Jaco Van Der Walt

Jaco van der Walt (born 1 February 1994) is a South African-born Scottish rugby union player who currently plays for in the United Rugby Championship.

Rugby Union career

Amateur career

He first represented the as early as primary school level, when he represented them at the Under-13 Craven Week competition in 2007. In 2010, he played at the Under-16 Grant Khomo Week competition and he played at both the 2011 and 2012 editions of the Under-18 Craven Week. He was also included in the South African Schools squad in both those seasons.

He then played for the side in the 2012 and the 2013 Under-19 Provincial Championships, making just one appearance in each. Despite being eligible for the Under-19s, he represented the for the majority of the 2013 season, starting in thirteen matches during the 2013 Under-21 Provincial Championship, scoring 17 points.

He also represented local university side during the 2014 Varsity Cup competition, making 7 appearances.

Professional career

His first class debut for the came as a 20-year-old in the first match of the 2014 Currie Cup Premier Division. He was named on the bench for their season-opening match in a trans- Jukskei clash with the . First-choice fly-half Marnitz Boshoff left the field ten minutes into the second half with a fractured arm, which led to Van der Walt's introduction. He kicked one conversion and two penalties as the Golden Lions ran out 41–13 winners.

In November 2017, Scottish Pro14 side Edinburgh announced that Van der Walt joined them on a two-and-a-half-year contract.

In January 2021, Van der Walt signed an undisclosed-length contract extension with Edinburgh, saying the capital club were "building a really strong side."

Van der Walt left Edinburgh in June 2023 to join the .

International career

He made his international debut for Scotland against Ireland, at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin, on 5 December 2020. He scored 3 penalties and 1 conversion in a match Scotland lost 16-31.

Personal life

He is the older brother of Gerdus van der Walt. Both brothers came through the ranks at the and they played together on occasion; on 8 May 2015, both were selected in the starting line-up for the Golden Lions' match against the in Welkom, while they also played next to each other in the final match of the 2015 Currie Cup Premier Division regular season, in a match that saw Gerdus make his debut in the competition.

Jaco van der Walt’s grandfather was a detective in the Dutch police force before emigrating to South Africa.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Van der Walt, Jaco
1994 births
Alumni of Hoërskool Monument
Living people
Scotland international rugby union players
South African rugby union players
Sportspeople from Randfontein
Rugby union fly-halves
Golden Lions players
Rugby union players from Gauteng
Edinburgh Rugby players
Lions (United Rugby Championship) players
Scottish rugby union players
Bulls (rugby union) players
Blue Bulls players