Concussion forces rugby star into retirement

The Cheetahs have verified media rumours that veteran Robert Ebersohn has retired due to the impact of a concussion.

On medical advice, the 34-year-old opted to call it a day.

CONCUSSION FORCES RUGBY STAR TO RETIRE

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On 6 October 2023, he sustained a concussion while playing for the Cheetahs against Australia’s Western Force in a pre-season encounter.

It ends an extraordinary career that comprised 110 Cheetahs caps, 150-odd games for French teams Montpellier and Castres, and 12 tournaments for the national Sevens squad, the BlitzBoks.

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Ebersohn participated in his 100th match with the Cheetahs on 5 May of this year, and he went on to play in 10 more before retiring after a great rugby career.

Ebersohn joined the Cheetahs immediately after high school and made his debut against the Blue Bulls at Loftus Versfeld in 2008 at the age of 19.

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“I still remember my first game,” Ebersohn said.

“Meyer Bosman went off the field for blood, and I came on for five minutes.”

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He captained the South African Under-20 team and played 10 matches for the Junior Springboks in 2008 and 2009.

Between 2008 to 2012, he was a member of the highly successful BlitzBoks squad.

A BETTER WAY

Ebersohn recounts his last encounter in France, which took place on 14 May 2021 for Béziers versus Nevers in the French PRO D2 league.

“We played in Nevers which is about 260 kilometres southeast of Paris.

“I played in front of a packed Nevers stadium with no one in the crowd who knew who I was. My wife and two kids were at home and couldn’t see me play.

“Because I only joined Béziers eight months before, I didn’t know a lot of the players and didn’t have enough time to make friends.

“There were two other South Africans in the team with whom I enjoyed a beer after the game and that was it.

“I prayed to God and said to Him that if this was my last game, I would accept it, but if it was His will, I asked for the opportunity to finish my rugby career in a better way.

“In August 2021 I joined my beloved Cheetahs again.

“I had the opportunity to play in front of the supporters who saw me grow up, and people who knew me and supported me in the good times and bad times. I could play in front of my family. My wife and two kids, my mother and father and my brother and sister.

“My twin brother watched me run onto the field in my 100th game in Bloemfontein and my sister was in the stadium when we played against the Bulls in Pretoria, just as she watched me play in my last Currie Cup game in 2008, 15 years ago.

“In two years I made new friends. Teammates who I care for. If you care about your teammates and they care about you, you can only play better. And for this, I’m truly grateful.

“I started playing rugby with my brother and our friends in the garden, and I ended my professional career playing with friends.

“I want to thank my wife, Mariza who set her career and life aside to allow me my dream to be a professional rugby player.”