Neil Maritz
Full nameNeil Kobus Maritz
Date of birth (1994-02-22) 22 February 1994
Place of birthWorcester, South Africa
Height1.82 m (5 ft 11+1⁄2 in)
Weight95 kg (14 st 13 lb; 209 lb)
SchoolPaarl Boys' High School
Rugby union career
Position(s) Winger / Centre
Youth career
2013–2015 Sharks
Senior career
Years Team Apps (Points)
2014–2016 Sharks XV 17 (25)
2016 Sharks (Currie Cup) 4 (0)
2017 Eastern Province Kings 7 (25)
2017–2021 Pumas 19 (45)
Correct as of 12 January 2022

Neil Kobus Maritz (born 22 February 1994) is a South African rugby union player for the Pumas in the Currie Cup and in the Rugby Challenge.[1] He can play as a winger or a centre.

Rugby career

Youth rugby / Sharks XV

Maritz was born in Worcester and attended Paarl Boys' High School, where he played first team rugby in 2012. He was selected in a Western Province Under-18 Elite Squad in 2011 and 2012, but wasn't selected to represent them at any major youth tournaments, such as the Craven Week.[2]

After high school, Maritz moved to Durban to join the Sharks academy. He was included in the Sharks U19 squad for the 2013 Under-19 Provincial Championship and made five starts for them in the competition, scoring tries in matches against Golden Lions U19,[3] Free State U19[4] and Western Province U19.[5]

In 2014, he was included in the Sharks XV squad that participated in the 2014 Vodacom Cup. He made his first class debut by starting their opening match of the season against the Border Bulldogs in East London. In addition to making his debut in the match, but he also scored his first senior try ten minutes into the second half, as his side won the match 46–24.[6] He made a total of six appearances in the competition, scoring further tries against the SWD Eagles[7] and Kenyan side Simba XV[8] to help his team finish top of the Southern Section log to qualify for the quarter finals.[9] He didn't feature in their quarter final match against a Golden Lions XV, where the team suffered a 20–27 loss to be eliminated from the competition.[10] In the second half of the season, Maritz was in action for the Sharks' Under-21 team; he made five appearances for the team in the Under-21 Provincial Championship, scoring tries against Border U21[11] and Free State U21,[12] but it wasn't enough to secure a semi-final berth as the team finished in fifth position.[13]

Maritz made three starts for the Sharks XV in the 2015 Vodacom Cup competition. He failed to contribute any points in a disappointing season for his side, which could win just two matches in the competition to finish outside the play-off spots.[14] The Sharks U21 team had an improved performance in Group A of the 2015 Under-21 Provincial Championship, finishing in third position.[15] Maritz started eight of their matches during the regular season, scoring a try in their match against the Golden Lions[16] and a try and penalty against the Blue Bulls U21s,[17] and also started their semi-final match against Free State U21, which the team from Bloemfontein won 27–22 to end the Sharks' involvement in the competition.[18]

Maritz represented the Sharks XV for the third consecutive season in 2016 – in the qualification series that replaced the Vodacom Cup – and appeared in eight of their fourteen matches in the competition. He scored tries in victories over the Leopards[19] and Griffons[20] for a Sharks XV team that finished in 10th place on the log.[21]

Sharks

Maritz was included in the Sharks squad for the 2016 Currie Cup Premier Division and named in the starting line-up for their opening match of the competition against Western Province.[22]

References

  1. ↑ "SA Rugby Player Profile – Neil Maritz". South African Rugby Union. Retrieved 3 August 2016.
  2. ↑ "Neil Maritz". Union Sports Group. Retrieved 3 August 2016.
  3. ↑ "SA Rugby Match Centre – Sharks 13–21 MTN Golden Lions". South African Rugby Union. 19 July 2013. Retrieved 3 August 2016.
  4. ↑ "SA Rugby Match Centre – Sharks 55–31 Toyota Free State". South African Rugby Union. 3 August 2013. Retrieved 3 August 2016.
  5. ↑ "SA Rugby Match Centre – DHL Western Province 19–25 The Sharks U19". South African Rugby Union. 17 August 2013. Retrieved 3 August 2016.
  6. ↑ "SA Rugby Match Centre – Border Bulldogs 24–46 Cell C Sharks XV". South African Rugby Union. 7 March 2014. Retrieved 3 August 2016.
  7. ↑ "SA Rugby Match Centre – Cell C Sharks XV 27–10 SWD Eagles". South African Rugby Union. 29 March 2014. Retrieved 3 August 2016.
  8. ↑ "SA Rugby Match Centre – Tusker Simba XV 3–40 Cell C Sharks XV". South African Rugby Union. 12 April 2014. Retrieved 3 August 2016.
  9. ↑ "SA Rugby Log – 2014 Vodacom Cup". South African Rugby Union. Retrieved 3 August 2016.
  10. ↑ "SA Rugby Match Centre – Cell C Sharks XV 20–27 Golden Lions". South African Rugby Union. 2 May 2014. Retrieved 3 August 2016.
  11. ↑ "SA Rugby Match Centre – Border U21 10–59 Sharks U21". South African Rugby Union. 5 September 2014. Retrieved 3 August 2016.
  12. ↑ "SA Rugby Match Centre – Free State U21 43–21 Sharks U21". South African Rugby Union. 13 September 2014. Retrieved 3 August 2016.
  13. ↑ "SA Rugby Log – 2014 Absa Under 21 Competition". South African Rugby Union. Retrieved 3 August 2016.
  14. ↑ "SA Rugby Log – 2015 Vodacom Cup". South African Rugby Union. Retrieved 3 August 2016.
  15. ↑ "SA Rugby Log – 2015 Absa Under 21 Competition". South African Rugby Union. Retrieved 3 August 2016.
  16. ↑ "SA Rugby Match Centre – Golden Lions U21 23–27 Sharks U21". South African Rugby Union. 19 September 2015. Retrieved 3 August 2016.
  17. ↑ "SA Rugby Match Centre – Sharks U21 29–23 Blue Bulls U21". South African Rugby Union. 25 September 2015. Retrieved 3 August 2016.
  18. ↑ "SA Rugby Match Centre – Free State U21 27–22 Sharks U21". South African Rugby Union. 17 October 2015. Retrieved 3 August 2016.
  19. ↑ "SA Rugby Match Centre – Cell C Sharks XV 26–23 Leopards". South African Rugby Union. 1 July 2016. Retrieved 3 August 2016.
  20. ↑ "SA Rugby Match Centre – Down Touch Griffons 27–36 Cell C Sharks XV". South African Rugby Union. 9 July 2016. Retrieved 3 August 2016.
  21. ↑ "SA Rugby Log – 2016 Currie Cup Qualifying". South African Rugby Union. Retrieved 3 August 2016.
  22. ↑ "Week One Currie Cup Action" (Press release). Sharks. 2 August 2016. Retrieved 3 August 2016.
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