Toyota Cheetah Rugby congratulate Adriaan Strauss on his 100th Vodacom SupeRugby match
On Saturday at 17:00, Adriaan Strauss will as usual lead the Toyota Cheetahs on to the field at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria. This Saturday will however be different. Not only will he be running front of the team because he is the captain, but also because it is his 100th SupeRugby match. He will also be running onto the same field where he played his very first SupeRugby match on the 17th of March 2006 in his debut for the Bulls against the Hurricanes.
Strauss’s rugby dreams started when he was a small boy in the Philippolis district and it later become more of a reality during his primary- and secondary school days at Grey College in Bloemfontein. His leadership abilities became visible here as under captain and hostel captain. He already had a taste of first team rugby in his grade 11 year and in his matric year he represented not only Grey College’s first team but also the Free State- and SA Schools teams.
After school Adriaan studied Financial Mathematics at the University of Pretoria from where his rugby career started with the Blue Bulls. During his time in Pretoria he played Absa Currie Cup and Vodacom SupeRugby for the Bulls but returned to Bloemfontein in 2007.
Only a year later, on the 19th of July 2008, at the age of 22, Adriaan got the opportunity to wear the Green Gold when he made his Springbok debut as reserve hooker against Australia in Perth. He became Springbok no. 800. With tight competition on hooker, Adriaan only played in nine test matches (8 as reserve) during the following four years.
This waiting period only made him more content to play more test rugby and today, with 33 tests behind his name, he played as vice-captain of the Springboks and has become one of the most well-known rugby players in South Africa. Adriaan was awarded the South African Super Rugby Player of the Year award for 2013.
Adriaan Strauss led the Toyota Cheetahs in more than 50 SupeRugby matches and is among few players who have played more than 100 SupeRugby matches. Free State Rugby is truly proud of this special player and congratulates him on this exceptional milestone. His work behind the scenes to make a success of Cheetah Rugby is invaluable.
Quick facts:
Full name: Jan Adriaan Strauss
Date and place of birth: 18 November 1985, Bloemfontein
Age: 28
Length: 1.84m
Weight: 114kg
School: Grey College, Bloemfontein
University: University of Pretoria, UNISA
First Class matches: 219 (27 tries)
Tests: 33 (5 tries)
Favourite food: Lamp spit braai
Favourite activities: Hunting, golf, fishing and outdoor
PHOTO: Hannes Naude, Spektor
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