Captain's profile: Aya Dlepu

Hudson Park captain Aya Dlepu’s prodigious talent is reflected in the number of caps he has played for the first XV.

Whilst many of the leading schoolboy players in the country share the honour of having played Craven Week, only an elite group, the cream of the crop, have had the distinction of having reached the magical half-century mark.

Dlepu is such a player.

A special talent, Dlepu’s vast experienced it matched by his blistering pace. A flyer of note, he’s also a star on the track and credits his off-season athletics training for his enviable conditioning. Dlepu runs the 100m in 10.9 seconds and his budding career is seemingly taking off at similar break-neck speed.

After having been selected in the South African Under-18 Sevens training squad last year, Dlepu has signed a two-year junior contract with the Eastern Province Kings and it's not a stretch to suggest that he will make his Super Rugby debut for South Africa’s next top franchise in the not too distant future.

“It was a great experience to be a part of a group of such a high standard,” said Dlebu of his selection for the U18 Sevens squad. “I’m very exciting about joining the EP side. There’s a lot of developments going on there so I’m looking forward to it.”   

Dlepu is at his brilliant best on the wing but has proven equally dangerous at outside centre this season. He says the switch has added more strings to his bow.

“I see myself as a wing but I’ve enjoyed slotting in at outside centre this year. It demands a lot of concentration with an emphasis on defence and the running lines are different so it’s helped develop my game and skill level.”

He’s also grown into a strong leader and is looking forward to leading his team onto the field against Cambridge on Saturday.

“It’s obviously a massive game for the matrics in the team. Cambridge have had a brilliant season so it’s going to be a good game of rugby.”