Keegan Rhys Daniel (born 5 March 1985) is a South African

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 the in

Super Rugby Super Rugby is a men's professional rugby union club competition involving teams from Australia, Fiji, New Zealand, and the Pacific Islands. It has previously included teams from Argentina, Japan, and South Africa. Super Rugby started as the S ...

and 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 the in the Rugby Challenge. Born in the

rural In general, a rural area or a countryside is a geographic area that is located outside towns and cities. Typical rural areas have a low population density and small settlements. Agricultural areas and areas with forestry are typically desc ...

farming Agriculture encompasses crop and livestock production, aquaculture, and forestry for food and non-food products. Agriculture was a key factor in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created ...

town A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city. The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...

of Humansdorp, Daniel started his education at Gonubie Primary before moving off to one of South Africa's best known rugby nurseries, Dale College. Daniel played

Craven Week The Craven Week is an annual rugby union tournament organised for schoolboys in the Republic of South Africa. The tournament started in July 1964, and is named after the legendary Springbok rugby union player and coach Dr Danie Craven. The ...

for the rugby team in 2003 and was recruited afterwards by the

Natal NATAL or Natal may refer to: Places * Natal, Rio Grande do Norte, a city in Brazil * Natal, South Africa (disambiguation), a region in South Africa ** Natalia Republic, a former country (1839–1843) ** Colony of Natal, a former British colony ( ...

Rugby Academy. Daniel came onto the provincial scene in the

competition which earned him a place in the South Africa Under-21 team. Daniel represented them in the

2006 Under 21 Rugby World Championship The 2006 Under 21 Rugby World Championship was played in the Auvergne region of France throughout June 2006. The final was played between South Africa and France at the Stade Marcel-Michelin in Clermont-Ferrand, which saw France win 24–13. Part ...

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

where South Africa lost 24–13 in the final to the hosts. He was nominated for player of the tournament and went on to claim the South African Under-21 Player of the Year for 2006. He has the ability to play flanker, wing, fly-half and fullback because of his blistering speed and good kicking ability. Since then, Daniel has played for the at

level. In the 2008 season, he earned Man of the Match awards in consecutive games against 2007 winners the and the high-flying , scoring three tries in the process. His first try against the Blues came after just 16 seconds in the game – a record at

level. On 30 October 2010, Daniel was selected to tour with the Springboks in their November tour of England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales. He was not selected as a part of the initial squad of 39 but was later added after his performances in the

semi-final and final. On 16 January 2012, Sharks' coach John Plumtree appointed Daniel as the Sharks captain for the

2012 Super Rugby season The 2012 Super Rugby season was the second season of the Super Rugby Super Rugby is a men's professional rugby union club competition involving teams from Australia, Fiji, New Zealand, and the Pacific Islands. It has previously included tea ...

. Twice a

winner with the in 2008 and 2010, Daniel played his 100th

game against the

Blue Bulls The Blue Bulls (), known for sponsorship reasons as the Vodacom Blue Bulls, is a South African rugby union team that participates in the annual Currie Cup tournament and the United Rugby Championship. They are governed by their second team t ...

on 4 October 2013. During the

2014 Super Rugby season The 2014 Super Rugby season is the fourth season of the 15-team format for the Super Rugby competition involving teams from Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. For sponsorship reasons, this competition is known as Asteron Life Super Rugby ...

, it was revealed that Daniel would join

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

ese

Top League Japan Rugby League One (), formerly known as the Top League (), is a rugby union competition in Japan. It is the highest level of professional rugby competition in the country. The Japan Rugby Football Union created the competition in 2003, by ...

side Kubota Spears on a two-year deal at the conclusion of the tournament. When his contract expired after the 2015–16 Top League season, he returned to South Africa to rejoin the .

References

External links

Sharks Player Profile
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Daniel, Keegan South African rugby union players South Africa international rugby union players Sharks (Currie Cup) players Sharks (rugby union) players 1985 births People from Humansdorp South African people of British descent Living people Kubota Spears Funabashi Tokyo Bay players South African expatriate rugby union players in Japan 21st-century South African sportsmen Rugby union players from the Eastern Cape Rugby union flankers Alumni of Dale College Boys' High School