Rugby player Steven Kitshoff speaks about life after retirement — TimesLIVE

Former South Africa rugby union prop Steven Kitshoff said during a tour to promote his autobiography in Johannesburg, South Africa, that he has become more at ease about the future since ending his career. As TimesLIVE reports, the rugby player had long worried about his family’s financial situation after leaving the sport.

Kitshoff’s career was ended by a serious neck injury he sustained during a Currie Cup match in Kimberley in 2024. He finished the match, although he immediately felt that something was wrong. After an examination, the athlete was told that he would no longer be able to continue playing.

Plans beyond sport

Kitshoff noted that while still playing rugby, he feared repeating the stories of athletes who were left without money or lost their savings after retiring. He said he had sleepless nights thinking about how to provide for his family and parents.

Even before his forced retirement, he began developing projects outside sport. His interests include microloans for salaried employees and the Bomb Squad brand, which Kitshoff launched together with hooker Malcolm Marx. The brand started with beer and later expanded to Pick ’n Pay meat products and merchandise through Pro Shop and Mr Price Sport.

More current news is available on the UA.News Telegram channel Telegram.

The former rugby player also works for SuperSport, speaks at public events and is involved in projects in the beer sector. He said that he now sleeps better because he understands how he sees his own future.

The book as the end of a stage

In the biography Kitsie: Memoir of a Bomb-Squad Bok, Kitshoff described how he experienced the end of his sporting career. He admitted that he misses the team environment, preparations for major tournaments, training camps and trips with teammates most of all, but does not miss the physical strain and pain after matches.

Author Michael Vlismas worked on the book. Kitshoff was initially not fully convinced of the need for a memoir, but later decided it would allow him to pass on the lessons he learned in rugby. He called work on the book a therapeutic process that helped him close an important stage of life and focus on plans for the next 10–15 years.