Jean de Villiers, named team captain in 2012 of the Springboks South African national rugby team, was an important leader in the rugby community for years.
South African Player of the Year in 2008, he is the most-capped center in Springbok history, despite being plagued with injuries throughout his career. His is a story of perseverance in the face of repeated adversity. He has since retired from the Springbok side that he loves, but left behind a great legacy.
De Villiers recently confirmed that he would likely retire from club rugby at the end of the English season, when his commitment with the Leicester Tigers comes to an end, at which point he will return to South Africa.
Here are 8 things you didn’t know about Jean de Villiers.
This is an updated version of a slideshow that was originally published April, 2014. Peter Pedroncelli contributed to this report.
He retired from the Springboks after injury ended his 2015 World Cup
History repeats itself, and unfortunately for the rugby legend, his Springbok career came to an abrupt end at the 2015 Rugby World Cup when he suffered a jaw fracture in a Pool B match against Samoa. De Villiers captained the Boks 37 times, ending his career as the second most capped Springbok captain of all time, and the fourth most capped player in the history of South African Test rugby, with 109 appearances.
His first international appearance for South Africa lasted seven minutes
In his first game for South Africa, De Villiers tore a ligament in his knee after only seven minutes. Luckily, he managed to return to the game after nine months of rehabilitation, and went on to have an impressive career, albeit hampered by injury at various stages.
He sat out of South Africa’s win in the 2007 World Cup
Another devastating injury in his career forced de Villiers to sit out the majority of the World Cup tournament in 2007 due to a bicep tear he sustained in the first game. The Spingboks went on to win the tournament, without their influential centre.
He met his wife when they were both students at Stellenbosch University
Jean de Villiers and his wife, Marlie, met while studying at Stellenbosch University and they married in 2010. They have two daughters, Layli and Lana.
Sport runs in the De Villiers family
Both of his parents were impressive athletes, with De Villier’s father playing rugby for Western Province, while his mother was a swimmer for Western Province. With blood like that running through his veins, a professional career was sure to follow.
He names several competitors as his toughest opponents
Unable to pick just one, de Villiers named “a combination of Tana Umaga, Stirling Mortlock, Brian O’Driscoll…Sonny Bill Williams, and Ma’a Nonu” as his toughest opponents on the pitch, with a special respect always shown for great rivals the All Blacks.
De Villiers and the Springboks won every game Nelson Mandela attended
Nelson Mandela attended six games during de Villier’s career, and the Springboks won them all. De Villiers said he attributes the wins to Mandela’s aura, as the great man always brought out the best in people. The Springboks played unbelievably well in each of the games.
He gives back in the “Boks for Books” program
The initiative, launched in June 2013 by the South African Rugby Union, aims to supply fully stocked mobile or refurbished libraries to disadvantaged children in schools around South Africa.