South Africa's double World Cup-winning star Steven Kitshoff has been forced to quit the sport after revealing he came close to death in a match.
The Springboks legend, 33, revealed he had been two millimetres from dying when he suffered a neck injury back in September playing for Western Province. He heard "three cracking sounds" in his neck during a scrum but played on having initially not understood the severity of the situation.
Two months later, however, the prop underwent major surgery to fuse two cervical vertebrae with bone from his hip. Kitshoff was a key part of South Africa's World Cup-winning teams in Japan in 2019 and France in 2023.
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The 83-cap star said: "It is obviously incredibly disappointing for my career to end in this way, but unfortunately the risk to my wellbeing was simply too high."
He previously revealed what happened, saying: “It was just another scrum, then three cracking sounds – pop, pop, pop. I played on, thinking it was a muscle strain. [But] today I know: I was two millimetres from a catastrophe, from my death.
“The first thing the specialist said to me was: ‘Listen, you’re lucky we didn’t bury you in a week.’ Because the vertebra that shifted is so close to my brain canal."
His club, the Stormers said: "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."
South Africa head coach Rassie Erasmus said: "He is a true team man, and he earned enormous respect from his team-mates and the coaches with his high work ethic, drive to be the best he can on the field, and his down-to-earth nature.
"He will always remain a warrior and fine ambassador of what the Springboks stand for, and we wish him luck as he begins this new chapter in his life."
