Tian Schoeman

Christian Francois Schoeman (born (1991-09-23)23 September 1991 in Pretoria, South Africa) is a South African rugby union player, currently playing with the Bulls in Super Rugby.^[1] His regular position is fly-half.

Career

Youth

Schoeman played for Witbank-based outfit the Pumas in the 2010 Under-19 Provincial Championship. He scored 69 points in just six matches for the Pumas U19 side^[2] to finish as the top scorer in Group B of the competition, 17 points ahead of Arno Poley of the Falcons U19.

In 2011, he moved back to Pretoria to join the Blue Bulls. Despite not playing for them in 2011, he made a big impact during the 2012 Under-21 Provincial Championship, contributing 115 points for the Blue Bulls U21 – third behind the Sharks U21's Fred Zeilinga and the Golden Lions U21's Marais Schmidt^[3] – to help the Blue Bulls clinch the title in this competition, scoring 14 points with the boot as they beat Western Province U21 22–13 in the final.^[4]

Varsity Cup

Schoeman represented university side UP Tuks in the 2013 Varsity Cup competition, scoring 23 points in the first four rounds of the competition before Handré Pollard was given a chance for the latter rounds of the competition, which UP Tuks eventually went on to win. He was the first-choice fly-half throughout the 2014 Varsity Cup however, scoring 48 points in his seven appearances,^[5] but failing to help his side qualify for the Quarter Finals.

Blue Bulls

Schoeman was included in the Blue Bulls squad for the 2013 Currie Cup Premier Division season and was even named on the bench for their match against the Sharks, but failed to make an appearance.^[6]

At the conclusion of the 2014 Varsity Cup, he was included in the Blue Bulls 2014 Vodacom Cup squad. He made his first class debut for them in their match against Gauteng rivals Falcons^[7] and contributed 24 points to his side's 54–7 win, scoring a try and kicking five conversions and two penalties. Despite missing the first four rounds of the competition, he ended the competition in sixth place on the scorers list, contributing 60 points in five appearances.^[8]

His Currie Cup debut came during the 2014 Currie Cup Premier Division season, as he played off the bench in the second half of their match against Western Province. He kicked two late penalties but that was not enough to stop the Blue Bulls go down 23–18.^[9]

In 2015, he was also included in the Bulls squad for the 2015 Super Rugby season and he was named on the bench for their Round Three match against the Sharks in Pretoria.^[10]

References