Reniel Hugo

Daniel Pieter "Reniel" Hugo (born 19 July 1990) is a South African professional rugby union player for Sharks (Currie Cup) in the Currie Cup in South Africa. He mainly plays as a lock, but can also play as a loose forward and flanker.

Career

Western Province / Maties

Hugo's first provincial selection came in 2008, when he was included in the side that played at the Under-18 Craven Week competition (the premier high school rugby union competition in South Africa) which was held in Pretoria. He was also included in a South Africa Schools Elite squad named after the tournament.

After finishing high school, Hugo joined the Western Province Academy and represented the s during the 2009 Under-19 Provincial Championship.

In 2010, Hugo was named in the squad for the 2010 Varsity Cup competition but failed to make any appearances in the competition. He was a first-choice lock for during the 2010 Under-21 Provincial Championship, starting thirteen matches and scoring two tries as his side won the title, beating 43–32 in the final held in Durban, with Hugo playing the entire 80 minutes of the final.

Hugo had his first taste of Varsity Cup action in 2011, starting two of ' matches during the competition. He also made his first-class debut in February 2011, when he started 's 2011 Vodacom Cup match against the in a match that ended in an 18-all draw. He also played against the in Kempton Park the following week in an 86-14 win. In the latter half of 2011, he once again played for s in the Under-21 Provincial Championship, making 12 appearances as they reached the semi-final of the competition before being eliminated by the .

Hugo was a key player for in the Varsity Cup competitions in 2012 and 2013, helping them reach the final for successive seasons but ending up losing on both occasions. In 2013, he scored a try in each of their first three matches of the season to set them on their way to topping the log with seven wins out of seven before eventually losing to in the final.

Blue Bulls / UP Tuks

Hugo made the move to Pretoria to join defending Varsity Cup champions for the 2014 Varsity Cup season. He started all seven of their matches and scored tries against and , but could not help Tuks into the play-offs, finishing in sixth spot on the log.

After his side's elimination from the Varsity Cup, he was included in the ' squad for the 2014 Vodacom Cup. He made his Blue Bulls debut in the trans- Jukskei clash against the , coming on as a second-half replacement to help his side to a 22–20 victory. He also played off the bench in their next match against the in Leeudoringstad and scored his first senior try in the match to help them to a 30–26 victory. Another appearance off the bench against the was followed by his first start in Blue Bulls colours in a 114–0 victory against the in their final match in the group stages. The Blue Bulls finished third in the Northern Section of the Vodacom Cup to qualify to the quarter finals; Hugo started their 22–21 victory in the quarter final against the and played off the bench in the semi-final, as the reversed the result from earlier in the campaign, winning 16–15 to eliminate the Blue Bulls from the competition.

Hugo started all eight of ' matches during the 2015 Varsity Cup, scoring three tries. They topped the log after the regular season to qualify for the semi-final, but lost 28–29 to the in Pretoria.

Hugo's personal contributions didn't go unnoticed, however, and he was named to the Varsity Cup Dream Team at the conclusion of the tournament. He was also appointed as captain of the side, which played one match against the South Africa Under-20s in Stellenbosch.

Hugo also made one further appearance for the in the 2015 Vodacom Cup, helping them to a 44-0 victory against Namibian side in Windhoek.

Free State Cheetahs

At the conclusion of the 2015 Varsity Cup, it was announced that Hugo would join Bloemfontein-based side the on a deal until the end of 2016.

Personal

Hugo's father, Niel Hugo, was also a rugby union player; he played in two test matches for in 1989 and made 146 appearances for in the 1980s and 1990s.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hugo, Reniel
1990 births
Living people
Blue Bulls players
Cheetahs (rugby union) players
Free State Cheetahs players
Rugby union flankers
Rugby union locks
Rugby union number eights
Rugby union players from Bellville, South Africa
Sharks (Currie Cup) players
Sharks (rugby union) players
South African rugby union players
Toyota Verblitz players
Western Province (rugby union) players
South African expatriate rugby union players in Japan
21st-century South African sportsmen
Alumni of Paul Roos Gymnasium
Stellenbosch RFC players