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Lions hooker forced to end 13-year career immediately
By Josh Raisey
Lions hooker Jaco Visagie has been forced to retire due to a neck injury.
The 33-year-old sustained the injury in September, with his last appearance in professional rugby coming in August, in a 30-minute cameo from the bench for the Golden Lions against the Cheetahs in the Currie Cup. The injury meant he was unavailable for the final, where his side narrowly lost to Griquas 27-25.
His last appearance in the United Rugby Championship was one to remember, starting and scoring two tries in a 29-28 victory over the Ospreys in the final round of last season.
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He will retire with the Lions sitting in eighth place in the URC, with two wins from their opening five fixtures.
In a brief statement on social media, the Lions wrote: “Jaco has had to call time on his career due to injury. Thank you for the years of hard work, heart, and dedication to the franchise.
“Wishing you every success in the journey ahead.”
Visagie spent the latter half of his career in Johannesburg, with a five-year spell after starting his career in Pretoria with the Bulls.
Sandwiched in between his stints with the two South Africa sides were brief spells with Gloucester and Toulouse in 2018 and 2019, before joining the Lions in 2020.
The hooker’s injury, and retirement, has robbed him of a chance of facing his former side at Loftus Versfeld at the end of the month, with the Lions resuming their URC campaign with a trip to the Bulls.
