Gio Aplon facts for kids
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| Full name | Gio Giaan Aplon | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Date of birth | 6 October 1982 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Hawston, South Africa | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 78 kg (12 st 4 lb; 172 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| School | Hawston Secondary, Hawston | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Gio Giaan Aplon (born on 6 October 1982) is a famous former rugby union player from South Africa. He was known for his amazing speed and tricky moves on the field. Even though he was not the tallest player, his quickness and ability to dodge opponents made him a very tough player to stop.
In 2010, Gio Aplon made his first appearance as a winger for the South African national team. In that game, he scored two tries against France, who had just won the Six Nations Tournament. This was a big win for South Africa, with a score of 42–17. Many people see Gio Aplon as an inspiration for other smaller, fast players in South African rugby, like Cheslin Kolbe and Kurt-Lee Arendse.
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Gio Aplon's Rugby Journey
Gio Aplon played as a winger and fullback. He was a key player for the Stormers, a well-known rugby team. He also had a very successful career playing rugby sevens for South Africa, which is a faster version of rugby with fewer players. Fans often called him "Appels," which is Afrikaans for "Apples," because of his last name.
Playing for the Stormers
Playing with the Stormers team helped Gio Aplon become a more confident player. He was known as the "pocket dynamo" because of his small size but huge energy and impact on the game. His speed and ability to move quickly from side to side caused a lot of trouble for opposing teams. He was also very good at changing direction suddenly, which made him hard to tackle. In a match against France in Cape Town on 12 June 2010, he scored two tries and was named the "Man of the Match" for his excellent performance.
Winning the Currie Cup
Gio Aplon was part of the Western Province team that won the Currie Cup in 2012. The Currie Cup is one of the oldest and most famous rugby competitions in South Africa.
Playing Overseas
After playing in South Africa for many years, Gio Aplon decided to play rugby in other countries.
- In 2014, he joined the French team Grenoble after the Super Rugby season ended. He played there until 2017.
- From 2017 to 2020, he played for Toyota Verblitz in Japan.
Return to South Africa
In May 2020, Gio Aplon returned to South Africa and joined the Bulls team. He also played for the Blue Bulls in 2021 before ending his professional rugby career.
Early Life and School
Gio Aplon was born in a small town called Hawston, which is located east of Cape Town in South Africa. Before he became a rugby star, he actually played cricket for his school team.
More About Gio Aplon
- Gio Aplon at Springboks.rugbyLua error in Module:EditAtWikidata at line 29: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).
- Western Province rugby profile
- Stormers team profile
