Tighthead Prop

Former Springbok prop forward Brian Mujati was born in Zimbabwe and first came to prominence with some impressive performances for the Lions in Super 14 and Currie Cup in 2007. In 2008 he made a move down to Cape Town, performed impressively for the Stormers, caught the eye of the national selectors and quickly racked up 12 test caps. However his tour to Europe at the end of 2008 ended with a test he’d rather forget against Wales.

After Super 14 in 2009, Mujati decided he needed a fresh challenge and he signed a 2 year contract to play for Northampton Saints.

By the end of the 2 year contract, he was regarded as one of the leading tight head props in Europe. In his first season, he gradually improved and grew stronger with some outstanding performances. However in 2010/2011 season, Mujati along with England hooker, Dylan Hartley and Tongan loosehead prop, Soane Tonga’huia formed a Saints front row that regularly demolished opposing scrums. Northampton Saints were runners up in Heineken Cup and Mujati was shortlisted for Aviva Premiership Player of the Season.

Off the field, Mujati is an entertaining blogger for www.ruggavibe.com and keeps his followers in stitches on twitter. He has also started his own brewing business out of his garage in Northampton. Life seems to be working out for him and his family in Northampton and he decided to sign a new 3 year contract with the Saints.

WP Nel began his career in Western Province before impressing Naka Drotske whilst on loan to Boland in 2008 and grabbing an opportunity with the Cheetahs.

He first came to prominence in 2009 Currie Cup with some outstanding performances for Cheetahs. At the end of the 2009 season, he was selected to represented the Barbarians against All Blacks at Twickenham. Highly-rated by Springbok legend Os du Randt, Nel has become an important player for the Cheetahs with his powerful carrying and impressive work rate.

Rayno Gerber was born in Port Elizabeth and schooled at Framesby High. After school he moved to Bloemfontein and started his professional rugby career playing for Free State. In 2002 he was selected to play for SA u21 and was a member of the squad that won the IRB u21 World Championships in Johannesburg under the coaching of Jake White and captaincy of Clyde Rathbone.

In 2004, Gerber left the Cheetahs and signed a 2 year contract with Leeds in England. He played well in Premiership and improved his overall game. When his 2 year contract was completed, he felt he was more experienced and ready to have another crack at South African rugby so he signed a 3 year contract with the Bulls in Pretoria.

During his career with the Bulls, Gerber became a regular fixture in both Currie Cup and Super Rugby squads and he was an important member of the team that won the Super 14 competition in 2007.

After the Super 14 in 2009, Gerber signed a 3 year contract with Stade Francais in France. He enjoyed his experience at Stade Francais but decided to leave the club after 2 years.

Date of Birth: 28/01/81
Position: Tighthead Prop
Height: 1.90m
Weight: 120kgs
Currently contracted to: Blue Bulls

A product of Selborne College in East London, Michael Coetzee started playing for Border u21 in 1999 and remained with the province until 2006 when he signed to play for Racing Metro in the French ProD2. Metro had big plans as a club and Coetzee found himself playing alongside some world class players, not last of all, Andrew Mehrtens.

His game grew stronger and he became a very well respected tighthead prop in France over the 3 years he spent at Racing Metro. By the end of 2008/09 season, he had played over 70 times for Racing Metro and the club had gained promotion to Top 14.

In 2009 he decided to move to Castres even though Racing Metro were very keen for him to remain at the club. It was not an easy decision for him to leave Racing Metro at the time but he felt Castres, under the coaching of Laurent Travers, would be a competitive team and a good environment.

In his first season with Castres, he struggled with injury but he came back strongly in his second season and has subsequently extended his contract with Castres for a further 3 seasons.

Coetzee is on the small side for a tighthead prop but his consistency in Top 14 indicates that he is a reliable scrummager and highly rated.

Date of Birth: 06/12/79
Position: Tighthead Prop
Height: 1.78m
Weight:112kg
Currently contracted to: Castres

Born in Paarl, South Africa and schooled at Boland Landbou, Albertus Buckle represented Western Province in junior ranks before moving to Griqualand West in 2007. During his 4 years in Kimberley, Buckle was drafted into the Stormers Super rugby squad on 2 different occasions.

Equally comfortable on both sides of the scrum and an impressive ball carrier, Buckle is reminiscent of former Springbok prop, Ollie Le Roux. During the 2010 Currie Cup season, Buckle signed for French club, Bourgoin. On arrival in France, he immediately made an impact before requiring neck surgery. He returned to full fitness later in the season but Bourgoin had financial issues and let him finish his first French season with Castres.

