FILE - Steven Kitshoff called time on his rugby career after serious neck injury.
Image: Jean Catuffe/DPPI via AFP
The beloved late rugby commentator Kaunda Ntunja gave Steven Kitshoff the moniker ‘Spicy Plum’ because of his powerful scrumming on a rugby field and his bright red hair.
It’s a nickname that Kitshoff embraced because he knew it came from a place of love and respect. It was even catchy. It also resonated with the South African rugby-loving public, who affectionately identified the loose-head prop by that name.
Unfortunately, we will never hear that nickname or Kitshoff’s name shouted during a live rugby match after he prematurely called time on his illustrious rugby career due to a serious neck injury.
Kitshoff sustained the neck injury playing in a Currie Cup match for Western Province in Kimberley last year and after undergoing initial conservative therapy, the decision was taken to have stabilising surgery.
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.
At 33, Kitshoff was still looking to make the Springbok squad for the 2027 Rugby World Cup in Australia. It had been a year since he arrived back in the country after a knee injury cut short his stay with Irish side Ulster.
However, the 2023 World Cup final against the All Blacks would be the last time he would don the green and gold of the Springboks after his journey formally came to an end on Tuesday morning.
But what a journey it was, Kitshoff going from a fresh-faced 18-year-old kid at the Stormers - who had to get permission to be able to scrum against seniors - to one of the greatest looseheads to ever play the game. It was a ride filled with great victories, trophies and love of the South African rugby public.
It wasn’t supposed to end like this. A 100th cap for the Boks? Another World Cup? The Kitshoff fairytale definitely deserved the happy ending that befitting a Springbok legend.
It wasn’t to be, as the brutal game of rugby can be as cruel as it is beautiful. But at least we have a chance to give Kitshoff his flowers while he is still alive and able to function as a normal person. Not many rugby players who suffer these terrible neck and spine injuries live normal lives or live to tell the tale.
From a young age it was clear that Kitshoff possessed that potent concussion of physical dominance, technical mastery, and an unrelenting work ethic that saw him make his debut for the Stormers at the age of 19.
Kitshoff was insanely strong for a kid his age, but he always had that maturity and bravery to handle himself among the big boys on the front row. Add that to his technical ability and rugby smarts, and he would always be destined for greatness.
But beyond the scrummaging, his mobility was also unreal for a man his size, as he’d pop up in open play, hitting rucks, making tackles, and even carrying the ball like a back-rower at times. But he was also very good at stealing the ball on the ground.
Before Erasmus arrived at the Boks in 2018, Kitshoff would also be played close to 80 minutes in matches for both the Stormers and the Springboks on a weekly basis. Erasmus then dubbed him the machine in the build-up to the 2019 World Cup in Japan because of his relentless running and scrumming.
But it was between 2019 and 2023 when he cemented his legacy as an all-time great. In between those back-to-back World Cup titles, Kitshoff led the Stormers to their first international title, winning the United Rugby Championship in its debut season. It was the one medal that he wanted to repay the Stormers and Cape Town faithful for all the love he had received over more than decade.
But now is our chance to show Kitshoff some love. Thank you “Spicy Plum”, like your red hair, your legacy will continue to shine bright.
@JohnGoliath82