Rugby player
Justin Forwood (born 19 September 1993) is a South African professional rugby union player for French Pro D2 Soyaux Angouleme.[1] His regular position is loosehead prop.
Rugby career
2010–2014: Youth rugby
Forwood was born and grew up in Pretoria. He attended and played first team rugby for Hoërskool Waterkloof, and was also to selected the Pretoria-based Blue Bulls union at the premier South African high schools rugby union competition, the Under-18 Craven Week, on two occasions – he made a single appearance at the 2010 tournament in Welkom[2] and another one at the 2011 tournament in Kimberley.[3]
After high school, Forwood joined the Blue Bulls academy and established himself as a key player for the Blue Bulls U19 team in the 2012 Under-19 Provincial Championship; he made eight starts and one appearance as a replacement during the round-robin stage of the competition, scoring four tries – two in their 90–0 win over SWD U19,[4] and one each against the Leopards U19[5] and Sharks U19[6] – to help the Blue Bulls finish second on the log[7] to qualify for the title play-offs. He started their semi-final against the Sharks, scoring two tries in a 46–35 victory,[8] and the final against Western Province U19, where his side fell just short, losing the match 18–22.[9] Forwood's six tries in the competition made him the Blue Bulls' top try scorer.[10]
Forwood was named in the Blue Bulls squad for the 2013 Vodacom Cup, but didn't make any appearances in the competition.[11] In the latter half of 2013, he represented the Blue Bulls U21 side in the 2013 Under-21 Provincial Championship; his first five appearances for the team all came off the bench, but he started their final four matches of the regular season, scoring a try in the first of those against Border U21.[12] The Blue Bulls finished second on the log to qualify for the title play-offs,[13] and Forwood started their semi-final win over the Sharks U21s,[14] as well as the final, where the team again fell just short, losing 23–30 to Western Province U21.[15]
Forwood made just four appearances for the team in the 2014 Under-21 Provincial Championship, scoring a try in their 31–10 victory over the Sharks in their penultimate match during the regular season.[16] The team again finished in second place,[17] but beat Western Province 20–10 in the final to win the championship.[18]
2015–2016: Blue Bulls / UP Tuks
At the start of 2015, Forwood played Varsity Cup rugby, making three appearances for a team that finished top of the log[19] before losing to NWU Pukke in the semi-final, Forwood's only start for Tuks.[20] He also joined the Blue Bulls' squad for the 2015 Vodacom Cup and he made his first class debut in May 2015, starting in an 83–13 victory over their affiliated sub-union, the Limpopo Blue Bulls.[21]
Forwood made eight appearances during the UP Tuks' 2015 Varsity Cup season, helping the side reach the semi-finals for the second consecutive season before losing to Maties in the semi-final.[22] He made his second senior appearance during the 2016 Currie Cup qualification competition, coming on as a replacement in a 95–12 victory over Namibian side Welwitschias in Pretoria.[23]
2016: Eastern Province Kings
In August 2016, Forwood was contracted by the cash-strapped Eastern Province Kings for the 2016 Currie Cup Premier Division.[24] He made his debut in the Premier Division of the Currie Cup by coming on as a replacement in their first match of the season, a 10–28 defeat to Boland Cavaliers.[25] He was promoted to the starting lineup for their next match against former side the Blue Bulls in his hometown of Pretoria.[26] He started four of their remaining six matches in a season that saw the EP Kings fail to win any of their matches to finish bottom of the log.[27]
References