Corné Krige is undoubtedly one of the most memorable players to have ever laced up his boots for the Springboks.
Born in Zambia, but schooled at Paarl Boys in the Western Cape, he quickly made a name for himself as a hard-as-nails flanker who came through the ranks with Western Province and the Stormers – where he played the vast majority of his domestic career – on his way to becoming a cult hero for the Cape side.
As fate would have it, Krige served as captain in his first game for the Springboks, which came in a 101-0 win over Italy after he had recovered from career-threatening injuries.
Unfortunately, another serious knee injury ruled him out of the 1999 Rugby World Cup in Wales, but in the years to follow he would become a mainstay in the national team.
Overall, Krige appeared in 39 Tests for South Africa and became the full-time captain in 2002, ultimately leading the team on 18 occasions before his international retirement in January 2004.
Never one to shy away from the rough stuff, Krige became renowned as one of the most fearless and ferocious players to ever feature for the Springboks, although he did – even self-admittedly – cross the lines at times.
Krige finished his domestic career in the English Premiership with the Northampton Saints, although he would only feature for one season before heading into retirement.
Where is former Springbok ‘hard man’ Corné Krige now?
Krige is now 49-years-old, and initially pursued a number of successful business ventures with former teammates.
He now successfully runs an outdoor advertising company called CK Advertising. Together with his wife, Justine, the team run a promotional branding company which specialises in bespoke and sustainable corporate gifting solutions.
“The transition from rugby to entrepreneur was by far the most difficult thing I have ever done,” he wrote in one of his blog posts. “Going from Hero to Zero in a couple of weeks and going from a healthy salary to no guaranteed income was incredibly difficult.
“In my leadership talks I often talk about the most difficult person to lead. I have no doubt that the most difficult person to lead is the one you look at in the mirror every morning. If you can manage to lead that one all the rest are very easy to lead.
“I was captain of most of the teams I played for so I was used to having a team of people with different skill sets. Suddenly I had my own company with no staff and I had to lead myself.
“The definition of discipline is doing the right thing at the right time even when you don’t feel like doing it. Boy did I have to remind myself of that phrase many times over the first year before I appointed my first staff member who was my receptionist.
“I always realised that I needed to build a team if I wanted to grow the business, but I also needed more business to grow my team. I learned many incredible lessons in those early years and I am still learning.”
Krige is also a popular keynote speaker and takes part in various motivational and fundraiser events.
WHAT ARE YOUR FONDEST MEMORIES FROM HIS CAREER?
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