Os du Randt
Encyclopedia
Jacobus Petrus du Randt, better known as Os du Randt (born 8 September 1972 in Elliot, South Africa
), is a former South African rugby union
loosehead prop who retired as the most-capped
forward in the history of the Springboks
(a record since surpassed by current Springboks John Smit
and Victor Matfield
). For most of his career, he played in the domestic Currie Cup
for the Free State Cheetahs
, though he spent one season with the Blue Bulls
. In Super Rugby
, he represented the Free State Cheetahs when South Africa sent its top Currie Cup teams to the competition instead of franchised sides, later represented the Cats franchise (now known as the Lions), spent one season with the Bulls before returning to the Cats, and still later played for the Vodacom Cheetahs
. He ended his career as one of the last remaining international-level players from the amateur era of the sport and the last active member of the 1995 World Cup
-winning squad. His final match was the 2007 Rugby World Cup
final, which the Springboks won, with du Randt playing the entire 80 minutes.
Os (his Afrikaans nickname means Ox due to his big, muscular build) was a powerful scrummager and a hard worker around the field. He also had very good ball-handling skills for a prop, and his defence was solid.
in a 42-22 victory, and he was a member of the 1995 World Cup squad, playing at loosehead prop in the final against New Zealand
when South Africa won 15-12. Du Randt continued to be a key member of the Boks in the following years, and was named by Rugby World magazine as the second-best loosehead of all time in 1999. However, in 2000, at the age of 27, Du Randt suffered injuries that kept him out of rugby for nearly three years.
, who was coaching the Free State
provincial team
. The invitation did the trick, and Du Randt agreed to give it another shot.
"When I returned to rugby in 2003, it was to play for Free State
and Free State alone," he recalled. "I didn't think I would wear the Springbok
shirt again, ever in my life. When Jake White
, the national coach, gave me the opportunity to play for my country once more, it felt like the first time all over again. I took some criticism in the media. There was a lot of stuff going around - most of it about me being too old.
Then in 2004, after an age-defying return to form in domestic play, du Randt was recalled to the Boks by new coach Jake White
. He proved to be a key player in the Boks' 2004 revival, which saw them win the Tri Nations and be named as the IRB
World Team of the Year.
In 2004, he received his 50th cap for the Springboks in a 32-16 loss to England at Twickenham. It was however, not to be a day to remember for him as, "du Randt was dismantled in the scrum, lock, stock and barrel, by England's Julian White". Droning chants of "Os...Os" have become commonplace at South African match venues since the big man made his return to Bok rugby.
And despite calls that he was getting too old , White persisted in selecting du Randt for the 2007 Rugby World Cup
in France
.
, Manu Samoa
, and Tonga
and a quarter-final win over Fiji
and semi-final victory against Argentina
, du Randt and his South African teammates found themselves in a rematch against defending champions England in the final. The favoured Springboks dethroned England 15–6 in a hard-fought final, with Os playing all 80 minutes which included one bullocking run in the first half. He joined Australia
ns Dan Crowley
, John Eales
, Tim Horan
, Phil Kearns
, and Jason Little
as the only players to play on two Rugby World Cup-winning teams.
Prior to the final, Os as the man of the match in the semi-final win against Argentina
was entrusted with bringing the Springbok mascot, Bokkie to the final. But Bokkie, the small, cuddly, toy springbok replica, failed to make it to the Stade de France on Saturday night as Os had forgot to pack it. Big Os, probably overcome with emotion at the thought of his last Test match for South Africa, forgot to pack the cuddly toy, much to the horror of his skipper,John Smit.
Du Randt was the last active member of the South African 1995 Rugby World Cup-winning squad and retired as South Africa's third most-capped player ever and most-capped forward. He missed the 2003 tournament through injury but his comeback to help lead the Springboks to the 2007 Rugby World Cup is a fairy tale achievement.
When interviewed, du Randt said "I would have to say that I never thought I would bow out in a World Cup final, when I called it a day in 2000. To begin with a world title and to finish with another would be a real accomplishment, a memory that I will cherish for ever. I dedicate this to my best friend, Alex."
When questioned about his teammate, fellow Springbok
prop CJ van der Linde
said "Os is a legend in South African rugby. Even little children know who he is. His name will be mentioned for many years still," Van der Linde said. We do not realise what impact he makes. One day, when he is old, we will know what great work he did for South Africa and what a leader he was."
Following the victory in the 2007 Rugby World Cup Final, Os announced his international retirement from the Springboks.
