Loosehead Prop

2.  Os du Randt

 

Jacobus Petrus du Randt is a former South African rugby union player who retired as the most-capped forward in the history of the Springboks.  Many believe Os to be the finest loosehead prop of all time, Os du Randt (his Afrikaans nickname means Ox due to his big, muscular build)  is one of the greatest legends of Springbok rugby.  No one player epitomises SA rugby like the legendary Os - the only two time World Cup winner in Bok history.  Du Randt won a total of 80 Test Caps in a Springbok career that spanned a record 13 years.  

 

 He also had very good ball-handling skills for a prop, and his defence was solid.  A powerful scrummager with a remarkable work rate and a devastating defender, he made his Springbok debut at the age of 22, in 1994.  He was also a member of the Springbok squad that, historically captured the World Cup on home soil in 1995.  Du Randt remained a key member of the Bok side, starting in all three tests against the British & Irish Lions in 1997 - scoring a try in the opening match in Cape Town and helped SA win their first ever Tri Nations title in 1998.  After being sidelined from the game for three years from 2000-2003, he made an age defying return to form at the Cheetahs and was soon recalled to the Bok squad by coach Jake White in 2004.  He was a vital cog in the Bok’s revival that year, which saw them win their second Tri Nations title and be named IRB Team of the Year.  Du Randt traveled to France as the first choice loosehead for the 2007 WC and ended his career on the highest possible note after playing the full 80 minutes of SA’s 15-6 victory over England in the final.  “For me, the biggest thing about playing for the Boks was the constant realisation that I was blessed with the talent to live out the dream of so many South Africans,” says Du Randt. “That is what made it so special for me and I will be eternally grateful for the opportunity.”