Willem de Waal
Encyclopedia
Willem de Waal is a South African rugby union
footballer who is currently playing for Benetton Treviso
in the RaboDirect Pro12 competition. He plays in the position of fly-half. Like Joost van der Westhuizen
at scrum-half, de Waal is unusually big for a fly-half.
before making his provincial debut with the Leopards
in 2002. He then moved to the Free State Cheetahs
in 2004 where he would experience his greatest success so far. In each of his four seasons at the club, the Cheetahs made it to the final of the Currie Cup
, winning twice and sharing one.
De Waal has also played at Super Rugby level, making his debut with the Bulls in 2004 before joining the Cats in 2005. When the competition expanded to 14 teams in 2006
, the Cats split into two separate franchises – the Lions and the Cheetahs
, which de Waal joined.
On 24 July 2007, it was announced that de Waal signed a two-year deal with French Second Division club RC Narbonne
. He returned to South Africa
after one season and secured a spot in the 2009 Stormers
squad, his fourth different super rugby team. He also played in the Currie Cup for Western Province
that same season.
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...
footballer who is currently playing for Benetton Treviso
Benetton Rugby Treviso
Benetton Rugby Treviso are an Italian professional rugby union club currently competing in the RaboDirect Pro12 and the Heineken Cup.They are based in Treviso in Veneto, and owned by the Benetton clothing company....
in the RaboDirect Pro12 competition. He plays in the position of fly-half. Like Joost van der Westhuizen
Joost van der Westhuizen
Joost van der Westhuizen is a former South African rugby union footballer who was the Springboks' first choice scrum-half in the mid-to-late 1990s and early 2000s. He was capped 89 times for the Springboks and scored 38 tries...
at scrum-half, de Waal is unusually big for a fly-half.
Career
De Waal played rugby for Stellenbosch UniversityStellenbosch University
Stellenbosch University is a public research university situated in the town of Stellenbosch, South Africa. Other nearby universities are the University of Cape Town and University of the Western Cape....
before making his provincial debut with the Leopards
Leopards (rugby team)
The Leopards, are a South African rugby union team that participates in the annual Currie Cup tournament. They play out of Potchefstroom at Olën Park as well as the Royal Bafokeng Stadium in Rustenburg...
in 2002. He then moved to the Free State Cheetahs
Free State Cheetahs
The Free State Cheetahs , currently named the Toyota Free State Cheetahs, for sponsorship reasons, are a South African rugby union team that participates in the annual Currie Cup tournament. They are governed by the Free State Rugby Union and are based at the 37,076-capacity Vodacom Park in...
in 2004 where he would experience his greatest success so far. In each of his four seasons at the club, the Cheetahs made it to the final of the Currie Cup
Currie Cup
The Currie Cup tournament is South Africa's premier domestic rugby union competition, played each winter and spring , featuring teams representing either entire provinces or substantial regions within provinces...
, winning twice and sharing one.
De Waal has also played at Super Rugby level, making his debut with the Bulls in 2004 before joining the Cats in 2005. When the competition expanded to 14 teams in 2006
2006 Super 14 season
The 2006 Super 14 season started on Friday 10 February 2006. The Grand Final was held on Saturday 27 May 2006. Super 14 is a provincial rugby union competition with 14 teams from New Zealand, Australia and South Africa. This season was the first of the expansion, which saw two new teams, the...
, the Cats split into two separate franchises – the Lions and the Cheetahs
Central Cheetahs
The Central Cheetahs, known for sponsorship reasons as the Toyota Cheetahs, is a South African rugby union team that entered the Super Rugby competition in 2006. The franchise area encompasses the Free State and Northern Cape. In terms of Currie Cup unions, the Cheetahs draw from Free State...
, which de Waal joined.
On 24 July 2007, it was announced that de Waal signed a two-year deal with French Second Division club RC Narbonne
RC Narbonne
Racing Club de Narbonne Méditerannée is a French rugby union club that play in the second-level Rugby Pro D2, after finishing at the bottom of the 2006-07 Top 14 table....
. He returned to South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
after one season and secured a spot in the 2009 Stormers
Stormers
The Stormers, for sponsorship reasons referred to as DHL Stormers, are a South African rugby union team based in Cape Town competing in the Super Rugby competition . Despite their lack of silverware over the years, their home stadium, Newlands, typically draws the highest average attendance figures...
squad, his fourth different super rugby team. He also played in the Currie Cup for Western Province
Western Province (rugby team)
DHL Western Province is a South African rugby union team that participates in the annual Currie Cup tournament. The team has won the Currie Cup on 32 occasions and has the most supporters of any Currie Cup team...
that same season.