Springboks legend Steven Kitshoff retires from rugby due to neck injury

It's a sad day for rugby with double World Cup-winning prop Steven Kitshoff retiring from the game due to a neck injury.

His club the Stormers made the announcement in a statement on Tuesday, 25 February 2025.

It says he sustained the neck injury playing in a Currie Cup match for Western Province in Kimberley last year.

“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,” the club says.

The 33-year-old, played in South Africa’s World Cup winning teams in Japan in 2019 and France in 2023, and earned 138 caps for the Stormers and 83 caps for the Springboks.

The club also announced Kitshoff's retirement on Instagram, captioning the post with the text, "the end of an era".

Kitshoff says: “It is obviously incredibly disappointing for my career to end in this way, but unfortunately the risk to my wellbeing was simply too high.

"I really wanted to finish my story with the DHL Stormers on the pitch and gave the rehab
and comeback the best shot I could, but it was not to be."

Kitshoff also expressed his gratitude for "living the dream," playing for the Stormers and Springboks from a young age.

Farewell, legend!