Steven Kitshoff has ranked his three career highlights following his retirement from professional rugby.
The powerhouse prop sustained a neck injury that has forced him into an early retirement, bringing the curtain down on an illustrious career.
After joining the Stormers senior squad straight out of school, Kitshoff has spent the past 14 years packing down in the scrum and making many a tighthead prop’s life hell.
Career highlights
During this time, he has been hugely successful, winning the U20 World Rugby Championship with the Junior Springboks while claiming a Rugby Championship title, British and Irish Lions Series and two World Cups with the senior squad as well as a United Rugby Championship with the Stormers.
While the Lions only come to South Africa every 12 years, and the tour is seen as the pinnacle for many players, Kitshoff did not rank the 2-1 series victory over the tourists among his three career highlights.
“I would say the two World Cups definitely, but I think that URC season when we won was just as special, it was absolutely unbelievable,” he told HOT 102.7 fm.
“That Stormers team that year had one of the worst starts, lost every game on tour and then somehow managed to find a way to pull it through and go all the way to the final and then lifting the trophy at the end. So that’s my top three.”
Remarkable career
Supersport commentator Matthew Pearce also revealed a unique statistic this week on the Bok prop who is one of just four players to win two World Cups and play in every game across the two tournaments.
The other three players all hail from New Zealand going back-to-back with the All Blacks in 2011 and 2015, namely Sam Whitelock, Jerome Kaino and Sonny Bill Williams.
OK, here we go… Bit of a busy day in my other job! 😂😂 Kitsie is the only Bok to play all seven matches in two successful RWC-winning campaigns. Sam Whitelock, Jerome Kaino and Sonny Bill Williams did so for NZ in 2011 and 2015. Kitsie played all 7 in 2019 and all 7 in 2023. https://t.co/TMzaJFrDrg
— Matt Pearce (@MattP555) February 26, 2025
“I feel very blessed,” Kitshoff added as he reflected on his career.
“I think I was always involved in amazing teams and unbelievable coaches that I worked with so feeling very blessed with the career I had.”
Even though he enjoyed his time in the Stormers and Springboks jerseys, it was a difficult decision to call time on his career due to the severity of his injury.
“To be honest it was quite difficult,” he said.
“Rugby has been my life for the last 14 odd years and it’s been the thing I’ve been looking forward to the most waking up in the mornings, playing rugby games, travelling with the boys.
“Then working towards the international season. It was really just such an honour just go through that process and then when you find out you possibly got a career-ending injury – it just put a bit of a dampness on it.”
Src: Planetrugby.com - https://www.planetrugby.com/news/springboks-steven-kitshoff-overlooks-lions-series-success-as-he-ranks-his-top-three-moments-in-his-career
