Marcello Sampson

Marcello Edward Dennis Sampson (born 27 March 1987) is a South African professional rugby union player, who most recently played as a winger with Western Province.^[1]

Marcello Sampson

Full name	Marcello Edward Dennis Sampson
Date of birth	(1987-03-27) 27 March 1987 (age 36)
Place of birth	Cape Town, South Africa
Height	1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)
Weight	85 kg (187 lb; 13 st 5 lb)
School	Wynberg Boys' High School
University	University of the Western Cape
Rugby union career
Position(s) Wing Youth career 2006–2008 Western Province Amateur team(s) Years Team Apps (Points) 2008–2010 UCT Ikey Tigers 23 (70) Senior career Years Team Apps (Points) 2009 Western Province 0 (0) 2011–2013 Eastern Province Kings 37 (95) 2013 Southern Kings 14 (5) 2014–2016 Pumas 23 (35) 2017 Western Province 6 (25) Correct as of 20 April 2018 International career Years Team Apps (Points) 2011 South African Kings 1 (0) Correct as of 20 April 2018

Career

Youth and Varsity Rugby

He started his career with Western Province in underage competitions, playing for them in the Under-19 Provincial Championship in 2006 and the Under-21 Provincial Championship in 2008 and 2009.

He also represented the UCT Ikey Tigers in the Varsity Cup competition in 2008, 2009 and 2010.

Western Province

He was named in the Western Province senior squad for the 2009 Vodacom Cup, but was never included in a matchday squad.^[2]

Eastern Province Kings

In 2011, he joined the Eastern Province Kings.^[3] He made his first class debut during the 2011 Vodacom Cup competition, starting in the Kings' 31–25 victory against the Leopards.^[4] He made six starts in total, scoring two tries.

His Currie Cup debut came in the EP Kings' opening day match in the 2011 Currie Cup First Division against SWD Eagles.^[5] He had his most prolific season in Kings colours, scoring nine tries in just seven starts, to finish joint fifth in the try scoring charts for the competition.^[6] This included a brace of tries in their Round Two match against the Border Bulldogs^[7] and a hat-trick in their very next match against the Griffons.^[8]

He made nineteen starts during 2012, weighing in with a further eight tries. In addition to playing Super Rugby for the Southern Kings in 2013, he made a further four appearances for the EP Kings in the 2013 Currie Cup First Division season. However, he announced towards the end of the season that he would be leaving the Port Elizabeth-based team.

2013 Southern Kings Super Rugby season

In 2013, he was also named in the Southern Kings squad for the 2013 Super Rugby season. He started eleven of the Kings' games and came on off the bench in another two matches. However, he failed to score any tries during the regular season.

He got his first try in Southern Kings colours during the first leg of the 2013 Super Rugby promotion/relegation play-offs series against the Lions,^[9] which was ultimately not enough to help retain Super Rugby status for the Kings.

Pumas

He joined the Pumas for the 2014 season.^[10] 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.^[11] Sampson made six appearances during the season, scoring three tries.

References

1. "SA Rugby Player Profile – Marcello Sampson". South African Rugby Union. Retrieved 1 June 2016.
2. "SA Rugby Squad – Western Province : 2009 Vodacom Cup". South African Rugby Union. Retrieved 3 June 2016.
3. . Media24 (in Afrikaans). Die Son. 2 November 2010. Archived from the original on 5 October 2013. Retrieved 2 October 2013.
4. "SA Rugby Match Centre – Leopards 25–31 Eastern Province Kings". South African Rugby Union. 4 March 2011. Retrieved 27 July 2016.
5. "SA Rugby Match Centre – Eastern Province Kings 28–20 SWD Eagles". South African Rugby Union. 15 July 2011. Retrieved 27 July 2016.
6. "SA Rugby Try Scorers – 2011 ABSA Currie Cup First Div". South African Rugby Union. Retrieved 5 May 2016.
7. "SA Rugby Match Centre – Border Bulldogs 15–62 Eastern Province Kings". South African Rugby Union. 22 July 2011. Retrieved 27 July 2016.
8. "SA Rugby Match Centre – Eastern Province Kings 67–26 Tasol Solar Griffons". South African Rugby Union. 29 July 2011. Retrieved 27 July 2016.
9. "SA Rugby Match Centre – Southern Kings 19–26 MTN Lions". South African Rugby Union. 26 July 2013. Retrieved 27 July 2016.
10. "Pumas teken 'n King". SupaRugby. 16 October 2013. Retrieved 16 October 2013.
11. . South African Rugby Union. 31 May 2015. Archived from the original on 9 June 2016. Retrieved 9 June 2016.