Sports

Springboks captain Jean De Villiers retires

28 Sep, 2015

South Africa captain Jean de Villiers retired from international rugby on Sunday (Monday NZT) after being ruled out of the World Cup due to a broken jaw as his tournament jinx returned to haunt him.

It was the second such injury suffered in the last two months by the 34-year-old centre, who made a miraculous recovery to get fit for the World Cup, only to fracture the right side of his jaw late in the 46-6 win over Samoa at Villa Park.

“When I got injured yesterday and I left the field, I knew that I had played my last test for South Africa,” De Villiers told reporters.

“Injuries are part of rugby and I’ve had my fair share, so by now I know how to cope with them. It’s very sad, but life goes on – I need to take it all in and move forward.

“I was quite sad when I came off the field as I knew I won’t get the opportunity to play for my country again. Having played for South Africa for 13 years, I’ve been fortunate to experience so many great things and I got to know so many good friends, but you never think it would end like this,” he said. (Courtesy Stuff.co.nz)

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