39
ULSTER
RUGBY
TRIPLE
THREAT
Edinburgh Rugby rewarded the form of one of the
top props from the RBS Premiership with his first
full-time contract to 2016. Former Trinity Primary
and Hawick High School pupil Rory Sutherland
came through the ranks with his hometown club
and school sides before representing the Borders
and Scotland at under-17 and U18 in the back-row.
He switched to loose-head prop during his first
season of senior rugby at Hawick RFC and, after
a season with Biggar, caught the attention of RBS
Premiership runners-up and Border League winners
Gala RFC and earned selection for Scotland Club
XV earlier this year.
RORY
SUTHERLAND
SAM
BEARD
South African-born back-row forward, Cornell du
Preez, signed for Edinburgh Rugby early in the
2013/14 season from Super Rugby Franchise, the
Southern Kings. The former Springbok Academy
starlet is equally at home either on the flank or
at number eight, is very strong physically, an
exceptionally good carrier and powerful in defence.
The dynamic back-rower has shown all of those
attributes since his arrival in the capital, earning rave
reviews for his performances in the wins over Leinster,
Gloucester and Perpignan last season and has already
nailed the Man of the Match medal in both his club’s
Guinness PRO12 matches to date.
CORNELL
DU PREEZ
POSITION:
Loosehead prop
D.O.B.:
24.08.92
HEIGHT:
183cm
WEIGHT:
110kg
POSITION:
Centre
D.O.B.:
03.05.90
HEIGHT:
183cm
WEIGHT:
93kg
POSITION:
Back row
D.O.B.:
23.03.91
HEIGHT:
188cm
WEIGHT:
107kg
Sam joined Edinburgh Rugby in the early stages
of the 2013/14 campaign from New Zealand side,
Bay of Plenty. Born in Timaru, Beard moved to
Christchurch to pursue a career in rugby, was called
up to the provincial Canterbury B team and, after an
impressive season in which he was named player of
the year, was brought into the Crusader Knights, the
development squad of the Super Rugby giants. An
exponent of running rugby with an attacking style,
Beard adds further depth to Edinburgh Rugby’s
midfield, made his PRO12 debut away to Ulster in
November 2013 and was instrumental in pulling his
team back to register a draw against Scarlets last
week, securing man of the match, to boot.
