Cape Town - Kings president Cheeky Watson and director of rugby Alan Solomons have welcomed flyhalf Demetri Catrakilis' inclusion in the Springbok squad.
Catrakilis was the only Kings player included in the Bok squad named on Wednesday for a training camp due to take place in Durban next week.
“This is just another example of how players, who may previously not have been afforded the opportunity to play at Super Rugby level, have shown the world what they can do through the Kings," said Watson.
"These youngsters have stepped up to the challenge and have outperformed even our wildest expectations."
Solomons said he was immensely proud of Catrakilis’ call-up.
“Demetri has really played fantastic rugby this season and fully deserves getting the recognition for his contribution that he has made."
Catrakilis this year became the first South African in seven years to exceed 100 points in his debut Super Rugby season, and currently boasts 107 points, ranking as the ninth highest point scorer in the competition. He joined just three other fellow South Africans, Morné Steyn (163 points) Patrick Lambie (139 points) and Joe Pietersen (125) in "100s club" for the season so far.
Catrakilis, last year’s Vodacom Cup Player of the Year, followed in the footsteps of the Stormers’ Peter Grant who reached 100 points in his debut Super Rugby season in 2006, while Steyn did it in his debut playing for the Bulls in 2005.
Six more South Africans reached 100 points in their first season of Super Rugby - four of them in 1996. They are Jannie Kruger (Northern Transvaal), Henry Honiball (Natal), Joel Stransky (WP), Gavin Lawless (Transvaal) and André Joubert (Natal), while in 2001 Butch James scored 100 points for the Sharks in his first season.
Solomons said the pivot's Bok call-up will, however, not impact on any of their remaining games, and that Catrakilis is still part of the team for their match against the Cheetahs in Port Elizabeth on Saturday.
Teams:
Kings:
15. SP Marais, 14. Siyanda Grey, 13. Ronnie Cooke, 12. Andries Strauss, 11. Marcello Sampson, 10. Demetri Catrakilis, 9. Shaun Venter, 8. Cornell du Preez, 7. Luke Watson (captain), 6. Wimpie van der Walt, 5. David Bulbring, 4. Steven Sykes, 3. Kevin Buys, 2. Bandise Maku, 1. Schalk Ferreira
Substitutes: 16 Virgile Lacombe, 17 Grant Kemp, 18 Rynier Bernardo, 19 Jacques Engelbrecht, 20 Nicolas Vergallo, 21 Shane Gates, 22 George Whitehead.
Cheetahs:
TBA
Catrakilis was the only Kings player included in the Bok squad named on Wednesday for a training camp due to take place in Durban next week.
“This is just another example of how players, who may previously not have been afforded the opportunity to play at Super Rugby level, have shown the world what they can do through the Kings," said Watson.
"These youngsters have stepped up to the challenge and have outperformed even our wildest expectations."
Solomons said he was immensely proud of Catrakilis’ call-up.
“Demetri has really played fantastic rugby this season and fully deserves getting the recognition for his contribution that he has made."
Catrakilis this year became the first South African in seven years to exceed 100 points in his debut Super Rugby season, and currently boasts 107 points, ranking as the ninth highest point scorer in the competition. He joined just three other fellow South Africans, Morné Steyn (163 points) Patrick Lambie (139 points) and Joe Pietersen (125) in "100s club" for the season so far.
Catrakilis, last year’s Vodacom Cup Player of the Year, followed in the footsteps of the Stormers’ Peter Grant who reached 100 points in his debut Super Rugby season in 2006, while Steyn did it in his debut playing for the Bulls in 2005.
Six more South Africans reached 100 points in their first season of Super Rugby - four of them in 1996. They are Jannie Kruger (Northern Transvaal), Henry Honiball (Natal), Joel Stransky (WP), Gavin Lawless (Transvaal) and André Joubert (Natal), while in 2001 Butch James scored 100 points for the Sharks in his first season.
Solomons said the pivot's Bok call-up will, however, not impact on any of their remaining games, and that Catrakilis is still part of the team for their match against the Cheetahs in Port Elizabeth on Saturday.
Teams:
Kings:
15. SP Marais, 14. Siyanda Grey, 13. Ronnie Cooke, 12. Andries Strauss, 11. Marcello Sampson, 10. Demetri Catrakilis, 9. Shaun Venter, 8. Cornell du Preez, 7. Luke Watson (captain), 6. Wimpie van der Walt, 5. David Bulbring, 4. Steven Sykes, 3. Kevin Buys, 2. Bandise Maku, 1. Schalk Ferreira
Substitutes: 16 Virgile Lacombe, 17 Grant Kemp, 18 Rynier Bernardo, 19 Jacques Engelbrecht, 20 Nicolas Vergallo, 21 Shane Gates, 22 George Whitehead.
Cheetahs:
TBA