Peerless Frans Steyn had a way of karmically balancing the rugby world

Frans Steyn in action during against the 2009 British & Irish Lions. (Photo by Wessel Oosthuizen/Gallo Images)

By Craig Ray

12 Jul 2023

A knee injury has forced veteran Springbok and Cheetahs utility back Frans Steyn to retire at the age of 36.

Frans Steyn spent much of his rugby career doing things on his terms, but in the end he couldn’t manufacture the perfect exit from a game in the way he so often produced a perfect moment of brilliance.

A knee injury and an ageing 36-year-old body that had 18 years of professional rugby and nearly 16 years of Test rugby smashed into it gave way.

There might never be another like him. From the callow teenager who looked like an angel and played like a demon, to the elder statesman who necked a beer with fans after a game, Steyn was a one-of-a-kind rugby player.

He had three incarnations as a Bok — the first from 2006 to 2012, the second in 2017 and the third from 2019 to 2022.

Talent was never an issue. Neither was commitment on the field, but like all geniuses, he also had a difficult side and was not always the easiest player to manage.

Once he matured into an established international, he began to flex his muscles as a person and not just a rugby player. That included quitting South Africa for France at a time when Bok players weren’t easily being picked if they weren’t locally based.

In 2014, having been recalled after a change in selection policy, he sensationally walked out of the Bok squad on a Monday before a Test against Wales because of an ongoing dispute about payments related to his image rights.

Although he was named in a 2015 Rugby World Cup (RWC) training squad, he never made the cut and it seemed his Test career was well and truly over.

In all, his time in France and his standoff with the South African Rugby Union cost him nearly five years of Test rugby and northwards of 40 additional Test caps.

But his talent could not be denied and he was recalled for a home series to face France in 2017 before injury ended that season after just three appearances.

His third stint as a Bok began in 2019, included a Rugby Championship win and a second World Cup title in Japan, and carried on through to another series victory over the British & Irish Lions in 2021.

In 2022, at 35, he played sensational rugby and looked set to make another trip to the World Cup, before injury intervened.

“It’s been a tough few months, coming to terms with saying goodbye to the game that has been my entire life,” Steyn said in a statement.

“In answer to the many questions I have faced since sustaining a knee injury earlier this year, I am hereby announcing my retirement from professional rugby.

“To be honest, this is not how I envisioned the journey ending. Every player wants to end on their own terms, but I am fortunate to have played this game for so long and [am] incredibly grateful for the journey I have had.

“I have given it my everything, and I have no regrets. I have a massive number of people to thank from all around the world for the support throughout the highs and lows of my career.

“I will forever be grateful for the opportunities, the friendship, the memories and lessons that rugby has given me. I look forward to the next chapter and the opportunity to give back to the game that has given me everything.

“Thank you for all the support. It has been a massive honour.”

A fresh-faced Frans Steyn at the Springboks victory parade in Bloemfontein at Vodacom Park in 2007. (Photo: Gallo Images)

Frans Steyn made his Test debut on the wing as a 19-year-old against Ireland at Lansdowne Road. (Photo: Tertius Pickard / Gallo Images / Getty Images)

Special player

Frans Steyn was always special, even when it wasn’t intentional. After being lectured by the referee during his World Cup debut against Samoa in 2007, the 20-year-old swore loudly, which the TV cameras and mics picked up.

The next day, when facing the media, the baby-faced Steyn admitted that his ouma had scolded him for his bad manners. He looked genuinely mortified. It wasn’t for show.

He might have been precocious and a rare talent, but he maintained some old-fashioned values, respectfully referring to this writer as “oom” at RWC 2007, even though I was only in my mid-thirties.

Steyn of course, was a generational rugby player and a rare athlete who played in multiple positions, all of them brilliantly. He won two World Cups and is the longest-playing Springbok. with 15 years and 317 days passing between his first and last Tests.

He made his debut as a 19-year-old as a wing on 11 November 2006 against Ireland at Lansdowne Road and played his last Test against Argentina on 24 September 2022 at King’s Park.

In total he played 78 Tests for the Boks, scoring 11 tries and 165 points in five different backline positions, barring scrumhalf.

Six of those points came weeks before RWC 2007, when aged only 20, he stepped off the bench at Newlands and landed two superb drop-goals to take the Boks from 19-16 down to a winning final score of 22-19 over Australia.

Afterwards, a reporter launched into, not so much a question, but a statement about how the Aussies had done something similar to the Boks in 1999 when Stephen Larkham landed a wobbly drop-goal in the World Cup semifinal.

The exasperated Wallaby captain, Stirling Mortlock, interjected: “What are you saying, mate? That we’re karmically balanced now?”

Ah yes, Frans Steyn had a way of karmically balancing the rugby world for the Boks.

Just a few months later he landed a penalty from nearly 50m in the World Cup final against England. It was done without an outward hint of nerves.

Frans Steyn in action against the 2009 British & Irish Lions. (Photo: Wessel Oosthuizen / Gallo Images)

Superb record

Steyn was on the winning side 59 times in his 78 Tests (75%). Of players who represented the Boks more than 50 times, only prop Gurthrö Steenkamp (41 wins from 53 Tests — 77%) ended his career with a better winning record.

Among his many accolades, he also holds the unique record of having been on the winning side in each of the 17 Rugby World Cup matches he played.

Apart from lifting the Webb Ellis Cup twice — in 2007 Steyn became the youngest RWC winner — he was also a member of two Springbok squads that won series against the British & Irish Lions (2009 and 2021) as well as the Rugby Championship (2009 and 2019), and he won the Currie Cup with the Sharks (2008) and Cheetahs (2023).

Furthermore, Steyn was named the SA Under-19 Player of the Year (2006), the Most Promising Player of the Year (2007) and was a nominee for the World Rugby Player of the Year (2009).

“It’s safe to say that Frans Steyn will go down in the annals as a legend of the Springboks and South African rugby,” said Mark Alexander, the president of SA Rugby.

“His achievements speak for themselves, but it’s his discipline to work hard and always deliver his best, his never-give-up attitude, and his will to reach the top that stand out. Whether he started a match or came off the bench, Frans never gave anything less than 100%.

“Frans was a phenomenon when he first hit the senior rugby scene as a teenager and he never backed down, never gave an inch and always tried to find a way to help his teams win. He was a versatile player who represented the Boks in five positions in the backline and his kicking boot often delivered points when it seemed impossible.

“On behalf of the entire South African rugby family, I would like to thank Frans for his massive contribution to the game we love so much, and we would like to wish him and his family all the best in his retirement.” DM

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