Full name Lindelwe Siyanda Zungu Height 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in) | Place of birth Vryheid, South Africa Weight 76 kg (12 st 0 lb) | |
Date of birth (1995-05-16) 16 May 1995 (age 21) School Hoërskool Piet Retief, Piet Retief |
Lindelwe Siyanda Zungu (born (1995-05-16)16 May 1995 in Vryheid, South Africa) is a South African rugby union player, currently playing with the Eastern Province Kings. He usually plays as a winger or a fullback.
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2011–13: Schoolboy rugby / Pumas
Zungu went to school in Piet Retief, where he qualified to represent the Pumas at provincial level. He played for them at three schools tournaments as their first choice fullback – the Under-16 Grant Khomo Week in 2011 and the Under-18 Craven Week tournaments in both 2012 and 2013.
2014–present: Eastern Province Kings
Zungu moved to Port Elizabeth for the 2014, joining the Eastern Province Kings academy. He was included in the Eastern Province U19 squad that participated in the 2014 Under-19 Provincial Championship, in their first season in Group A after winning promotion from Group B at the end of 2013. Zungu started all twelve of their matches in the competition, mainly starting on the left wing, but also playing as a fullback or outside centre on occasion. He scored three tries during the season, in matches against Golden Lions U19, Leopards U19 and Sharks U19, helping his side finish second-last on the log to avoiding a relegation play-off.
He progressed to the Under-21 squad in 2015 and played in eleven of the team's twelve matches in Group A of the 2015 Under-21 Provincial Championship. He started on both wings throughout the season and scored tries against Blue Bulls U21 and Golden Lions U21 in a disappointing season for his side, which won just one match all season, finishing bottom of the log.
He started the 2016 season by playing Varsity Cup rugby with the local university team, the NMMU Madibaz. He made five appearances for the team – starting four of those – and scored one try in their 23–45 defeat to UP Tuks, but experienced another disappointing season, as the team finished second-bottom on the log. After the 2016 Varsity Cup, Zungu was one of several youngsters that were included in the Eastern Province Kings squad that competed in the 2016 Currie Cup qualification series. He made his first class debut in their second match of the season, starting against the Boland Cavaliers in an 18–37 defeat.