Nickname Stoof Name Stoof Bezuidenhout Playing position | Weight 123 kg (19 st 5 lb) Height 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in) | |
Full name Stephanus Marthinus Bezuidenhout Born 10 May 1986 (age 38)
Vereeniging, South Africa ( 1986-05-10 ) School(s) attended HTS Potchefstroom, Potchefstroom | ||
Stephanus Marthinus 'Stoof' Bezuidenhout (born 10 May 1986 in Vereeniging, South Africa) is a South African rugby union player, who played with the Leopards from 2011 to 2015. His regular position is tighthead prop.
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Varsity Cup
Bezuidenhout played for Potchefstroom-based university side NWU Pukke in the Varsity Cup competition in 2009, 2010 and 2011. He made a total of 16 appearances, which included playing all nine of their matches during the 2009 campaign – with Bezuidenhout scoring one try against the TUT Vikings – as NWU Pukke reached the final of the competition, only to lose the final 11–6 to the Maties in Stellenbosch.
Leopards
In 2011, Bezuidenhout also became involved with the provincial rugby side based in Potchefstroom, the Leopards. He was included in their squad for the 2011 Vodacom Cup competition and made his debut in the first match of the season against the Border Bulldogs in East London, Eastern Cape, eventually starting all eight of their matches during the competition. He was also a regular for the side in the 2011 Currie Cup Premier Division, being named in the run-on side in ten of their fourteen matches. His debut in that competition was the Round One clash against the Free State Cheetahs in Bloemfontein, but he could not prevent the Leopards' relegation to the First Division as they only won one match during the competition.
He made fourteen appearances for them in the 2012 Currie Cup First Division to help them finish in fourth place. Two Vodacom Cup and six Currie Cup First Division appearances followed in 2013, with Bezuidenhout also scoring his first senior try in the latter competition in their match against the Falcons in a 38–27 victory. He started all seven of the Leopards' matches in the 2014 Vodacom Cup, also scoring his first try in this competition against the Limpopo Blue Bulls and made one appearance in the 2014 Currie Cup qualification competition as the Leopards lost out on qualification to the 2014 Currie Cup Premier Division by a single point.