Rayno Benjamin

Rayno Shannon Benjamin (born 3 August 1983) is a South African rugby union footballer who plays as a wing or centre for Japanese Top East League side Shimizu Blue Sharks.

Rayno Benjamin

Full name	Rayno Shannon Benjamin
Date of birth	(1983-08-03) 3 August 1983 (age 41)
Place of birth	Vredenburg, South Africa
Height	1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)
Weight	94 kg (207 lb; 14 st 11 lb)
School	Weston High School
Rugby union career
Position(s) Wing / Centre Current team Boland Cavaliers Senior career Years Team Apps (Points) 2004–2006 Boland Cavaliers 42 (175) 2006 Stormers 11 (10) 2007–2008 Golden Lions 23 (65) 2008 Lions XV 1 (5) 2008 Lions 12 (10) 2011–2017 Cheetahs 60 (75) 2011 Emerging Cheetahs 1 (5) 2011–2017 Free State Cheetahs 51 (90) 2016–2017 Free State XV 6 (10) 2018 Boland Cavaliers 4 (5) 2018–present Shimizu Blue Sharks () Correct as of 13 July 2018 International career Years Team Apps (Points) 2005–2015 South Africa Sevens Correct as of 22 April 2018
Medal record Men's rugby sevens Representing  South Africa Commonwealth Games 2010 Delhi Team competition

Career

He started out his career in the Western Cape with the Boland Cavaliers and his impressive performances saw him earn Super Rugby honours with the Stormers during the 2006 Super 14 season. He switched to Bloemfontein in 2007 for his first spell with the Cheetahs. However, he didn't manage any first team appearances and this saw him move on again to join the Lions in Johannesburg. He stayed there for 2 seasons before spending the next couple of years focusing on his rugby sevens career.^[1][2]

He returned to the 15 man game in 2011 and started his second spell with the Cheetahs which has seen him make more than 70 appearances in Currie Cup and Super Rugby matches.

International

Benjamin has been a long-term member of the Blitzbokke squad and has played in 11 IRB Sevens World Series events between 2006 and 2009. In 2013, he was included in the squad for the 2013 Rugby World Cup Sevens^[3]