Nel Ruan

Ruan Nel

Position: Fullback / Centre

Born: 16th March 1976 in Johannesburg, South Africa

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Debut game: 22nd November 1996 v Coventry (replacement for Joe Ewens)

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Number of Appearances: 2

Career details:

South African born centre Ruan Nel was born on the 16^th March 1976, attended Monument High in Johannesburg, and joined the University of Rand Africa Club, before played for Transvaal under 21. He then decided to set off to see the world, arrived in Bath, liked it – and stayed! Nel was listed in the club records as being a full back, but he was equally at home in the centre, the position in which he made his Bath Rugby first team debut. He had made something of a name for himself in the Bath United team, crossing for a brace of tries on only his third match for the Bath Reserve side, a 35-20 win over Oxford University on October 16^th 1996. His first team debut was as a replacement for Joe Ewens a season later in a 45-17 win at Coventry. Despite a promising start, he made only one further appearance in the first XV, as a replacement again, this time for Christian Tyrer in the home mauling of Wakefield. He left the club and returned to the land of his birth playing for the Griffons, before representing the Vodacom Eagles, Oudtshoorn, South Western District Eagles and the Golden Lions. Ruan made a surprise return to the Rec. in 2002 when he appeared at fly half for the Italian side GRAN Rugby Parma in the Parker Pen Challenge Cup.

Bath Rugby Appearances: 1996/1997: (2)

Signed From: University of Rand Africa & Traansvaal under-21 (South Africa)

Transferred To: Griffons (South Africa)

Also Played For: Vodacom Eagles (South Africa), Oudtshoorn (South Africa), South Western Districts Eagles (South Africa), Golden Lions (South Africa), GRAN Rugby Parma (Italy)