Casper Steyn (born 13 September 1973) is a South African former professional rugby union player.[1]
| Date of birth | 11 September 1973 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Place of birth | Vanderbijlpark, South Africa | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 186 cm (6 ft 1 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 94 kg (207 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Biography
editBorn in Vanderbijlpark, Steyn was a versatile goal-kicking back and spent much of his career playing for the Blue Bulls, often remembered for his performance against the 1997 British Lions. He contributed 20 of his team's 35 points, kicking three conversions and three penalties, to go with one try, making Northern Transvaal (as they were them known) the first South African province to beat the Lions in the professional era. A prolific scorer for the Blue Bulls, Steyn amassed 854 points from 59 matches, including a team record 252 points in the 1999 Currie Cup.[2]
Steyn played his rugby in Italy with Viadana from 2001 to 2005 and later returned to serve as head coach.[3] He competed briefly for the Pumas in the Currie Cup, before being forced into retirement in 2006 due to a serious neck injury.[4][5]
In 2010, Steyn survived a near fatal car accident close to his home in Centurion, suffering cranial damage after being flung from his vehicle.[6] He ended up in a coma, from which his family was advised there was only a 10 percent chance he would wake.[7] Able to recover, Steyn had five metal plates inserted to his face as part of his reconstructive surgery.[8]
References
edit- ^ Heenop, Albert (8 December 2019). "Wie kan skop? Toe verskyn Loftus se Spook". Netwerk24 (in Afrikaans).
- ^ "The day Bulls wing Casper Steyn upstaged the British & Irish Lions". News24. 16 September 2020.
- ^ "Viadana riabbraccia Steyn: «Con i giovani ci divertiremo»". Gazzetta di Mantova (in Italian). 30 July 2015.
- ^ "Steyn stars for Pumas". News24. 18 February 2006.
- ^ "Casper Steyn forced to quit rugby". Independent Online. 2 August 2006.
- ^ "Former Bulls player fighting for his life". Independent Online. 20 October 2010.
- ^ "Casper Steyn out of coma after horrific car accident". Arrive Alive. 5 November 2010.
- ^ "Loftus 'ghost' fully recovered". News24. 17 October 2011.