Cheetahs name Uys as Super Rugby captain

Bloemfontein based Super Rugby franchise the Cheetahs have announced that Francois Uys will captain the team through the 2015 Super Rugby season.

Uys will be leading the team, joined by the vice-captain, Sarel Pretorius from their first match of the season which is against the Sharks in Durban on Saturday, 14 February.

Francois Jacobus Uys was born in Springs, Gauteng, and he played his junior rugby for the Valke at the U-18 Craven Week (2004), Golden Lions in the U-19 (2005) and U-21 Competitions (2006 and 2007).

Uys was a member of the South Africa Under 19 side that competed in the 2005 IRB Under 19 World Championship. He made his first class debut for the Golden Lions in the Vodacom Cup against Valke at Kemptonpark on 3 March 2006, nine days before his 20th birthday.

He started his senior career in Johannesburg with the Golden Lions (2006-2008: 24 matches, 5 tries) but, he found first-team opportunities hard to come by and in 2009 he switched to the Free State Cheetahs.

Initially he played mainly in the Vodacom Cup and Currie Cup competitions (2009-2014: 68 matches, 8 tries) and even had a spell on loan at the Griffons (2008 and 2010 and 2012: 14 matches, 1 try).

Rugby (2009; 2011-2014: 49 matches, 1 try) after his debut against the Blues at Eden Park, Auckland, on 13 March 2009 before finally nailing down a regular starting berth during the 2013-2014 Super Rugby seasons.

In 2014, he extended his contract at the Free State Cheetahs until October 2016.

Position: Lock
Date of Birth: 12.03.1986
Height: 1.94m
Weight: 112kg