Cheetahs legend calls it a day after concussion setback

NEWS: The Cheetahs confirmed media reports that stalwart Robert Ebersohn has hung up his boots.

The 34-year-old decided to call it a day on medical advice.

He played his last match for the Cheetahs against Australia's Western Force in a pre-season match on October 6, during which he suffered a concussion.

It has brought to an end an illustrious career that included 110 caps for the Cheetahs, 150-odd games for French clubs Montpellier and Castres, as well as 12 tournaments for the national Sevens team, the BlitzBoks.

On May 5 this year, Ebersohn played in his 100th match for the Cheetahs and continued to play in 10 more matches before he decided to hang up his boots after a successful career.

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

"I still remember my first game," Ebersohn said.

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

He was the captain of the South African Under-20 side and represented the Junior Springboks in 10 matches in 2008 and 2009.

He played for the BlitzBoks between 2008 and 2012.

Ebersohn recalls his experience of his last match in France on 14 May 2021, when he played for Béziers against Nevers in the French PRO D2 competition.

"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."