Zachary Porthen is a South African rugby player who plays as a prop; Porthen is regarded as one of the most promising youngsters to take over the future of the Springboks. He became the youngest prop debutant for the Springboks, and that speaks enough of how much he is rated. At the club level, Zachary plays for the Stormers and the Western Province.
Off the pitch, Zachary is as disciplined as one would expect in a young athlete with such potential. Unlike some young rugby stars, he leads a reserved lifestyle, with only a few glimpses of the natural youth fans love.
SUMMARY
Full name: Zachary Porthen
Date of birth: 31 March 2004
Age: 21 years
Place of birth: Cape Town, South Africa
Girlfriend: unknown
Children: none
Height: 1.89 m
Weight: 124 kg
EARLY LIFE AND FAMILY
Born on 31 March 2004, Zachary Porthen grew up in Cape Town with a strong passion and love for rugby. He enrolled at Wynberg Boys’ High School, where he showed his outstanding rugby talent. He became the team captain and Head prefect in 2022, his matric year.
After impressing on his school team, showing a lot of talent, commitment, and leadership as captain, Zachary captained SA schools in 2022. He went on to represent South Africa at the Under 20 World Rugby Championship and captained the junior Springboks.
Throughout his development, Zachary Pothern has had solid support from his background, which has guided him. His family and friends are always with him. Even though he did not share much about his close family, it remains clear that they are by his side all the way.
On the other hand, Zachary has a solid group of friends with whom he spends most of his free time. Together, they go out to parties, restaurants, the beach, and play, and so on. They provide him with the support he needs, especially at this stage in his career.
“Thx for the night boys🔥”, he once said, sharing pictures of an outing with his friends.
CAREER
After impressing in junior rugby, the talented prop signed his first professional contract with the Stormers in 2023. He made his debut for Western Province in 2024.
“I’m just excited to reap the rewards from learning. That’s what I’m trying to take out of being in this environment, to become the best rugby player that I can be. For me to play in the United Rugby Championship and potentially become a Springbok, I need to have my scrumming at its best. That’s my main focus at the moment,” he said, speaking of what playing in the Curie Cup meant.
In the 2024–25 United Rugby Championship, he made his debut for the Stormers against the Dragons.
With a series of top performances, he drew the attention of the Springboks’ coaches, and they called him.
SPRINGBOKS
As his name grew among the most promising rugby youngsters in the country, the Springboks team called him. He was a surprise name in the 23-man squad for the 2025 end-of-year rugby union internationals.
After a few outings with the Springboks, Zachary Pothern had already impressed coach Rassie Erasmus. “At this level, you have to sink or swim, so although it will be a challenging week for him to learn our structures, it will also be a very exciting week for him,” Rassie said, speaking of Zachary’s journey.
Thanks to a year of top performances, Zachary Porthen became a nominee for the 2025 SA Rugby Young Player of the Year. He competes with fellow young stars like Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, and Ethan Hooker