Springbok World Cup winner Steven Kitshoff forced to retire

Steven Kitshoff has been forced to retire from professional rugby on medical grounds at the age of 33 after undergoing neck fusion surgery last year.

The 83-cap South Africa loosehead sustained the neck injury in September playing for Western Province in the Currie Cup against Griquas.

A long recovery was expected for the former Ulster prop, but the Stormers shared a statement on Tuesday saying: “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 will retire with two World Cups to his name, coming off the bench in the 2019 final and starting in the 202 final, and a British and Irish Lions series win for South Africa, as well as the 2022 United Rugby Championship title with the Stormers.

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“Playing rugby has been my life from a young age and I was lucky enough to live the dream of many young boys by representing the Springboks and the DHL Stormers,” Kitshoff said after announcing his retirement.

“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 DHL Stormers on the pitch and gave the rehab and comeback the best shot I could, but it was not to be.”

Stormers director of rugby John Dobson added: “Steven Kitshoff is an iconic player who will go down as one of the greats of our game. The only two players with more DHL Stormers caps to their name are his good mates and fellow props Brok Harris and Frans Malherbe.

“Beyond his undeniable impact on the field and impressive longevity, Steven stands out as a top human being who treated everyone with respect and always remained firmly grounded.

“He started out as a prodigy and proved himself against the best in the world. He will be remembered as a fantastic rugby player and a credit to his family. Playing for the Springboks and the DHL Stormers meant a lot to him and that passion and love was given back to him by the fans.”