Jacob Johannes Taute is a South Africanrugby union footballer. He plays as a fullback or centre. Taute is currently contracted to Leicester Tigers, having previously represented the and the in Super Rugby, the and in the Currie Cup and Munster in the Pro14. He was a member of the South Africa Under 20 team that competed in the 2010 and 2011 IRB Junior World Championships. During the 2012 Rugby Championship, Taute made his international debut for the Springboks against the Wallabies at Loftus Versfeld. He was a late inclusion into the squad and played at centre after François Steyn was ruled out with injury. In September 2016, he joined Irish Pro14 side Munster on a four-month contract as a replacement for the injured Francis Saili. On 1 October 2016, Taute made his competitive debut for Munster in the 2016–17 Pro12 fixture against Zebre. On 22 October 2016, Taute scored a try in Munster's 38–17 win against Glasgow Warriors in Round 2 of the 2016–17 European Rugby Champions Cup, a match that was his European debut for the province. On 10 December 2016, Taute scored two tries in Munster's 38–0 win against Leicester Tigers. On 2 January 2017, it was confirmed that Taute's contract with Munster had been extended until June 2017. On 4 March 2017, Taute won the Man-of-the-Match award in Munster's 23–13 away win against Cardiff Blues in Cardiff Arms Park. On 5 May 2017, Taute was named in the 2016–17 Pro12 Dream Team. On 19 May 2017, it was announced that Taute had signed a two-year contract with Munster which will see him remain with the province until June 2019. Taute suffered a knee ligament injury in Munster's 2017–18 Pro14 fixture against Cardiff Blues on 30 September 2017, ruling him out for six months. He made his return from the injury in Munster's 2018–19 Pro14 fixture against Glasgow Warriors on 7 September 2018, coming on as a replacement for Rory Scannell in the 63rd minute of the match. Taute captained Munster for the first time in their fixture against Ulster on 21 December 2018. Ahead of the 2019–20 season, Taute joined English Premiership side Leicester Tigers.
