Shaun Adendorff

Shaun Adendorff (born 28 May 1992) is a South African professional rugby union player for in Premiership Rugby. His regular position is flanker.

Career

KwaZulu-Natal

Adendorff was selected to represent his local KwaZulu-Natal provincial union at both the 2005 Under-13 Craven Week for primary schools tournament and at the 2008 Under-16 Grant Khomo Week tournament. He didn't represent them at Craven Week level though and opted to move to Pretoria to join the academy after high school.

Blue Bulls / South Africa Under-20 / UP Tuks

Adendorff joined the Blue Bulls academy for the 2011 season and was selected to play for the side in the 2011 Under-19 Provincial Championship. He started nine of their twelve matches during the regular season of the competition, scored tries in their matches against , and to help the Blue Bulls finish top of the log to qualify for the title play-offs. He started their 48–13 victory over in the semi-final, as well as the final, where the team suffered a 19–20 defeat to the s in Johannesburg.

In 2012, he was selected in the South Africa Under-20 squad for the 2012 IRB Junior World Championship, which was held in South Africa. Adendorff started their first match in the competition, but the hosts got off to a bad start, losing 19–23 to Ireland. He wasn't included in the matchday squad as South Africa recovered to beat Italy 52–3 in their second match, but he returned to the starting line-up as they beat England 28–15 to finish top of the log. Adendorff was a key figure in South Africa's vital victory, scoring two tries in the match. He started his third match of the tournament as South Africa easily dispatched Argentina in the semi-final, winning 35–3, and was named on the bench for the final against New Zealand. He didn't get any game time in the match, as South Africa won 22–16 in the final, to win the competition for the first time and ending New Zealand's four-year reign as champions.

Adendorff returned to domestic action for the side in the 2012 Under-21 Provincial Championship. Despite still being in the Under-20 age group, he quickly established himself in the team. He missed their first match of the season, played off the bench in their second match against the and was selected in the starting line-up for all their remaining twelve matches in the competition. He scored tries in their matches against and , as the side emulated for the Under-19 team the previous season by winning ten of their twelve matches to finish the regular season at the top of the log. Adendorff scored his third try of the campaign in a 50–24 victory over the s in the semi-finals, but again suffered defeat in a final, with his side losing 18–22 to to finish as the competition's runner-up.

Adendorff started the 2013 season playing Varsity Cup rugby for . He scored five tries in eight starts in the competition, which included a hat-trick in their 52–0 victory over . Tries in their victories over the and helped UP Tuks qualify for the semi-finals. UP Tuks beat 61–24 in the semi-final and three-time champions 44–5 in the final to win the competition for the second consecutive season.

Shortly after the Varsity Cup, Adendorff joined the squad that competed in the 2013 Vodacom Cup. He made his first class debut in a 110–0 victory over the in Lephalale and also appeared in matches against the and the .

Adendorff returned to the in the second half of the season, making ten appearances in the 2013 Under-21 Provincial Championship. He scored tries their matches against and the s as the Blue Bulls finished in second spot on the log. Following a victory over the Sharks in the semi-final, Adendorff ended on the losing side of a Provincial Championship final for the third consecutive season as the s beat them 30–23 in Cape Town.

South Africa Sevens

Adendorff was then contracted by the South African Rugby Union for the South Africa Sevens squad. He represented them at the final two events of the 2013–14 IRB Sevens World Series, the 2014 Scotland Sevens and 2014 London Sevens. However, this proved to be his only involvement with the main South Africa Sevens squad, although he did represent their Academy squad on occasion. he remained in the Sevens programme until the end of 2015.

Boland Cavaliers

Adendorff returned to fifteen-man rugby in 2016 by moving to Wellington-based outfit for the 2016 season.

Aurillac

Adendorff moved to French Pro D2 side prior to the 2018–19 season.

Northampton Saints Abendorff signed for Premiership Rugby side Northampton Saints ahead of the 2020–21 season.