Introduction
Emile Nicolaas George Temperman (born 5 December 1991) is a South African rugby union player who most recently played for thePumas. His regular position is scrum-half.
Rugby career
2008–2009: Schoolboy rugby
Temperman was born in Nylstroom, but grew up in Frankfort and Nelspruit. Playing for Hoërskool Nelspruit, he was selected to represent thePumas in the premier South African high school rugby union competition, the Under-18 Craven Week, in both 2008 and 2009.
2010: SWD Eagles
After high school, Temperman moved to George, where he joined theSWD Eagles rugby team. He made eight appearances for theSWD U19 team in the 2010 Under-19 Provincial Championship, scoring tries in matches againstGriquas U19,Pumas U19 andBoland U19, helping the team finish third in Group B to qualify for the play-offs. He started their 27–20 victory overFalcons U19 in the semi-finals, but missed out on the final, where the team missed out on silverware by losing toEastern Province U19. He also made a single appearance for their Under-21 team against thePumas U21s.
2011–2015: UP Tuks and Blue Bulls
Temperman returned north for the 2011 season, joining the University of Pretoria's rugby team,UP Tuks. He was named in their squad for the 2011 Varsity Cup, but failed to appear in the competition. His next action in a national competition came in the latter half of 2012, as he represented theBlue Bulls U21 team in the Under-21 Provincial Championship. He made twelve appearances – ten of those as a replacement – and scored a try in their match againstLeopards U21 as the team made it all the way to the final of the competition. Temperman played off the bench in their 22–13 victory overWestern Province U21 in the final to help the team secure the title.
He featured forUP Tuks in the next three editions of the Varsity Cup. He made six appearances in the 2013 competition, scoring a try in a 52–0 win over Gauteng rivalsWits on their way to the final, where Temperman featured for the final 17 minutes of a 44–5 victory overMaties to win the title for their second consecutive season. He also made his first class debut during this season, coming on as a replacement in theBlue Bulls' 54–26 victory over theGolden Lions in the 2013 Vodacom Cup.
He played in seven matches of UP Tuks' 2014 Varsity Cup disappointing campaign, which saw them miss out on a semi-final spot after finishing in sixth position, and a further seven in 2015, where an improved showing saw the team finish top of the log before losing in the semi-finals againstNWU Pukke. Temperman was mainly utilised as a replacement during his three Varsity Cup campaigns, making just one start, and he was not selected to represent the Blue Bulls in any further matches.
2016–present: Pumas
For 2016, Temperman returned to Nelspruit, joining thePumas prior to their 2016 Currie Cup qualification campaign. He made his first start in first class rugby in their opening match of the season, a 9–12 defeat to theFalcons. He appeared regularly for the Pumas throughout the campaign, making a total of five starts and eight appearances as a replacement in their 14 matches, as his side finished the competition in fourth position to secure qualification to the Currie Cup Premier Division. He made his debut in the Currie Cup proper on 5 August 2016, coming on as a replacement in their defeat to theSharks, eventually appearing in all eight of the Pumas' matches in a poor season that saw the side finish second-bottom, with a single victory in their final match against theEastern Province Kings.