Steven Kitshoff reflects on career journey at memoir launch

Former Springbok prop Steven Kitshoff reflected on his athletic journey during the official launch of his memoir, Kitsie, at Rosebank Mall’s Exclusive Books on September 22.

In the book, Kitshoff charts his journey from schoolboy prodigy in the Western Cape to captaining the Stormers and winning back-to-back World Cups under Siya Kolisi’s leadership.

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The big man, nicknamed ‘Kitsie’ and ‘the Spicy Plum’, delves into the magic of the bomb squad strategy, his forced retirement due to a devastating neck injury, and finding purpose after rugby.

Kitshoff explained that the memoir was a way of sharing lessons from his rugby career. “It was a way to write my memories and stories to inspire the next person. The book would be a success if someone found something I have shared useful and applied it to their own lives,” he said.

He added that the sport was an amazing part of his life and journey, and putting all that in the book was a momentous way to bid farewell to his career, which he started in primary school as a loose forward.

“My principal asked for my position to change to the front row and said I would have a career one day. I did not want to be there. I wanted to be at the back of the scrum because I enjoyed the physicality, carrying the ball, and the rest became history,” he said.

From there, his career took him to the Stormers and eventually the Springboks, being part of the teams that won the 2019 and 2023 Rugby World Cups under Kolisi’s captaincy.

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His career would not have been successful without support, which came in the form of his family. “My parents have been supportive from day one of my career, and my dad has always stepped in when I attempted to step out of line. They came to every game. My dad tried to be present for every Springbok test match and all the big days I’ve had.”

The former professional rugby player noted that a momentous period in his career was between 2016 and 2017, when the Springboks were in trouble and their losing track record was sky-high.

It almost felt like there was no way to win back the South African fans.

“The turnaround was when we played in Cape Town and almost beat the All Blacks. It was a turning point in my career, because I saw and believed what the Springboks can do, especially the group I was in. From there having Rassie as our coach come on board and making us see the bigger picture helped because we had one goal as a team,” he said.

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Kitshoff highlighted that he would never forget sitting in the surgeon’s office, being told he would never play rugby again because it was not safe and his neck was not stable enough. A statement that took a mental toll on him.

“I had to process the news and ask myself critical questions about what is next and where would my pay cheque come from. Doing what I do now is a blessing, because I’m still involved in the game and love talking about it. Part of the book’s journey was sharing that wealth of knowledge I gained as a player.”

The memoir is available online and at Exclusive Books stores nationwide.

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