Rosko Shane Specman [note 1] (born 28 April 1989) is a South African rugby union player for the Bulls in Super Rugby, the Blue Bulls in the Currie Cup and the Blue Bulls XV in the Rugby Challenge.[1] He played rugby sevens for the South Africa national rugby sevens team between 2014 and 2018 and also played Currie Cup rugby with the Sharks from 2010 to 2012, the Pumas from 2013 to 2015 and the Free State Cheetahs in 2017. His usual position is winger.
.jpg) Specman in 2016 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Full name | Rosko Shane Specman | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Date of birth | 28 April 1989 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Grahamstown, South Africa | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.76 m (5 ft 9+1⁄2 in)[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 85 kg (187 lb; 13 st 5 lb)[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| School | Kingswood College | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Specman was a member of the South African Sevens team that won a bronze medal at the 2016 Summer Olympics.
Rugby career
Youth
At youth level, Specman played at the 2007 U18 Academy Week for Eastern Province Country Districts and then for the Mighty Elephants (now Eastern Province Kings) U19 team in the 2008 U19 Currie Cup competition.
Vodacom Cup
In 2009, Specman moved to the Sharks, where he played in their U19 team.He made his debut for the Sharks in the 2010 Vodacom Cup quarter final game against Griquas.[5] He was a first choice player in the U21 team that year, scoring three tries. The following season, he scored four tries in five appearances in the 2011 Vodacom Cup and made another five appearances in the 2012 Vodacom Cup.
Specman joined the Pumas for the 2013 season.[6]He was a member of the Pumas side that won the Vodacom Cup for the first time in 2015, beating Western Province 24–7 in the final.[7] His only appearance during the season came in the final after returning from South Africa Sevens duty.[8]
Representative rugby
In 2013, Specman was included in a South Africa President's XV team that played in the 2013 IRB Tbilisi Cup[9] and won the tournament after winning all three matches.[10]
Specman was also called into a South Africa Sevens training squad in 2013[11] and was included in the Sevens squad for the USA leg of the 2013–14 IRB Sevens World Series.[12]Specman was included in a 12-man squad for the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.[13] He was named as a substitute for their first match in Group B of the competition against Spain, with South Africa winning the match 24–0.[14][15]
Cheetahs
Along with sevens teammates Cecil Afrika and Chris Dry, Specman announced that he was joining the Cheetahs beginning in 2017. He scored his first Pro14 try at home in October 2017 against the Glasgow Warriors.[16]
Bulls
On 10 October 2018, it was announced that Specman would join the Bulls in Super Rugby and the Blue Bulls in the Currie Cup from 2019, following the completion of his commitments with the South Africa national rugby sevens team.[17]
Notes
References
External links
- Rosko Specman at the World Rugby Men's Sevens Series (archived)
- Rosko Specman at ESPNscrum
- Rosko Specman at ItsRugby.co.uk
- Rosko Specman at Olympics.com
- Rosko Specman at Olympedia