Du Randt returned to the sport for the 2009 Currie Cup
season as a scrum coach for the Free State Cheetahs. In 2010, he took on the same position with the Springboks.
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
), is a former South African rugby union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
loosehead prop who retired as the most-capped
Cap (sport)
In sports, a cap is a metaphorical term for a player's appearance on a select team, such as a national team. The term dates from the practice in the United Kingdom of awarding a cap to every player in an international match of association football...
forward in the history of the Springboks
South Africa national rugby union team
The South African national rugby union team are 2009 British and Irish Lions Series winners. They are currently ranked as the fourth best team in the IRB World Rankings and were named 2008 World Team of the Year at the prestigious Laureus World Sports Awards.Although South Africa was instrumental...
(a record since surpassed by current Springboks John Smit
John Smit
John William Smit is the 50th and current captain of the South African national rugby union team, the Springboks. He has played most of his career as a hooker, but played twice for the Springboks off the bench as a prop prior to the South Africa coaching staff's decision to use him as a tighthead...
and Victor Matfield
Victor Matfield
Victor Matfield is a South African rugby union player. He has played for, and captained the Springbok rugby team as well as the Blue Bulls in the Currie Cup and the Bulls franchise in the Super 14...
). For most of his career, he played in the domestic Currie Cup
Currie Cup
The Currie Cup tournament is South Africa's premier domestic rugby union competition, played each winter and spring , featuring teams representing either entire provinces or substantial regions within provinces...
for the Free State Cheetahs
Free State Cheetahs
The Free State Cheetahs , currently named the Toyota Free State Cheetahs, for sponsorship reasons, are a South African rugby union team that participates in the annual Currie Cup tournament. They are governed by the Free State Rugby Union and are based at the 37,076-capacity Vodacom Park in...
, though he spent one season with the Blue Bulls
Blue Bulls
The Blue Bulls, for sponsorship reasons known as the Vodacom Blue Bulls, or more popularly by their Afrikaans name die Blou Bulle, are a South African rugby union team that participates in the annual Currie Cup tournament...
. In Super Rugby
Super 14
Super Rugby is the largest and pre-eminent professional Rugby union competition in the Southern Hemisphere...
, he represented the Free State Cheetahs when South Africa sent its top Currie Cup teams to the competition instead of franchised sides, later represented the Cats franchise (now known as the Lions), spent one season with the Bulls before returning to the Cats, and still later played for the Vodacom Cheetahs
Central Cheetahs
The Central Cheetahs, known for sponsorship reasons as the Toyota Cheetahs, is a South African rugby union team that entered the Super Rugby competition in 2006. The franchise area encompasses the Free State and Northern Cape. In terms of Currie Cup unions, the Cheetahs draw from Free State...
. He ended his career as one of the last remaining international-level players from the amateur era of the sport and the last active member of the 1995 World Cup
1995 Rugby World Cup
The 1995 Rugby World Cup was the third Rugby World Cup. It was hosted and won by South Africa, and was the first Rugby World Cup in which every match was held in one country....
-winning squad. His final match was the 2007 Rugby World Cup
2007 Rugby World Cup
The 2007 Rugby World Cup was the sixth Rugby World Cup, a quadrennial international rugby union competition inaugurated in 1987. Twenty nations competed for the Webb Ellis Cup in the tournament, which was hosted by France from 7 September to 20 October. France won the hosting rights in 2003,...
final, which the Springboks won, with du Randt playing the entire 80 minutes.
Os (his Afrikaans nickname means Ox due to his big, muscular build) was a powerful scrummager and a hard worker around the field. He also had very good ball-handling skills for a prop, and his defence was solid.
Early career
Du Randt made his first appearance for the Springboks in October 1994 against ArgentinaArgentina national rugby union team
The Argentina national rugby team, nicknamed Los Pumas, represents Argentina in international rugby union matches. The team, which plays in sky blue and white jerseys, is organised by the Argentine Rugby Union .Argentina played its first international rugby match in 1910 against a touring British...
in a 42-22 victory, and he was a member of the 1995 World Cup squad, playing at loosehead prop in the final against New Zealand
All Blacks
The New Zealand men's national rugby union team, known as the All Blacks, represent New Zealand in what is regarded as its national sport....
when South Africa won 15-12. Du Randt continued to be a key member of the Boks in the following years, and was named by Rugby World magazine as the second-best loosehead of all time in 1999. However, in 2000, at the age of 27, Du Randt suffered injuries that kept him out of rugby for nearly three years.