Buckle has joined Biarritz for the 2011/2012 season and hopes to have an injury free season and make a big impression in Top 14.

Date of Birth: 09/09/83
Position: Tighthead Prop
Height: 1.80m
Weight: 123kg
Currently contracted to: Grenoble

Ashley Wells started his career primarily as a loosehead prop and despite representing Western Province u21 in 2006, it was only in Varsity Cup in 2010 when he started to really impress some of the professional coaches in South Africa with a string of strong performances for University of Cape Town (UCT).

After the Varsity Cup, Wells joined Griqualand West and Dawie Theron, former Springbok prop and Griqualand West coach, started to coach him into scrumming on the tighthead prop. He continued his development in 2011 Vodacom Cup and impressed former Springbok prop, Ollie Le Roux, who was assisting Griqualand West as a scrum coach.

Wells is a willing ball carrier and with his ability to prop solidly on both sides of the scrum, he was identified by Newcastle Falcons coach, Alan Tait, as a sound investment. In 2011, Wells signed a 2 year contract to play for Newcastle Falcons in England.

Date of Birth: 29/07/85
Position: Tighthead Prop
Height: 1.87m
Weight: 125kgs
Currently contracted to: Newcastle Falcons

EP Kings strongman Kevin Buys began his career with the Blue Bulls before making the move to France to play Top 14 rugby with Brive.

After two successful seasons with the French club, the powerful tighthead prop returned to South Africa to sign with the Lions.

A physical player with an impressive work rate, Buys enjoyed a strong 2009 Currie Cup season and was a stand out performer for the Lions in their 2010 Super 14 campaign.

In 2012, Buys signed with the EP Kings who will be making their Super Rugby debut in 2013.

Date of Birth: 26/04/86
Position: Tighthead prop
Height: 1.91m
Weight: 120kg
Currently contracted to: EP Kings

A small man with a big heart, Jean Botha started his career out of Paul Roos and represented Western Province u21 at loosehead prop in 2005 and 2006. After playing well for Boland in 2007 Vodacom Cup, he signed to play for Oyonnax in French ProD2. It didn’t work out, Botha didn’t seem rated by the club and he certainly didn’t seem suited to the location.

He returned to Boland and played really well in 2008 Currie Cup both on loosehead prop and the occasional stint on tighthead prop. One of his most impressive qualities whilst playing for Boland was his mobility and work rate and his performances caught the eye of Cheetahs coach, Naka Drotske, who offered Botha a 2 year contract.

His time in Bloemfontein coincided with the emergence of Coenie Oosthuizen and WP Nel and coupled with some injuries, Botha decided to leave Cheetahs and go on loan to Griquland West for the 2010 Currie Cup. Dawie Theron moved him to tighthead prop and he impressed with some solid performances against some quality loosehead props. After the 2010 Currie Cup, Botha took a 6 month sabbatical from the game but returned to Griqualand West for 2011 Currie Cup.

Date of Birth: 23/07/85
Position: Tighthead Prop
Height: 1.79m
Weight: 116kg
Currently contracted to: Unattached

A product of Oakdale High, Jan Volschenk was immediately recognized as a strong scrummager and selected for SA Schools team in 2004. He was a member of the victorious South African u19 team that won the IRB u19 World Championships in Durban in 2007 under the coaching of Eugene Eloff and the captaincy of Alistair Hargreaves. His first taste of senior rugby was for the Blue Bulls in 2006 Vodacom Cup but he decided to move to Western Province for 2007 season. He represented Western Province in 2007 Vodacom Cup under the coaching of Gary Gold and was a member of the Western Province u21 team that won the SAu21 competition later that year.

Having played well at Western Province but unlucky not to be offered a contract for 2008, Volschenk signed to play for Venezia Mestre in Italy. He matured greatly as a person during his experience in Italy and performed well in his first season but by the second season, the club had some financial difficulties and he returned to South Africa slightly disillusioned.

He continued to represented South Western Districts in 2010 Vodacom Cup and then signed a contract with Oyonnax in French ProD2. Volschenk played 23 games and enjoyed a particularly impressive debut season. Volschenk has extended his contract with Oyonnax for a further 2 seasons.

