He’s the man for every occasion – and every position – and today our Mr Ever Present Rob du Preez runs out for the 150th time in Sale Sharks shirt. It’s been quite a ride for our Rob since he joined the club, initially on loan, in 2018 but how much do you know about the man himself?
Here’s our ten things you need to know about Rob du Preez:
- Rob is actually one of six siblings. There are two sisters between Rob and the twins, as well as older half-brother Martin Nel, who played rugby to age-grade provincial level in South Africa.
2. Rob attended Kearsney College, near Durban – the same school as former England internationals Matt Stevens and Brad Barritt.
3. Rob’s father – Rob snr – was a scrum-half who played seven times for the Springboks in 1992 and 1993 before embarking on a career in coaching.
4. In a coaching role with the Sharks, Rob snr coached Rob jnr and twin brothers Jean-Luc and Dan to Currie Cup glory with the ‘other’ Sharks in Durban.
5. Rob, JL and Dan made history in 2018 when they became the first set of three siblings to be named in a Springbok squad together.
6. Rob won his first and only cap for South Africa against Wales in a test played in Washington DC in 2018.
7. Rob joined Sale Sharks on loan in 2018, before returning to Durban for the 2019 Super Rugby season. He signed a permanent deal with Sale at the start of the 2019/20 Premiership campaign.
8. Rob played his 64th consecutive game for Sale in our final game of 2024 against Bristol, breaking a Premiership record for consecutive appearances held by former Shark Jono Ross.
9. Rob has scored 838 points in his 149 Sharks appearances to date.
10. Rob has immaculate discipline, being shown a yellow card just twice in his time in Manchester. He also saw red on one occasion, against Gloucester at home in 2021.
