Francois "Faf" de Klerk was born in Nelspruit, South Africa and joined the Blue Bulls as a 16-year-old in 2007.
He was included in the Lions squad for the 2014 Super Rugby season and made his debut in a 21–20 victory over the Cheetahs in Bloemfontein.
Some impressive performances in the 2015 Super Rugby season led to him being included in Heyneke Meyers' 2015 extended Springbok training squad. It was his first call up into the Springbok fold.
De Klerk continued his good form as the Lions powered through the Super Rugby in 2016 and he made his Springbok debut against Ireland in 2016 and made a further 7 appearances for his country that year.
May 2017 saw de Klerk sign a three-year deal with Sale Sharks, replacing departing international No. 9's Mike Phillips and Peter Stringer.
He joins Sale Sharks from South African Super Rugby team the Lions, after helping the club reach their first-ever Super Rugby final.
De Klerk was an instant hit at Sale and at the conclusion of the 2017/18 Premiership season, he was named the Sale Sharks Player of the Year and was voted as the Fans' Player of the Season.
He was also named in the Premiership Team of the Year and was shortlisted for the Player of the Season, he made twenty-five appearances for Sale in his first season scoring 97 points, showing exceptional skill and determination which eventually led to a call-up to the Springboks squad for the 2018 summer test series against England in South Africa. He took his test cap tally to 21 by the end of 2018 before signing a new deal with Sale Sharks which keeps him at the club until 2023.
De Klerk played a pivotal role for the Springboks in 2019 as the side won the Rugby Championship before going on to win their third World Cup in Japan later that year. He scored in the quarter-final against Japan and started all of the knockout games in the World Cup.
He won his 30th test cap in the final against England and has scored 4 tries for the Springboks. He enters the 2020/21 Premiership season with 49 caps in the competition and has scored 9 tries.
June 2021 saw de Klerk being named in South Africa's team for the British and Irish Lions Tour and ended up winning the championship on home soil.
During his 2020-2021 and 2021-2022 seasons for Sale Sharks, De Klerk played 38 matches being a key figure in Sale's setup and scored 3 tries.
Ahead of the Rugby World Cup 2023, de Klerk has been named in the South African training squad.
SC 22/07/2023
Career
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Yokohama Canon Eagles Scrum Half |
2022 - present |
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Pumas Scrum Half |
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Golden Lions Scrum Half |
2016 - 2017 |
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Lions Scrum Half |
2014 - 2017 |
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South Africa A Scrum Half |
2021 - 2021 |
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Sale Sharks Scrum Half |
2017 - 2022 |
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Hoërskool Waterkloof Scrum Half |
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South Africa Scrum Half |
2015 - 2024 |
