Rory Kockott
East London, South Africa | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Weight | 92 kg (203 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| School | Selborne College | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Rory Kockott (born 25 June 1986) is a South African-born French professional former
.Career
South Africa
Kockott played in South Africa for five years. He started in 2006 playing for the Sharks in the 2006 Super 14 season. In that season, Kockott was second choice in his position, only making one start in 12 appearances. In his debut season, the Sharks finished fifth, narrowly missing out on a semi-final berth by two points based on points difference. Later that year, he played in the 2006 Currie Cup Premier Division for the Golden Lions, but was a brief stint, signing with his Super Rugby province, the Sharks, for the following year. In the 2007 season, he made more starts as the Sharks finished top of the table in the regular season. After making it to a South African derby final, the Sharks lost narrowly to the Bulls 20–19, despite playing at home, with Kockott coming off the bench during the match.
In the
France
In 2011, he was signed by
The year after, he helped Castres reach the final again, in a rematch against Toulon. This time, however, Toulon earned the victory 18-10.
In the 2017-18 Top 14 season, Castres finished the season 6th, clinching the last spot for the play-offs. Against all odds, the team managed to beat Stade Toulousain, which finished the regular season third, in the quarter-final, Racing 92, which finished second, in the semi-final and Montpellier Hérault Rugby, which finished first, in the final. During the final, Kockott displayed a solid performance, from the first to the last whistle blow. He outplayed former teammate and rival at Sharks, Ruan Pienaar, leading Castres to a comfortable win 29-13.[3]
International
Some South African commentators believed South Africa should select Kockott before he became eligible for France in August 2014.[4][5] Even former South African coach Nick Mallett urged Kockott to confront Heyneke Meyer about playing for the Springboks.[6] In August 2014, Meyer eliminated Kockott from Springbok selection after first-choice scrum half Fourie du Preez was injured.[7]
After three years playing for Castres, Kockott qualified for to play for
References
- ^ "KOCKOTT TAKES CASTRES TO THE TOP". rugby365.com. 1 June 2013. Retrieved 13 March 2021.
- ^ "Rory Kockott named Top 14′s best". Rugbycentric.com.
- ^ "Castres vs. Montpellier Final review". espn.co.uk.
- ^ "1 decision that may haunt Heyneke Meyer". Sport.
- ^ "Super Rugby – Rory Kockott must play for Springboks – Vrede's View". SA Rugby Mag.
- ^ "Mallett urges Kockott to talk to Bok coach". Business Day Live.
- ^ "No Bok lifeline for Kockott". Sport24.
- ^ "French selectors look to foreign legion". ESPN Scrum. 22 September 2014. Retrieved 23 September 2014.
External links
- Rory Kockott at ItsRugby.co.uk
- Sharks profile