Günther Janse van Vuuren

Günther Janse van Vuuren

Personal information
Born	24 August 1995 Pretoria, South Africa
Height	1.87 m (6 ft 2 in)
Weight	120 kg (18 st 13 lb)
School(s) attended	Hoërskool Monument, Krugersdorp
University	University of the Free State, Central University of Technology, Bloemfontein
Club information
Playing position	Tighthead prop
Current club	Cheetahs / Free State Cheetahs
Youth career
2013	Golden Lions
2014–2016	Free State Cheetahs
Amateur team(s)
Years	Team
2016–present	CUT Ixias	7	(0)
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps^†	(Pts)^†
2015–present	Free State XV	11	(0)
2017–future	Cheetahs	0	(0)
* Senior club appearances and points correct as of 30 November 2016. † Appearances (Points).

Günther Janse van Vuuren (born 24 August 1995) is a South African rugby union player, currently playing with the Cheetahs in Super Rugby and the Free State XV in the domestic Currie Cup.^[1] His regular position is tighthead prop.

Rugby career

2013: Schoolboy rugby

Janse van Vuuren was born in Pretoria, but attended Hoërskool Monument in Krugersdorp. In 2013, he was selected to represent the Golden Lions at the premier high school rugby union tournament in South Africa, the Under-18 Craven Week, held in Polokwane. He scored a try in their first match against the SWD Eagles^[2] on their way to reaching the unofficial final of the tournament, where they lost to Western Province.^[3]

2014–2016: Free State Cheetahs and CUT Ixias

After finishing high school, Janse van Vuuren moved to Bloemfontein, where he joined the Free State Cheetahs for the 2014 season. He started ten matches for the Free State U19 team in the 2014 Under-19 Provincial Championship regular season, scoring a try in a 7–9 defeat to the Sharks U19s^[4] as Free State finished the season in second spot on the log to secure a semi-final berth.^[5] Janse van Vuuren also started in the semi-final, but could not prevent his side losing 22–29 at home to eventual champions Western Province U19.^[6]

In the first half of 2015, he was included in the Free State XV squad that participated in the 2015 Vodacom Cup.^[7] He made his first class debut in their Southern Section Round Five match against the Border Bulldogs in East London, coming on as a replacement shortly after half-time in a 14–10 victory.^[8] He also played off the bench in their final two matches against Western Province^[9] and Griquas,^[10] as his side finished third in the Southern Section to qualify for the play-offs.^[11] A third appearance followed in their Quarter Final match against the Blue Bulls, where a 44–21 victory for the side from Pretoria ended the Free State XV's interest in the competition.^[12]

In the second half of 2015, Janse van Vuuren played for the Free State U21 team in the 2015 Under-21 Provincial Championship. He scored one try in their 58–12 victory over Eastern Province U21^[13] en route to a second-place finish on the log.^[14] He started nine matches in the competition, the final two being their 27–22 victory over the Sharks U21s in the semi-final,^[15] and their 17–52 loss to Western Province U21 in the final.^[16]

Janse van Vuuren started the 2016 season by representing university side CUT Ixias in the 2016 Varsity Cup. He appeared in all seven of their matches in the competition, helping them to two victories and sixth place on the log.^[17] He then played some more first class rugby for the Free State XV in the 2016 Currie Cup qualification series, which effectively replaced the Vodacom Cup. He added to his four previous appearances as a replacement by playing off the bench in matches against Namibian side the Welwitschias^[18] and the Blue Bulls^[19] before making his first senior start in a 31–36 defeat to Western Province in Round Three.^[20] He made three more starts and one substitute appearance in the remainder of the season, as his side finished sixth in the fifteen-team competition.^[21] In May 2016, the Cheetahs announced that he signed a two-year contract extension, to remain in Bloemfontein until 2018.^[22]

He again finished off the season by playing for the Free State U21 team in the 2016 Under-21 Provincial Championship; he played in all seven of their matches, scoring a try against the Sharks U21s^[23] as his side again qualified for the title-play-offs,^[24] before losing 23–26 to Western Province U21 in the semi-final.^[25]

