Rugby: Malan could face old club Sharks in Cardiff
The Namibian centre began the season with Cardiff after his spell in Durban. On Friday he could face the Sharks at the Arms Park.
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Le Roux Malan could face the Sharks again on Friday 23 October in Cardiff, this time wearing the shirt of the Welsh club. For the Namibian centre, who came through Durban before moving to Wales this summer, this United Rugby Championship fixture adds particular spice to his start to the season.
The match is scheduled for Cardiff Arms Park at 20:45 in South Africa, which is 19:45 in Brazzaville. His place in the Cardiff squad remains to be confirmed when the team is announced. His career path already offers a reason to follow this possible reunion.
Competing for a place in two positions
Recruited in the spring, Malan did not arrive as a player limited to a single role. Cardiff were looking for reinforcement able to play at both centre positions, and even on the wing. In that back line he brings a physical option and experience gained in several leagues.
The start of the season has given concrete expression to that versatility. Malan started Cardiff's opening three league games, wearing 12 and 13: inside centre and outside centre. On 8 October, the official team announcement for the game against Leinster named him, notably, alongside Harri Millard in the centres.
A journey across Namibia and three continents
Born in Windhoek and raised in South Africa, Malan came through the University of Cape Town and the Sharks' academy. He then played for the New England Free Jacks in the United States and for Hawke's Bay in New Zealand, before returning to Durban and then choosing Cardiff.
His career had been interrupted by a serious injury in the Namibia-New Zealand match at the 2023 World Cup. He has since returned to competition and rebuilt a club career that has taken him to Cardiff. That comeback is part of his story; it does not allow any prediction about his performance on Friday.
Facing a club that knows him
When he signed, Cardiff highlighted his performances in Sharks colours, notably in a meeting between the two sides. On Friday he could therefore find himself up against recent team-mates, while in a squad where he is now learning new reference points.
The appeal of the fixture goes beyond the memory of a transfer. For a Namibia international, establishing himself in Cardiff's rotation means earning his place week after week in a league bringing together clubs from five countries. The next marker will be the line-up announced before the match, then the role he is given against the Sharks.