Steven Kitshoff: Why Springbok great had to retire

Springbok World Cup winner Steven Kitshoff has officially announced his premature retirement. In many ways, the news was always expected considering the nature of a serious neck injury he suffered last year, but it is still news that will be extremely difficult to digest for all South African rugby fans.

The 33-year-old is an absolute icon of Springbok and Stormers rugby, having played in over 100 games for the Cape franchise, while he retires with 83 Test caps to his name.

The popular Springbok prop has been out of action since early September, though, after sustaining a debilitating neck injury playing for Western Province in a Currie Cup game.

After undergoing a major neck fusion surgery, which lasted over six hours, Kitshoff had said he hoped to try and attempt a comeback to the game, but it has now been confirmed that this was simply not possible.

With the injury having been sustained high up on his neck – at the C1 and C2 vertebra – it has been confirmed that the risk was just too much to consider any return to play as a prop.

A statement from the Stormers explained: “Following an extensive rehabilitation process he has been left with significantly reduced rotation of his neck and the advice from a specialist neurosurgeon was that there would be a high risk of another injury should he continue playing.”

Kitshoff also acknowledged the decision had been taken out of his hands: “It is obviously incredibly disappointing for my career to end in this way, but unfortunately the risk to my wellbeing was simply too high.

“I really wanted to finish my story with the Stormers on the pitch and gave the rehab and comeback the best shot I could, but it was not to be,” he said.

Springbok powerhouse Steven Kitshoff has had a career to be proud of

Recently, when speaking on the popular Boks Office show, Kitshoff described how the injury occurred and just why it was such a ‘scary’ situation.

“It was quite a fright. It happened in the weirdest way. Just a normal scrum, and everyday type of thing, and then I just felt something snap at the back.

“Mine was just a normal scrum. The scrum didn’t even collapse. In the process of the scrum, I just felt something go.”

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