James Hall (rugby union, born 1996)

James Hall

Personal information
Full name	James Robert Hall
Born	(1996-01-02) 2 January 1996 Durban, South Africa
Height	1.70 m (5 ft 7 in)
Weight	78 kg (12 st 4 lb)
School(s) attended	Kearsney College, Botha's Hill
Club information
Playing position	Scrum-half
Current club	Eastern Province Kings / Kings
Youth career
2009–14	Sharks
2014–	Eastern Province Kings
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Pts)†
2016–	Kings	0	(0)
* Senior club appearances and points correct as of 29 December 2015. † Appearances (Points).

James Robert Hall (born (1996-01-02)2 January 1996 in Durban, South Africa) is a South African rugby union player, currently playing with Super Rugby side the Kings. His regular position is scrum-half.

Playing career

Youth

Hall earned provincial selection as early as primary school level, when he represented KwaZulu-Natal at the 2009 Under-13 Craven Week held in Kimberley. He was the main kicker for the side and kicked five penalties during the competition, including three in their match against the Golden Lions.

At high school level, Hall attended Kearsney College, where he played rugby for their first team. He kicked a 62-meter penalty in a high school match against Westville Boys' High School in March 2014, with video footage of the kick appearing on several websites, both nationally and internationally. He earned a provincial call-up for the 2014 Under-18 Craven Week competition held in Middelburg, scoring one try for KwaZulu-Natal in their match against the Blue Bulls. He signed a contract to join Port Elizabeth-based union the Eastern Province Kings after school, and made a single appearance for their Under-19 side during the 2014 Under-19 Provincial Championship, in a 21–24 defeat to his hometown side the Sharks U19s in Durban.

He joined the EP Kings on a full-time basis for the 2015 season and he was a key member of the Eastern Province U19 side in the 2015 Under-19 Provincial Championship Group A, starting all fourteen of their matches in the competition. He scored one try during the season – in a 33–14 victory over the Leopards U19s – and also kicked nine conversions and seven penalties during the season for a personal points haul of 44 points, the second-highest in the team and joint-twelfth overall. He helped the Eastern Province Kings Under-19 side to eleven wins in their twelve matches in the group stage of the competition to finish top of the log to secure a place in the title play-offs. He started in their semi-final match against the Free State U19s, helping them to a 31–15 victory, and also in the final, where his side ran out 25–23 winners over the Blue Bulls U19s in Johannesburg to win the competition for the first time in their history.

Kings

On 13 December 2015, Hall was included on a list of 20 players released by the South African Rugby Union that would be part of the Kings squad for the 2016 Super Rugby season. He made his first class and Super Rugby debut in the Kings' match against the Bulls in Round Seven of the competition, starting in a 6–38 defeat in Port Elizabeth. He also started in a match against the Lions and played off the bench in their 27–73 defeat to Argentine side the Jaguares. He made his fourth appearance and third start at home to New Zealand side the Blues in a match that saw him score his first try in first class rugby, scoring against the base of the posts in the 14th minute of an 18–34 loss.

South Africa Under-20

In March 2016, Hall was included in a training squad for the South Africa Under-20 squad prior to the 2016 World Rugby Under 20 Championship, and was also named in a reduced provisional squad a week later. On 10 May 2016, he was included in the final squad for the tournament.