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Former South African rugby captain Jean de Villiers sat down with Express to talk about his career, coping with injury and life after professional sport.
Before his retirement from the sport, De Villiers played for Western Province in the Currie Cup, the Stormers in Super Rugby, Leicester Tigers in Premiership Rugby and internationally for South Africa – for whom he was named captain in June 2012.
He now works as Head of Philanthropy with Citadel, a wealth management company that operates in Guernsey as Peregrine Wealth.
Pictured: Jean de Villiers has stayed connected with rugby since retiring as a professional, including by taking trips to Guernsey Raiders.
De Villiers has stayed connected with rugby since retiring as a professional, including visiting the Jersey Reds and the Guernsey Raiders.
During his playing career, de Villiers knew as well as anyone that adversity was a given.
He had six knee operations, shoulder reconstruction, a bicep rupture, he broke his jaw twice.
It was not just the injuries, they came at big moments.
Pictured: South Africa lift the Webb Ellis Cup in 2007.
He won the World Cup with South Africa in 2007, but that bicep tear happened in the opening game of the tournament, ruling him out of the other matches.
He was captain as the competition took place in England in 2015, but fractured his jaw in the second game against Samoa and was ruled out of that tournament, not before being on the wrong side of the “greatest upset in rugby history” against Japan.
De Villiers sat down with Express to talk about his career, coping with injury and life after professional sport.
Listen to the interview below or search 'Bailiwick Podcasts' on your favourite podcast provider.
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