draw most of their players from the KwaZulu-Natal Province. The Sharks are the current representative team of the Natal rugby...
in the 2006 Currie Cup Premier Division (at fly-half), Steyn was, at 19 years old, selected to represent South Africa in the Northern Hemisphere touring squad by national coach Jake White
Jake White
Jake White is a rugby union coach and former coach of the South Africa national rugby union team, the Springboks. His most notable achievements as coach include leading the Springboks to victory in 2007 Rugby World Cup and the 2004 Tri Nations title...
. He debuted at wing against Ireland
Ireland national rugby union team
The Ireland national rugby union team represents the island of Ireland in rugby union. The team competes annually in the Six Nations Championship and every four years in the Rugby World Cup, where they reached the quarter-final stage in all but two competitions The Ireland national rugby union...
, he scored a try on his debut. In his next international match he was moved to fullback against England
England national rugby union team
The England national rugby union team represents England in rugby union. They compete in the annual Six Nations Championship with France, Ireland, Scotland, Italy, and Wales. They have won this championship on 26 occasions, 12 times winning the Grand Slam, making them the most successful team in...
, scoring a long range drop-goal, from his own half. Steyn has shown to possess superb goal kicking qualities as well.
In his debut season of Super 14
Super 14
Super Rugby is the largest and pre-eminent professional Rugby union competition in the Southern Hemisphere...
rugby, Frans Steyn was selected on the right wing, however, was moved to fullback when Percy Montgomery
Percy Montgomery
Percival Colin "Percy" Montgomery is a retired South African rugby union player...
was injured. He played as the last line of defence until Percy Montgomery returned for the game against the Blues in Round 11, and was moved to fly-half for this game.
He kicked two drop goals in the 2007 Tri Nations
2007 Tri Nations Series
The 2007 Tri Nations Series was an annual rugby union competition between the national teams of Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. The series began in South Africa on 16 June, with a Test between South Africa and Australia at Newlands, Cape Town and ended on 21 July in Eden Park, Auckland...
opener against Australia
Australia national rugby union team
The Australian national rugby union team is the representative side of Australia in rugby union. The national team is nicknamed the Wallabies and competes annually with New Zealand and South Africa in the Tri-Nations Series, in which they also contest the Bledisloe Cup with New Zealand and the...
at Newlands Stadium
Newlands Stadium
Newlands Stadium, currently referred to as DHL Newlands for sponsorship reasons, is located in Cape Town, South Africa.The stadium currently has a capacity of 51,900 people, but is not an all seater venue....
in Cape Town
Cape Town
Cape Town is the second-most populous city in South Africa, and the provincial capital and primate city of the Western Cape. As the seat of the National Parliament, it is also the legislative capital of the country. It forms part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality...
, to win the game for the Springboks. One of these, a 42 metre effort from a fielded clearance kick next to the sideline, and another three minutes from time next to the posts about 30 metres out.
In South Africa's first game at the 2007 Rugby World Cup
2007 Rugby World Cup
The 2007 Rugby World Cup was the sixth Rugby World Cup, a quadrennial international rugby union competition inaugurated in 1987. Twenty nations competed for the Webb Ellis Cup in the tournament, which was hosted by France from 7 September to 20 October. France won the hosting rights in 2003,...
, their star centre Jean de Villiers
Jean de Villiers
Jean de Villiers is a South African rugby union footballer. He started his career at wing, but now primarily plays centre. De Villiers plays for Western Province and internationally for South Africa....
got injured. Steyn replaced him, playing only his second game at professional level at inside centre, but he made a break on first touch of the ball and his inclusion sparked the Springboks to a 37–0 second half demolition of Samoa
Samoa national rugby union team
The Manu Samoa is the men's representative side of the Samoa Rugby Union in both the 15's and the 7's for international competitions. The Samoa Rugby Union is owned by the affiliated rugby unions of Samoa. In Samoa, Manu Samoa is in honour of a famous Samoan warrior. From 1924 to 1997 Samoa was...
.
On 24 September 2007 Steyn was cited to appear before a disciplinary hearing for allegedly biting Tongan
Tonga national rugby union team
The Tonga national rugby union team is nicknamed Ikale Tahi . Like their Polynesian neighbours, the Tongans start their matches with a war dance – the Kailao . They are members of the Pacific Islands Rugby Alliance along with Fiji and Samoa...
winger Joseph Vaka during the Springboks v. Tonga 2007 Rugby World Cup
2007 Rugby World Cup
The 2007 Rugby World Cup was the sixth Rugby World Cup, a quadrennial international rugby union competition inaugurated in 1987. Twenty nations competed for the Webb Ellis Cup in the tournament, which was hosted by France from 7 September to 20 October. France won the hosting rights in 2003,...
game on 22 September. (Match report). Both players were sent to the sinbin in the 60th minute for an off-the-ball incident. He was subsequently cleared of the charge, due to insufficient evidence and Vaka conceding that the apparent "bite mark" could have been received during normal play.
Steyn was the starting inside centre for the Springboks in the 2007 Rugby World Cup Final
2007 Rugby World Cup Final
The 2007 Rugby World Cup Final was a rugby union match, played on Saturday, 20 October 2007 at the Stade de France, Saint-Denis, Paris. The match determined the winner of the 2007 Rugby World Cup and the de facto world champions for the next four years...
, he made a fantastic break that resulted in a penalty for the Boks and also converted one himself later on in the game. He is therefore the youngest player to win a Rugby World Cup
Rugby World Cup
The Rugby World Cup is an international rugby union competition organised by the International Rugby Board and held every four years since 1987....
.
In April 2009, Steyn signed a two-year contract with French Top 14 club Racing Métro 92 for an estimated €750,000 per season.
In the Springboks' final match of the 2009 Tri Nations
2009 Tri Nations Series
The 2009 Tri Nations Series was the fourteenth annual Tri Nations rugby union series between the national rugby union teams of New Zealand, Australia and South Africa, respectively nicknamed the All Blacks, Wallabies, and Springboks...
against New Zealand, his last match with the Boks before his departure for France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, he converted three penalties from within his own half of the field; he is believed to be the first player ever to do so in a Test match.
External links
- itsrugby.co.uk Super 14 stats