Lindelwe Siyanda Zungu (born 16 May 1995 in) is a South African professional rugby union player who most recently played with the Eastern Province Kings.[1] He usually plays as a winger or a fullback.
| Full name | Lindelwe Siyanda Zungu | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Date of birth | 16 May 1995 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Vryheid, South Africa | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 76 kg (168 lb; 12 st 0 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| School | Hoërskool Piet Retief, Piet Retief | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| University | Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Rugby career edit
2011–13: Schoolboy rugby / Pumas edit
Zungu went to school in Piet Retief, where he qualified to represent the Pumas at provincial level. He played for them at three schools tournaments as their first choice fullback – the Under-16 Grant Khomo Week in 2011 and the Under-18 Craven Week tournaments in both 2012 and 2013.
2014–present: Eastern Province Kings edit
Zungu moved to Port Elizabeth for the 2014, joining the Eastern Province Kings academy. He was included in the Eastern Province U19 squad that participated in the 2014 Under-19 Provincial Championship, in their first season in Group A after winning promotion from Group B at the end of 2013. Zungu started all twelve of their matches in the competition, mainly starting on the left wing, but also playing as a fullback[2] or outside centre[3] on occasion. He scored three tries during the season, in matches against Golden Lions U19,[4] Leopards U19[5] and Sharks U19,[6] helping his side finish second-last on the log to avoiding a relegation play-off.[7]
He progressed to the Under-21 squad in 2015 and played in eleven of the team's twelve matches in Group A of the 2015 Under-21 Provincial Championship. He started on both wings throughout the season and scored tries against Blue Bulls U21[8] and Golden Lions U21[9] in a disappointing season for his side, which won just one match all season, finishing bottom of the log.[10]
He started the 2016 season by playing Varsity Cup rugby with the local university team, the NMMU Madibaz. He made five appearances for the team – starting four of those – and scored one try in their 23–45 defeat to UP Tuks,[11] but experienced another disappointing season, as the team finished second-bottom on the log.[12] After the 2016 Varsity Cup, Zungu was one of several youngsters that were included in the Eastern Province Kings squad that competed in the 2016 Currie Cup qualification series.[13] He made his first class debut in their second match of the season, starting against the Boland Cavaliers in an 18–37 defeat.[14]
References edit
- ^ "SA Rugby Player Profile – Lindelwe Zungu". South African Rugby Union. Retrieved 21 June 2016.
- ^ "SA Rugby Match Centre – Leopards U19 26–32 EP Kings U19". South African Rugby Union. 2 August 2014. Retrieved 21 June 2016.
- ^ "SA Rugby Match Centre – EP Kings U19 10–38 WP U19". South African Rugby Union. 8 August 2014. Retrieved 21 June 2016.
- ^ "SA Rugby Match Centre – Golden Lions U19 7–18 EP Kings U19". South African Rugby Union. 16 August 2014. Retrieved 21 June 2016.
- ^ "SA Rugby Match Centre – EP Kings U19 42–7 Leopards U19". South African Rugby Union. 12 September 2014. Retrieved 21 June 2016.
- ^ "SA Rugby Match Centre – Sharks U19 24–21 EP Kings U19". South African Rugby Union. 27 September 2014. Retrieved 21 June 2016.
- ^ "SA Rugby Log – 2014 Absa Under 19 Competition". South African Rugby Union. Retrieved 21 June 2016.
- ^ "SA Rugby Match Centre – EP Kings U21 20–39 Blue Bulls U21". South African Rugby Union. 31 July 2015. Retrieved 21 June 2016.
- ^ "SA Rugby Match Centre – EP Kings U21 14–73 Golden Lions U21". South African Rugby Union. 8 August 2015. Retrieved 21 June 2016.
- ^ "SA Rugby Log – 2015 Absa Under 21 Competition". South African Rugby Union. Retrieved 21 June 2016.
- ^ "SA Rugby Match Centre – FNB UP-TUKS 45–23 FNB NMMU MADIBAZ". South African Rugby Union. 24 March 2016. Retrieved 21 June 2016.
- ^ "SA Rugby Log – 2016 FNB Varsity Cup presented by Steinhoff International". South African Rugby Union. Retrieved 21 June 2016.
- ^ "SA Rugby Squad – EP Kings : 2016 Currie Cup Qualifying". South African Rugby Union. Retrieved 3 June 2016.
- ^ "SA Rugby Match Centre – Boland Cavaliers 37–18 EP Kings". South African Rugby Union. 16 April 2016. Retrieved 21 June 2016.