Faf de Klerk
South African rugby union player
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François de Klerk (born 19 October 1991), known by his nickname Faf, is a South African professional rugby union player who plays scrum-half for Japan Rugby League One club Yokohama Canon Eagles and the South Africa national team. He was a member of the South Africa teams that won the Rugby World Cup in 2019 and 2023.
de Klerk playing for South Africa in 2022 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Full name | François de Klerk | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Born | 19 October 1991 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.72 m (5 ft 8 in)[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 88 kg (194 lb)[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| School | Hoërskool Waterkloof | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Personal life and education
Born in Nelspruit (now Mbombela), de Klerk played rugby at Hoërskool Waterkloof in Pretoria.[2]
Faf de Klerk is married to Miné de Klerk (née van Niekerk). The couple, who married in 2022, welcomed their second daughter, Yuke, in November 2025. They also have an older daughter named Remi-Ré.[3]
Career
De Klerk was included in the Lions squad for the 2014 Super Rugby season[4] and made his debut in a 21–20 victory over the Cheetahs in Bloemfontein.[5][6]
He joined the Golden Lions Currie Cup team for the 2016 season.[7]
He joined English Premiership side Sale Sharks prior to the 2017–18 season on a three-year contract.[8] In December 2018, the club announced that De Klerk signed a contract extension until 2023.[9]
After four seasons with the Sharks, de Klerk announced in June 2022 that he would be departing the club at the end of the 2021–22 season to join Yokohama Canon Eagles in Japan Rugby League One.[10][11]
International career
De Klerk was rewarded for his Super Rugby form when he was selected by the then recently appointed Springbok coach Allister Coetzee in South Africa's 31-man squad for their 2016 three-test match series against Ireland[12] and made his test debut as the starting scrum-half in the opening test at Newlands Stadium. In a tightly-fought series, Ireland won the first test 26–20, but the Springboks fought back to clinch the series, winning 32–26 in Johannesburg and 19–13 in Port Elizabeth.
After signing for Sale Sharks in 2017, De Klerk was ineligible to represent the Springboks due to having fewer than 30 caps.[13] However, after this selection criterion was abolished in 2018, new Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus recalled De Klerk to the team for the 2018 three-test match series against England.[13]
He was a member of South Africa's victorious 2019 Rugby Championship campaign and was duly selected for the 2019 Rugby World Cup.[14] In their 20 October quarter-final match against Japan, he was named Player of the Match.[15] He was a key player for South Africa's World Cup victory, being named as the starting scrum-half in two of their pool matches, as well as all their play-off games. He scored a try in their quarter-final win over Japan.[16] De Klerk was once again included as the starting scrum-half against England in the 2019 Rugby World Cup Final, which saw South Africa beating England 32–12 to secure a third Webb Ellis Cup lift.
International statistics
Test Match record
- As of 19 July 2025
Pld = Games Played, W = Games Won, D = Games Drawn, L = Games Lost, Tri = Tries Scored, Pts = Points Scored
International tries
- As of 25 May 2025
| Try | Opposing team | Location | Venue | Competition | Date | Result | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  England |
Johannesburg, South Africa | Ellis Park Stadium | 2018 England tour of South Africa | 9 June 2018 | Win | 42–39 |
| 2 |  Argentina |
Durban, South Africa | Kings Park Stadium | 2018 Rugby Championship | 18 August 2018 | Win | 34–21 |
| 3 |  Australia |
Port Elizabeth, South Africa | Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium | 2018 Rugby Championship | 29 September 2018 | Win | 23–12 |
| 4 |  Japan |
Chōfu, Japan | Tokyo Stadium | 2019 Rugby World Cup quarter-finals | 20 October 2019 | Win | 3–26 |
| 5 |  British & Irish Lions |
Cape Town, South Africa | Cape Town Stadium | 2021 British & Irish Lions tour | 24 July 2021 | Loss | 17–22 |
