Luan Oosthuizen - Ermelo Captain
Player Profile
Hoërskool Ermelo host HTS Middelburg in a FNB Classic Clash on Saturday. Luan Oostuizen captains Ermelo.
Luan Oosthuizen was born in Pretoria on 24 June 1988 and attended Laerskool Kragbron in Witbank. His parents moved to a farm outside Ermelo and Luan to Ermelo High when he was in Grade 8. Luan has enjoyed his time at Ermelo and is a school and hostel prefect.
Luan played for the Mpumalanga Under-13 Academy team in primary school and although he missed out on selection in Under-16 he is hoping to make the Craven Week team this year. If he makes Craven Week he will take his rugby further; otherwise he wants to go to Tukkies and study landscape architecture.
Luan plays lock for the 1st XV but has spent to majority of his life playing loose forward. He was a reserve flank for the first team last season and started only a few games. He lifts in the line-outs and is a strong defender but his main strength lies in his ability to secure turn-over ball for his team. His favourite player is the Bulls and Bok utility loose-forward Jacques Cronjé – not surprising as Luan and Jacques have similar strengths.
Securing turn-over ball is vital for Ermelo as Luan cites their ability to score off turn-over ball and their solid defence as his team’s strengths. The season has gone well so far for Ermelo and Luan picked out their wins over HTS Witbank and Nelspruit as highlights so far as on these occasions the team truly played to their ability.
Like any good captain he will be looking to his forwards to lay the platform for a derby win. Playing HTS Middelburg is one of the season’s highlights and as they play only once a year it is a huge occasion. Last year Ermelo lost, and so the pressure is on Luan and his team to turn the tables.
