Eric Sydney Zana (born 25 March 1987) is a South African professional

rugby union Rugby union football, commonly known simply as rugby union in English-speaking countries and rugby 15/XV in non-English-speaking world, Anglophone Europe, or often just rugby, is a Contact sport#Terminology, close-contact team sport that orig ...

player who last played for in the

Currie Cup The Currie Cup () is South Africa's premier domestic rugby union competition featuring teams representing either entire provinces or substantial regions within provinces. Although it is the premier domestic competition, four South African franc ...

and in the Rugby Challenge. His regular position is fly-half or fullback.

Career

Youth and amateur rugby

Zana played predominantly club rugby for George-based Progress until 2009, although he was part of the squad for the 2008 Under-18 Provincial Championship.

SWD Eagles

In 2010, Zana was one of ten club players identified by Johann Lerm and was included in their squad for the

2010 Vodacom Cup The 2010 Vodacom Cup was contested from 26 February to 7 May. The 2010 Vodacom Cup is the 13th edition of this annual domestic cup competition. The Vodacom Cup The Vodacom Cup was an annual rugby union competition in South Africa. Annual Vod ...

competition. He made his first class debut in the opening match of the SWD Eagles' season, a 13–22 home defeat to the , with Zana contributing eight points with his boot through two penalties and a conversion. He started the first four of the SWD Eagles' fixtures in the competition, scoring 26 points. Zana's contribution was deemed enough to also warrant his inclusion in the SWD Eagles' squad for the

2010 Currie Cup First Division The 2010 Currie Cup First Division was contested from 16 July through to 15 October 2010. The tournament (also known as the Absa Currie Cup First Division for sponsorship reasons) is the second tier of South Africa's premier domestic rugby un ...

season. Zana made his

debut in the Eagles' first match of the season, a 33–12 victory over the . Zana played off the bench for the entire season, making eleven appearances in their twelve matches, as the Eagles finished top of the log during the pool stages. However, Zana was an unused substitute in the final against the , where his side narrowly lost 16–12. He also played in both legs of the promotion/relegation play-offs, but could not prevent the SWD Eagles losing 65–54 on aggregate over two legs to remain in the First Division. Zana once again returned for the

2011 Vodacom Cup The 2011 Vodacom Cup was contested from 25 February to 13 May 2011. The tournament was the 14th edition of the Vodacom Cup, an annual domestic South African rugby union competition, and was played between the fourteen provincial teams in South ...

season, making six appearances for the SWD Eagles.

Boland Cavaliers

In May 2011, Zana moved to the

Western Cape The Western Cape ( ; , ) is a provinces of South Africa, province of South Africa, situated on the south-western coast of the country. It is the List of South African provinces by area, fourth largest of the nine provinces with an area of , an ...

where he joined club side Belhar. He was subsequently included in the side for the

2012 Currie Cup First Division The 2012 Currie Cup First Division was contested from 30 June to 13 October 2012. The tournament (also known as the Absa Currie Cup First Division for sponsorship reasons) is the second tier of South Africa's premier domestic rugby union comp ...

season. After playing off the bench twice, he then started in ten consecutive matches for the Cavaliers in the run-in of the season, scoring 22 points in the process, but couldn't help them qualify for the semi-finals. He was also included in the Boland Cavaliers sevens side that played at the

2012 7s Premier League The 2012 7s Premier League (also known as the NBM 7s Premier League for sponsorship reasons) was the first edition of the 7s Premier League tournament and was held at Outeniqua Park, George George may refer to: Names * George (given name) * ...

in Zana's hometown, George. Zana missed the

2013 Vodacom Cup The 2013 Vodacom Cup was played between 9 March and 18 May 2013 and was the 16th edition of this annual domestic cup competition. The Vodacom Cup is played between provincial rugby union teams in South Africa from the Currie Cup Premier and Fi ...

competition through a shoulder injury, but returned for the

2013 Currie Cup First Division The 2013 Currie Cup First Division was contested from 29 June to 11 October 2013. The tournament (also known as the Absa Currie Cup First Division for sponsorship reasons) is the second tier of South Africa's premier domestic rugby union compe ...

, where he contributed 65 points in thirteen appearances to finish as the Cavaliers' top points scorer in the competition and ninth overall. Zana contributed a further 37 points during the

2014 Vodacom Cup The 2014 Vodacom Cup was played between 7 March and 16 May 2014 and was the 17th edition of this annual domestic cup competition. This edition of the Vodacom Cup was played between fourteen provincial rugby union teams in South Africa from th ...

competition and started the

2014 Currie Cup qualification The 2014 Currie Cup qualification series was a tournament organised by the South African Rugby Union. It featured seven teams and was played in June and July 2014, with the winner qualifying for the 2014 Currie Cup Premier Division. The remaini ...

tournament with a bang, as he scored 20 points (which included two tries) in their opening day defeat to the in

Welkom Welkom () is a city in the Free State (province), Free State province of South Africa, located about northeast of Bloemfontein, the provincial capital. Welkom is also known as Circle City, City Within A Garden, Mvela and Matjhabeng. The city' ...

Griquas

Zana joined

Kimberley Kimberly or Kimberley may refer to: Places and historical events Australia Queensland * Kimberley, Queensland, a coastal locality in the Shire of Douglas South Australia * County of Kimberley, a cadastral unit in South Australia Ta ...

-based side for the 2016 season.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Zana, Eric South African rugby union players Living people 1987 births Rugby union players from George, South Africa Rugby union fly-halves Rugby union fullbacks Boland Cavaliers players SWD Eagles players 21st-century South African sportsmen