Date of Birth: 29/03/86
Position: Tighthead Prop
Height: 1.84m
Weight: 117kg
Currently contracted to: Oyonnax
International Honours: SA Academy (2003), SA Schools (2004), SA Under-19 (2005)

Ruaan Du Preez started his career with Boland in 2003 and gradually progressed from the junior ranks to the senior team in 2007. His senior performances impressed Western Province and they signed him in 2008 but a change of coach meant he quickly moved to Griqualand West later the same year. After two Currie Cup seasons with Griqualand West, he decided to sign for French club, Bourgoin at the same time as his Griqualand West front row partner, Albertus Buckle.

His first season at Bourgoin was not an easy season as he had to have surgery on his neck. He returned to play well in the last 10 games of French Top 14 Championship but Bourgoin got relegated but Du Preez played well enough to catch the eye of Grenoble and joined them for 2011/2012 season.

Date of Birth: 20/03/84
Position: Tighthead Prop
Height: 1.87m
Weight: 118kg
Currently contracted to: Grenoble

Stephan Bezuidenhout starred for Potchefstroom University (Pukke) in the Varsity Cup competitions from 2009 through to 2011. His performances caught the eye of Leopards and he made his Vodacom Cup and Currie Cup debuts in 2011 season. He impressed with some solid performances in his debut season in Top 8.

Date of Birth: 10/05/1986
Position: Tighthead Prop
Height: 185 cm
Weight: 128 kg
Currently contracted to: Leopards

After matriculating at Grey College in Bloemfontein, Larson represented the Free State at the 2002 Craven Week as well as at U20, U21 and Vodacom Cup levels.

A powerful scrummager, Larson played professionally in France for 2 years before returning to play for Eastern Province and Boland. He was chosen to represent Namibia in the 2011 IRB Rugby World Cup, where he had the opportunity to play against some of the best players in the world.

Larson is not only a strong scrummager but also mobile around the park, which will make him a great asset for the SWD Eagles in 2012.

Date of Birth: 14/05/84
Position: Tighthead Prop
Height: 1.85m
Weight: 120kg
Currently contracted to: SWD Eagles
International Honours: Namibia

An agile and explosive tighthead prop, Pradaud was a stand-out performer at age-group level. His powerful performances for the Western Force and Brumbies Academies caught the eye of the national selectors, and in 2011 Pradaud represented Australia U20 at the IRB Junior World Cup in Italy.

A workhorse who can be relied upon for sustained power and intense focus, Pradaud's versatility has seen him cover loosehead prop in the past. He is held in high regard by his peers and is well known for both his physical and mental strength, and his unique stamina.

Pradaud's passion and commitment have seen him work just as diligently off the field as on the field, and he has been able to achieve substantial physical and mental goals as a result of this determination.

Date of Birth: 03/01/91
Position: Tighthead / Loosehead Prop
Height: 1.86m
Weight: 120kg
Currently contracted to: Brumbies

Grant Kemp made a big impression in the 2010 Varsity Cup, helping UCT to secure a place in the final of the competition. An impressive ball-carrier, he is aggressive in the loose and reliable at the set pieces. Still young, he is highly rated in South Africa and certainly has the strength and ability to make it at the top level. Kemp received a number of offers following the completion of the 2010 season. Having played for Western Province Amateurs, he agreed to move to Pretoria, signing a deal with TUKS and the Bulls.

In 2011, he was a member of the Tuks team that lost to UCT in final of the Varsity Cup. Whilst it might have been painful for Kemp to lose to his former team- mates in the final, he continues to grow his game in Pretoria under the watchful eye of Bulls Director of Rugby, Heyneke Meyer.

Date of Birth: 31/10/88
Position: Tighthead Prop
Height: 1.89m
Weight: 120kg
Currently contracted to: University of Pretoria (TUKS)

Young tighthead prop Basil Short has shown immense potential at such a young age.

A powerful scrummager and strong ball carrier, Short has been earmarked as a future Bulls stalwart, and has a bright future ahead of him.

Date of Birth: 19/05/91
Position: Tighthead Prop
Height: 1.89m
Weight: 116kg
Currently contracted to: Blue Bulls

At 1,95m tall and weighing 124kg, Stephan Schoeman is a very big man. He was schooled at Paarl Gymnasium in Cape and represented Western Province u18 as a second row forward.

During the 2009 season, he moved position to the front row and started a few games at tighthead prop for the Western Province u19 team.

In 2011, he decided to progress his rugby career in Pretoria with Tukkies and Blue Bulls. He has featured regularly for the Blue Bulls U21 side, and although he has spent most of his time at tighthead prop, he is equally at home at looshead.

Date of Birth: 12/05/1991
Position: Tighthead Prop
Height: 195 cm
Weight: 124 kg
Currently contracted to: Tuks