Fourie du Preez: always committed to the cause

SCRUMHALF Fourie du Preez’s retirement from rugby this week was perfectly timed in keeping with his nature — understated yet decisive.

“I played my last match in late January and knew I wanted to retire, but I gave myself a few weeks to think about it,” Du Preez told the Sunday Times.

“I was confident I was finished, but wanted to be 100% sure that I won’t come out of retirement in a few months time.”

Du Preez has never been about flash. On the field, the 34year-old made considered decisions and generally executed them to perfection, even when those decisions only took microseconds to compute.

Allied to a great rugby brain was a wonderful athlete with supreme skills. Du Preez’s speed to the breakdown, a su- perb pass off both hands, underestimated defensive steel and a great kicking game made him special.

Any conversation about the greatest Springbok scrumhalf will now include Du Preez alongside Danie Craven and Joost van der Westhuizen.

During the course of his 15year first-class career from Vodacom Cup to tests, no opponent escaped Du Preez’s brilliance. Some suffered more than others.

Wales were regularly quashed under Du Preez’s mastery, most recently at Rugby World Cup 2015. Late in the quarterfinal Du Preez made a bold call for No 8 Duane Vermeulen to break blind from a scrum close to Wales’ line. Du Preez rounded off the move to score the match-winning try, which carried the Boks to the semifinal.

Du Preez is a born winner. He played in 76 tests and was on the winning team 72% of the time. With the Springboks he won the 2007 World Cup, two Tri-Nations (2005 and 2009) and the 2009 British & Irish Lions series.

At the Bulls he earned three Super Rugby titles and three Currie Cup winners’ medals. He also won two Japanese League titles with Suntory Sun Goliath. He was named SA Rugby Player of the Year twice — in 2006 and 2009.

In 13 matches against the All Blacks, who are the gold standard of rugby greatness, Du Preez was on the winning side seven times in 13 clashes (54%). In the past 25 years, only Wallaby legends John Eales and Phil Kearns (55%) had a higher winning percentage against the All Blacks in 10 or more meetings.

So how do you isolate the highs of a career that was Himalayan in scale?

“It’s tough to single out highs because winning a tournament wasn’t necessarily a standout moment,” Du Preez says.

“What I look back on with pride is starting out with the Bulls when we were at rock bottom. The previous team had just lost all its games in Super Rugby and then being part of a squad that stayed together for the better part of 10 years, winning lots of titles along the way, makes me proud.

“Similarly at the Springboks, starting in 2004 at a difficult time and building a team that went on to do some special things was satisfying.”

After some thought, Du Preez singled out RWC 2015, when he became Springbok captain No 56 and led them four times, as perhaps the greatest honour of his illustrious career.

“RWC 2015 was very special because it was also very tough (The Boks lost their opening game 34-32 to Japan),” Du Preez says. “Captaining the Springboks was a great honour but it also came at the most difficult time in my experience as a Bok.

“The pressure on the team was huge. I was amazed at how the players responded. I was also very happy with the way I responded to the challenge. From where we were after losing to Japan, and coming so close in the semifinal against the All Blacks was a remarkable turnaround, which people outside possibly don't fully appreciate.”

Du Preez’s final summation of his playing career is the most telling.

“I felt pressure in the beginning but later I was more confident, knowing what I brought to a team,” Du Preez says. “It didn’t matter whether I started or not because I believed I was good enough.

“Being consistent when I played is what I’m most proud of, whether it was in front of 2 000 people in Japan or 80 000 fans at the Stade de France to win the World Cup.

“I played with full focus and commitment regardless of the match or the competition.” PLAUDITS: Fourie du Preez is congratulated by Bryan Habana after scoring the winning try during last year’s World Cup quarterfinal against Wales

Building a team that went on to do some special things was satisfying It didn’t matter whether I started because I believed I was good enough