Marius Joubert was one of the original ‘poster boys’ for the Springboks, with the athletic blonde centre having become an integral member of the national team from 2002 to 2005.
His progression to Springbok stardom came via a rather unconventional route as he began his senior career with the Boland Cavaliers before a career-changing move to the Stormers and Western Province in 2002.
Over the course of five seasons with the Cape side, he scored 11 tries and established a memorable partnership with De Wet Barry in midfield, which was the bedrock for the Stormers’ backline success during that period.
That superb combination, with Joubert’s dynamism complementing Barry’s abrasive style, would also be translated onto the Test stage as the duo went on to establish a Springbok record midfield partnership before being overtaken by Jean de Villiers and Jaque Fourie.
In the early-to-mid 2000s, the 30-capped Joubert and Barry started 18 Tests as a centre pairing for the Springboks, and were part of the national team that won the Tri-Nations in 2004.
Joubert went down in the annals of South African rugby folklore when he scored a hat-trick of tries against the All Blacks in a 2004 Tri-Nations match in Johannesburg, which was also the year the Springboks won the tournament.
At that time, he also became only the second Springbok in history (after Ray Mordt in 1981) to achieve the feat of scoring a hat-trick against the All Blacks.
Unfortunately he would only play one more season for the Springboks, with his international career sadly coming to an end at the age of just 25, with injuries having also plagued the dynamic midfielder at various stages during his playing days.
Joubert parted ways with the Stormers for the Cheetahs in 2006, before hanging up his boots at the end of the 2012/13 season after stints with French Top 14 club Clermont Auvergne and the Sharks.
Where is former Springbok Marius Joubert now?
Joubert initially transitioned into coaching post-retirement, serving as backline and skills coach at Hoërskool Durbanville and Stellenberg High School.
In a recent interview, the 45-year-old explained what he is doing now after moving into the business world.
“I’m involved in a container business, we sell containers, rent them out and do conversions. And I’ve got an industrial surface protection and control business.”
WHAT ARE YOUR FONDEST MEMORIES FROM HIS CAREER?
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