Simon Bolze
Full nameSimon Nord Bolze
Date of birth (1995-07-30) 30 July 1995
Place of birthQueenstown, South Africa
Height1.79 m (5 ft 10+1⁄2 in)
Weight84 kg (185 lb; 13 st 3 lb)
SchoolQueen's College
UniversityNelson Mandela Metropolitan University
Rugby union career
Position(s) Fly-half / Inside centre
Current team Eastern Province Elephants
Youth career
2011–2013 Border Bulldogs
2014 Blue Bulls
2015–2016 Eastern Province Kings
Amateur team(s)
Years Team Apps (Points)
2016 NMMU Madibaz 6 (21)
Senior career
Years Team Apps (Points)
2016–2018 Eastern Province Kings 19 (59)
Correct as of 27 October 2018

Simon Nord Bolze (born 30 July 1995) is a South African rugby union player who last played for the Eastern Province Elephants in the Currie Cup and in the Rugby Challenge.[1] His usually plays as a fly-half, but can also play as an inside centre.

Rugby career

2011–13: Schoolboy rugby / Border

Bolze was selected to represent his local provincial union, Border, on two occasions at high school level; he played for them at the Under-16 Grant Khomo Week in 2011, and also at the premier South African high schools rugby union tournament, the Under-18 Craven Week held in Polokwane in 2013, where he contributed 13 points with the boot in their 38–20 victory over Namibia.[2]

2014: Blue Bulls

After high school, Bolze moved to Pretoria where he joined the Blue Bulls academy. He started four matches for the Blue Bulls U19s in the 2014 Under-19 Provincial Championship and played off the bench in three more matches. He scored 47 points in his seven appearances – the eighth-most in Group A of the competition and the third-highest for the Blue Bulls[3] – which included a personal haul of 16 points in a match against the Leopards U19s, which also saw him score his only try in the competition.[4] He was also named on the bench for the Blue Bulls U21s' match against Western Province U21, but remained an unused replacement.[5]

2015–: Eastern Province Kings / NMMU Madibaz

For 2015, Bolze returned to the Eastern Cape, joining the Port Elizabeth-based Eastern Province Kings. He made six appearances for the Eastern Province U21 team in the 2015 Under-21 Provincial Championship Group A, their first season at that level after winning promotion from Group B in 2014. After starting the first five matches in a row, kicking 16 points, he missed several matches through injury before returning for one more match against his former side, the Blue Bulls U21s.[6]

In 2016, he started the season by playing Varsity Cup rugby with the local university team, the NMMU Madibaz. He made six appearances for the team – starting five of those – and kicked 21 points. It was a disappointing season overall, though, as the team finished second-bottom on the log.[7] After the 2016 Varsity Cup, Bolze was one of several youngsters that were included in the Eastern Province Kings squad that competed in the 2016 Currie Cup qualification series.[8] He made his first class debut in their second match of the season, starting against the Boland Cavaliers and kicking one conversion in an 18–37 defeat.[9] He scored his first senior try in his second appearance in a 14–28 defeat against the Border Bulldogs[10] and also started in a 31–18 win over Namibian side the Welwitschias in Windhoek a week later.[11] However, he picked up an ankle injury during that match, which saw him miss the next few weeks of action.[12]

References

  1. ↑ "SA Rugby Player Profile – Simon Bolze". South African Rugby Union. Retrieved 21 June 2016.
  2. ↑ "SA Rugby Match Centre – Border 38–20 Namibia". South African Rugby Union. 8 July 2013. Retrieved 21 June 2016.
  3. ↑ "SA Rugby Top Scorers – 2014 Absa Under 19 Competition". South African Rugby Union. Retrieved 21 June 2016.
  4. ↑ "SA Rugby Match Centre – Leopards U19 24–46 Blue Bulls U19". South African Rugby Union. 20 September 2014. Retrieved 21 June 2016.
  5. ↑ "SA Rugby Match Centre – Blue Bulls U21 44–30 Western Province U21". South African Rugby Union. 30 August 2014. Retrieved 21 June 2016.
  6. ↑ "SA Rugby Match Centre – Blue Bulls U21 43–10 EP Kings U21". South African Rugby Union. 2 October 2015. Retrieved 21 June 2016.
  7. ↑ "SA Rugby Log – 2016 FNB Varsity Cup presented by Steinhoff International". South African Rugby Union. Retrieved 21 June 2016.
  8. ↑ "SA Rugby Squad – EP Kings : 2016 Currie Cup Qualifying". South African Rugby Union. Retrieved 3 June 2016.
  9. ↑ "SA Rugby Match Centre – Boland Cavaliers 37–18 EP Kings". South African Rugby Union. 16 April 2016. Retrieved 21 June 2016.
  10. ↑ "SA Rugby Match Centre – EP Kings 14–28 Border". South African Rugby Union. 23 April 2016. Retrieved 21 June 2016.
  11. ↑ "SA Rugby Match Centre – Windhoek Draught Welwitschias 18–31 EP Kings". South African Rugby Union. 30 April 2016. Retrieved 16 June 2016.
  12. ↑ "EP Kings looking to continue form". Grocott's Mail. 6 May 2016. Retrieved 21 June 2016.
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