Breyton Paulse
Date of birth (1976-04-25) 25 April 1976
Place of birthKoue Bokkeveld, South Africa
Height1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)
Weight80 kg (12 st 8 lb; 176 lb)
UniversityStellenbosch University
SpouseSingle
Occupation(s)Professional rugby player
Rugby union career
Position(s) wing or fullback
Provincial / State sides
Years Team Apps (Points)
1996–2007 Western Province 80 (320)
Super Rugby
Years Team Apps (Points)
1998–2007 Stormers 57 (175)
International career
Years Team Apps (Points)
1999–2007 South Africa 64 (130)

Breyton Paulse (born 25 April 1976 in De Keur, Koue Bokkeveld) is a South African former rugby union player who played on the wing for the national team, the Springboks, from 1999 to 2007. He played 64 test matches for South Africa, scoring 26 tries.[1]

Early life

In his youth, in addition to rugby, he participated in cricket, soccer, and athletics, representing Boland in the 200m and 400m sprints.[2] The farmer who employed his parents recognized his talent for rugby, and to nurture it, paid his tuition fees to attend Stellenbosch University,[2] which has produced many Springbok rugby players.

Rugby career

Paulse garnered attention almost from the start of his top-flight rugby career with a hat-trick of tries in his first Currie Cup match in 1996, and made his debut for the Springboks in 1999. In his first appearance for the Springboks against Italy, he scored a hat-trick. After scoring his third try that day, he performed his trademark flick flack, a cartwheel followed by a back flip, which he continued to perform after particularly special tries.[2][3]

At the end of the 2000 domestic season, he became the first player of color to be named South African Rugby Player of the Year, capping a season in which he scored two tries in Western Province's win over Natal in the Currie Cup final [4]

In the Currie Cup, playing mainly for Western Province, he has averaged nearly a try a match.

Paulse moved to France for the 2005–2006 season and played for Clermont Auvergne in the Top 14. He remained eligible for Springboks selection, as SA Rugby abandoned its past policy of requiring that Springbok players play domestic rugby in South Africa. Springboks coach Jake White indeed selected him for the 2005 Tri Nations, and started him in South Africa's first three matches. Paulse scored an important try in South Africa's series-opening 22–16 win over Australia. However, in the Springboks' third match (against Australia), Paulse received a three-week suspension for kicking Australian prop Al Baxter.[5]

In the end of 2006, Paulse was picked by the Stormers franchise to be part of their team for the 2007 Super 14 where he strengthened his chances to once again don the Springboks colors.

He was selected for the squad that was present at the 2003 Rugby World Cup finals, but was only selected to the 2007 Rugby World Cup finals, as a reserve player.

His last appearance in the green and gold was against New Zealand at Christchurch in 2007 at the age of 31.

International statistics

Test Match Record

Against P W D L Tri Pts %Won
 Argentina2200210100
 Australia1781873550
 Canada1100210100
 England61050016.67
 France51041520
 Georgia110000100
 Ireland32011566.67
 Italy4400525100
 New Zealand1350831538.46
Pacific Islanders1100210100
 Samoa110000100
 Scotland43011575
 Spain110000100
 Wales5500210100
Total64361272613057.03

P = Games Played, W = Games Won, D = Games Drawn, L = Games Lost, Tri = Tries Scored, Pts = Points Scored

Test tries (26)

TriesOppositionLocationVenueCompetitionDateResult
3 ItalyPort Elizabeth, South AfricaBoet Erasmus StadiumTest match12 Jun 1999Won 74–3
1 New ZealandCardiff, WalesMillennium Stadium1999 Rugby World Cup4 Nov 1999Won 22–18
2 CanadaEast London, South AfricaBasil Kenyon StadiumTest match10 Jun 2000Won 51–18
2 AustraliaMelbourne, AustraliaColonial StadiumMandela Challenge Plate8 Jul 2000Lost 23–44
2 ArgentinaBuenos Aires, ArgentinaRiver Plate StadiumTest match12 Nov 2000Won 37–33
1 WalesCardiff, WalesMillennium StadiumTest match26 Nov 2000Won 23–13
1 FranceJohannesburg, South AfricaEllis Park StadiumTest match16 Jun 2001Lost 23–32
2 ItalyPort Elizabeth, South AfricaBoet Erasmus StadiumTest match30 Jun 2001Won 60–14
2 AustraliaJohannesburg, South AfricaEllis Park StadiumTri Nations Series17 Aug 2002Won 33–31
1 IrelandCape Town, South AfricaNewlandsTest match19 Jun 2004Won 26–17
1 WalesPretoria, South AfricaLoftus VersfeldTest match26 Jun 2004Won 53–18
2 Pacific IslandersGosford, AustraliaCentral Coast StadiumTest match17 Jul 2004Won 38–24
1 New ZealandJohannesburg, South AfricaEllis Park StadiumTri Nations Series14 Aug 2004Won 40–26
1 AustraliaPretoria, South AfricaLoftus VersfeldTri Nations Series30 Jul 2005Won 22–16
1 ScotlandDurban, South AfricaKings Park StadiumTest match10 Jun 2006Won 36–16
1 New ZealandWellington, New ZealandWestpac StadiumTri Nations Series22 Jul 2006Lost 17–35
1 AustraliaJohannesburg, South AfricaEllis Park StadiumTri Nations Series9 Sep 2006Won 24–16
1 AustraliaSydney, AustraliaTelstra StadiumTri Nations Series7 Jul 2007Lost 17–27

Stance on Quotas

Breyton Paulse has spoken out against the use of racial quotas to diversify South African rugby, saying, "It is a big degradation for the players...[it] nearly broke me",[6] after Springbok rugby coach Nick Mallet described his selection in the 1999 World Cup Squad as "merit with bias".[7] Despite this knock to his confidence, he went on to become one of South Africa's most capped players and leading try scorers by the time he retired.

Honours

Western Province
South Africa

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Breyton Paulse - Rugby Union - Players and Officials". ESPN Scrum. ESPN. Retrieved 24 October 2020.
  2. 1 2 3 Gilhooly, Daniel (12 July 2007). "Rugby: Paulse flipping out over Cup chances". New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 31 January 2020.
  3. ↑ "Rugby HQ's Top 5 Set Piece Tries of all time". Rugby Dump. 24 April 2013. Retrieved 31 January 2020.
  4. ↑ ESPN_Paulse_history (29 October 2000). "Paulse creates history". ESPN. Retrieved 24 October 2020.
  5. ↑ "Paulse banned for three weeks". ESPN. 21 August 2005. Retrieved 31 January 2020.
  6. ↑ De Konnign, Jan (2 December 2013). "Paulse: Remove the Quota Label". Rugby 365. Retrieved 24 October 2020.
  7. ↑ Boshoff, Gary (15 November 2004). "Breyton Makes History". News12. Retrieved 24 October 2020.
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