In November 2016, he was named in the Cheetahs Super Rugby team's training squad as the team prepared for the 2017 Super Rugby season.^[26]

References

1. "SA Rugby Player Profile – Günther Janse van Vuuren". South African Rugby Union. Retrieved 30 November 2016.
2. "SA Rugby Match Centre – Golden Lions 34-27 SWD". South African Rugby Union. 9 July 2013. Retrieved 30 November 2016.
3. "SA Rugby Match Centre – Western Province 45-29 Golden Lions". South African Rugby Union. 13 July 2013. Retrieved 30 November 2016.
4. "SA Rugby Match Centre – Sharks U19 9-7 Free State U19". South African Rugby Union. 15 August 2014. Retrieved 30 November 2016.
5. "SA Rugby Log – 2014 Absa Under 19 Competition". South African Rugby Union. Retrieved 30 November 2016.
6. "SA Rugby Match Centre – Free State U19 22-29 Western Province U19". South African Rugby Union. 18 October 2014. Retrieved 30 November 2016.
7. "SA Rugby Squad – Toyota Free State XV : 2015 Vodacom Cup". South African Rugby Union. Retrieved 30 November 2016.
8. "SA Rugby Match Centre – Border Bulldogs 10-14 Toyota Free State XV". South African Rugby Union. 24 April 2015. Retrieved 30 November 2016.
9. "SA Rugby Match Centre – Toyota Free State XV 29-30 DHL Western Province". South African Rugby Union. 2 May 2015. Retrieved 30 November 2016.
10. "SA Rugby Match Centre – GWK Griquas 19-18 Toyota Free State XV". South African Rugby Union. 9 May 2015. Retrieved 30 November 2016.
11. "SA Rugby Log – 2015 Vodacom Cup". South African Rugby Union. Retrieved 30 November 2016.
12. "SA Rugby Match Centre – Vodacom Blue Bulls 44-21 Toyota Free State XV". South African Rugby Union. 15 May 2015. Retrieved 30 November 2016.
13. "SA Rugby Match Centre – Free State U21 58-12 EP Kings U21". South African Rugby Union. 11 July 2015. Retrieved 30 November 2016.
14. "SA Rugby Log – 2015 Absa Under 21 Competition". South African Rugby Union. Retrieved 30 November 2016.
15. "SA Rugby Match Centre – Free State U21 27-22 Sharks U21". South African Rugby Union. 17 October 2015. Retrieved 30 November 2016.
16. "SA Rugby Match Centre – Western Province U21 52-17 Free State U21". South African Rugby Union. 24 October 2015. Retrieved 30 November 2016.
17. "SA Rugby Log – 2016 FNB Varsity Cup presented by Steinhoff International". South African Rugby Union. Retrieved 30 November 2016.
18. "SA Rugby Match Centre – Toyota Free State XV 32-17 Windhoek Draught Welwitschias". South African Rugby Union. 9 April 2016. Retrieved 30 November 2016.
19. "SA Rugby Match Centre – Vodacom Blue Bulls 20-17 Toyota Free State XV". South African Rugby Union. 16 April 2016. Retrieved 30 November 2016.
20. "SA Rugby Match Centre – Toyota Free State XV 31-36 DHL Western Province". South African Rugby Union. 22 April 2016. Retrieved 30 November 2016.
21. "SA Rugby Log – 2016 Currie Cup Qualifying". South African Rugby Union. Retrieved 30 November 2016.
22. "Tight Head Props secured for 2017 season" (Press release). Cheetahs. 24 May 2016. Archived from the original on 24 May 2016. Retrieved 24 May 2016.
23. "SA Rugby Match Centre – Sharks U21 18-24 Free State U21". South African Rugby Union. 10 September 2016. Retrieved 30 November 2016.
24. "SA Rugby Log – 2016 SA Rugby U21 Provincial Champs". South African Rugby Union. Retrieved 30 November 2016.
25. "SA Rugby Match Centre – WP U21 26-23 Free State U21". South African Rugby Union. 14 October 2016. Retrieved 30 November 2016.
26. "Cheetahs pak Stormers in Zim" [Cheetahs take on Stormers in Zimbabwe]. Netwerk24 (in Afrikaans). 19 November 2016.