Comeback
In 2003, Du Randt received a phone call from former Springboks flanker and teammate Rassie ErasmusRassie Erasmus
Rassie Erasmus is the current coach of the Stormers rugby franchise in South Africa. Erasmus played mainly as a flanker for the Springboks at international level, for the Free State Cheetahs and the Golden Lions in the Currie Cup, and for the Cats in the Super 12...
, who was coaching the Free State
Free State
The Free State is a province of South Africa. Its capital is Bloemfontein, which is also South Africa's judicial capital. Its historical origins lie in the Orange Free State Boer republic and later Orange Free State Province. The current borders of the province date from 1994 when the Bantustans...
provincial team
Free State Cheetahs
The Free State Cheetahs , currently named the Toyota Free State Cheetahs, for sponsorship reasons, are a South African rugby union team that participates in the annual Currie Cup tournament. They are governed by the Free State Rugby Union and are based at the 37,076-capacity Vodacom Park in...
. The invitation did the trick, and Du Randt agreed to give it another shot.
"When I returned to rugby in 2003, it was to play for Free State
Free State Cheetahs
The Free State Cheetahs , currently named the Toyota Free State Cheetahs, for sponsorship reasons, are a South African rugby union team that participates in the annual Currie Cup tournament. They are governed by the Free State Rugby Union and are based at the 37,076-capacity Vodacom Park in...
and Free State alone," he recalled. "I didn't think I would wear the Springbok
South Africa national rugby union team
The South African national rugby union team are 2009 British and Irish Lions Series winners. They are currently ranked as the fourth best team in the IRB World Rankings and were named 2008 World Team of the Year at the prestigious Laureus World Sports Awards.Although South Africa was instrumental...
shirt again, ever in my life. When Jake White
Jake White
Jake White is a rugby union coach and former coach of the South Africa national rugby union team, the Springboks. His most notable achievements as coach include leading the Springboks to victory in 2007 Rugby World Cup and the 2004 Tri Nations title...
, the national coach, gave me the opportunity to play for my country once more, it felt like the first time all over again. I took some criticism in the media. There was a lot of stuff going around - most of it about me being too old.
Then in 2004, after an age-defying return to form in domestic play, du Randt was recalled to the Boks by new coach Jake White
Jake White
Jake White is a rugby union coach and former coach of the South Africa national rugby union team, the Springboks. His most notable achievements as coach include leading the Springboks to victory in 2007 Rugby World Cup and the 2004 Tri Nations title...
. He proved to be a key player in the Boks' 2004 revival, which saw them win the Tri Nations and be named as the IRB
International Rugby Board
The International Rugby Board is the governing body for the sport of rugby union. It was founded in 1886 as the International Rugby Football Board by the unions of Scotland, Wales and Ireland. England refused to join until 1890. The International Rugby Football Board changed its name to the...
World Team of the Year.
In 2004, he received his 50th cap for the Springboks in a 32-16 loss to England at Twickenham. It was however, not to be a day to remember for him as, "du Randt was dismantled in the scrum, lock, stock and barrel, by England's Julian White". Droning chants of "Os...Os" have become commonplace at South African match venues since the big man made his return to Bok rugby.
And despite calls that he was getting too old , White persisted in selecting du Randt for the 2007 Rugby World Cup
2007 Rugby World Cup
The 2007 Rugby World Cup was the sixth Rugby World Cup, a quadrennial international rugby union competition inaugurated in 1987. Twenty nations competed for the Webb Ellis Cup in the tournament, which was hosted by France from 7 September to 20 October. France won the hosting rights in 2003,...
in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
.
Later career
Following victories in pool play over EnglandEngland national rugby union team
The England national rugby union team represents England in rugby union. They compete in the annual Six Nations Championship with France, Ireland, Scotland, Italy, and Wales. They have won this championship on 26 occasions, 12 times winning the Grand Slam, making them the most successful team in...
, Manu Samoa
Samoa national rugby union team
The Manu Samoa is the men's representative side of the Samoa Rugby Union in both the 15's and the 7's for international competitions. The Samoa Rugby Union is owned by the affiliated rugby unions of Samoa. In Samoa, Manu Samoa is in honour of a famous Samoan warrior. From 1924 to 1997 Samoa was...
