100 caps for UniMil’s captain
The Western Province Club Rugby Association is back after a short pause due to the severe floods and Union-Milnerton will play host to Brackenfell Rugby Club in the Super League A encounter at Theo Marais Park on Saturday July 27, at 4pm. Captain, Leon Carstens will receive his 100th cap.
From his early days of playing “bondel rugby” in primary school to captaining Union-Milnerton Rugby Football Club, Carstens’s rugby journey has been nothing short of inspirational.
Originally from Wellington and now based in the Durbanville area, Carstens stands on the brink of a significant milestone, just one cap away from reaching 100 caps for UniMil.
His first memory of rugby involves his father on the sidelines, urging him to tackle the biggest players.
“I was usually the one kid my father riled up next to the field to tackle the big guy that everyone else struggled to tackle. I guess from there on the passion just grew and I ended up playing for Boland under-12,” said Carstens.
After matric, the versatile flanker focused on work until colleagues invited him to join their Franschhoek farm league team.
This reignited his passion and he played there for three years, earning the title of Forward of the Year in 2013.
Seeking greater challenges, he joined Roses United in 2015 but suffered an injury late in the season. Feeling overlooked by the team, he explored opportunities with Western Province clubs and eventually found a new home at UniMil in 2016.
The 2016 season ended exceptionally well for coach Isma-eel Dollie’s UniMil side, clinching the Western Province Club Rugby Super League B title and earning a well-deserved move to the Super League A.
Carstens could not have chosen a better time to join the Theo Marais-based outfit. At UniMil, he started as a flanker but was asked to help out as a hooker. Despite being benched behind more experienced players, he played a crucial role in the team’s league victory that year.
In 2018, he seized an opportunity to return to flanker, where he truly thrived, earning the Sportsman of the Year award. His determination and skill saw him win the title again in 2019, the same year he celebrated his 50th cap.
Post the Covid-19 pandemic, Carstens was named the team captain. Coach Dollie said Carstens leads by example, guiding his teammates with a quiet yet powerful presence.
In 2022, Carstens was named Forward of the Year while teammate Labib Kannemeyer earned Sportsman of the Year and joined the WP squad.
Carstens reclaimed the Sportsman of the Year title in 2023 and briefly joined the WP club squad before choosing to focus on his club responsibilities.
Now, with just one cap needed to reach 100 for UniMil, Carstens will lead the club’s first fifteen against Brackenfell Rugby Club in Milnerton on Saturday July 27, at 4pm.
“If we win the Super League A trophy, I will have achieved everything I dreamed of in my rugby career,” he said.