, and Tonga
Tonga national rugby union team
The Tonga national rugby union team is nicknamed Ikale Tahi . Like their Polynesian neighbours, the Tongans start their matches with a war dance – the Kailao . They are members of the Pacific Islands Rugby Alliance along with Fiji and Samoa...
and a quarter-final win over Fiji
Fiji national rugby union team
The Fiji national rugby union team is a member of the Pacific Islands Rugby Alliance formerly along with Samoa and Tonga. In 2009, Samoa announced their departure from the Pacific Islands Rugby Alliance, leaving just Fiji and Tonga. Fiji are ranked sixteenth in the world by the IRB as of 26...
and semi-final victory against Argentina
Argentina national rugby union team
The Argentina national rugby team, nicknamed Los Pumas, represents Argentina in international rugby union matches. The team, which plays in sky blue and white jerseys, is organised by the Argentine Rugby Union .Argentina played its first international rugby match in 1910 against a touring British...
, du Randt and his South African teammates found themselves in a rematch against defending champions England in the final. The favoured Springboks dethroned England 15–6 in a hard-fought final, with Os playing all 80 minutes which included one bullocking run in the first half. He joined Australia
Australia national rugby union team
The Australian national rugby union team is the representative side of Australia in rugby union. The national team is nicknamed the Wallabies and competes annually with New Zealand and South Africa in the Tri-Nations Series, in which they also contest the Bledisloe Cup with New Zealand and the...
ns Dan Crowley
Dan Crowley
Dan Crowley is an Australian rugby union footballer who played for the Wallabies 38 times and earned over 100 caps for the Queensland Reds during his rugby career...
, John Eales
John Eales
John Eales AM is an Australian former rugby union player and the most successful captain in the history of Australian rugby.-Early life:...
, Tim Horan
Tim Horan
Tim Horan AM is a former Australian rugby union footballer. He played for the Queensland Reds in the Super 12, and represented Australia, he was one of the best centres in the world throughout the 1990s due to his attacking prowess, formidable defence and playmaking ability.As well as inside...
, Phil Kearns
Phil Kearns
Philip Nicholas Kearns is a former Australian rugby union player. He represented Australia 67 times and was captain of on 10 occasions....
, and Jason Little
Jason Little (rugby player)
Jason Little was born 26 August 1970 in Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia. He won 75 caps with one as captain playing at centre for the Australian rugby union side between 1989 and 2000. He also won caps on the wing later in his career...
as the only players to play on two Rugby World Cup-winning teams.
Prior to the final, Os as the man of the match in the semi-final win against Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
was entrusted with bringing the Springbok mascot, Bokkie to the final. But Bokkie, the small, cuddly, toy springbok replica, failed to make it to the Stade de France on Saturday night as Os had forgot to pack it. Big Os, probably overcome with emotion at the thought of his last Test match for South Africa, forgot to pack the cuddly toy, much to the horror of his skipper,John Smit.
Du Randt was the last active member of the South African 1995 Rugby World Cup-winning squad and retired as South Africa's third most-capped player ever and most-capped forward. He missed the 2003 tournament through injury but his comeback to help lead the Springboks to the 2007 Rugby World Cup is a fairy tale achievement.
When interviewed, du Randt said "I would have to say that I never thought I would bow out in a World Cup final, when I called it a day in 2000. To begin with a world title and to finish with another would be a real accomplishment, a memory that I will cherish for ever. I dedicate this to my best friend, Alex."
When questioned about his teammate, fellow Springbok
South Africa national rugby union team
The South African national rugby union team are 2009 British and Irish Lions Series winners. They are currently ranked as the fourth best team in the IRB World Rankings and were named 2008 World Team of the Year at the prestigious Laureus World Sports Awards.Although South Africa was instrumental...
prop CJ van der Linde
CJ van der Linde
CJ van der Linde is a South African rugby union footballer. His usual position is prop. He played for Leinster Rugby in the international Magners League from 2008–10, and currently plays for the Stormers....
said "Os is a legend in South African rugby. Even little children know who he is. His name will be mentioned for many years still," Van der Linde said. We do not realise what impact he makes. One day, when he is old, we will know what great work he did for South Africa and what a leader he was."
Following the victory in the 2007 Rugby World Cup Final, Os announced his international retirement from the Springboks.
Du Randt returned to the sport for the 2009 Currie Cup
2009 Currie Cup Premier Division
-Round one:-Round One Summary:* The Boland Cavaliers held off the fast finishing Leopards to claim a 26-18 win in their Absa Currie Cup Premier Division match at Boland Stadium in Wellington on Friday 10 July....
season as a scrum coach for the Free State Cheetahs. In 2010, he took on the same position with the Springboks.