Cobus Visagie
Birth nameIzak Jacobus Visagie
Date of birth (1973-10-31) 31 October 1973 (age 50)
Place of birthStellenbosch, Western Cape, South Africa
Height1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)
Weight118 kg (260 lb)
SchoolPaul Roos Gymnasium, Stellenbosch
UniversityStellenbosch University
Rugby union career
Position(s) Tighthead prop
Senior career
Years Team Apps (Points)
2003–2009 Saracens 121 (0)
Provincial / State sides
Years Team Apps (Points)
1997–2003 Western Province 42 ()
Super Rugby
Years Team Apps (Points)
1998–2003 Stormers 46 (5)
International career
Years Team Apps (Points)
1999–2003 South Africa 29 (0)

Cobus Visagie (born 31 October 1973) is a South African former rugby union footballer who played at tighthead prop.[1][2]

Early life

Visagie attended the Paul Roos Gymnasium in Stellenbosch and then studied Auditing and Accounting at Stellenbosch University, where he also played for Maties (Stellenbosch University) and Western Province Rugby representing the under–20 and under–21 teams.

Visagie finished his Bachelor of Commerce, majoring in Accounting and Audit at Stellenbosch University in 1996.[3] He worked seven years for PricewaterhouseCoopers as a Chartered Accountant, whilst playing professional rugby.[4]

Playing career

Visagie made his provincial rugby debut for Western Province in 1997 and continued to represent the union as well as the Super Rugby team, the Stormers until 2003.

Visagie won three Currie Cups with Western Province Rugby, the last in 2001 with a home win (at Newlands, Cape Town) over the Natal Sharks. He also earned 46 Super 12 caps with the Stormers.[5] He earned 29 caps for his country and was part of the Springbok team that reached the 1999 Rugby World Cup Semi Final. He was selected to the team of the tournament with fellow Springbok frontrow Os du Randt.

Visagie moved to the United Kingdom to play for the English Premiership club Saracens after being passed over for the 2003 World Cup Springbok squad.[6] He played 121 games for Saracens and was voted into the Guinness Premiership team of the season for three consecutive years. He also represented the Barbarians (8 caps), World XV (3 caps) and the Southern Hemisphere XV that played in the Tsunami Relief game at Twickenham, before retiring from professional rugby in May 2009.[7][8]

Test history

No. Opposition Result (SA 1st) Position Tries Date Venue
1.  Italy 74–3 Tighthead prop 12 Jun 1999 Boet Erasmus Stadium, Port Elizabeth
2.  Wales 19–29 Tighthead prop 26 Jun 1998 Millennium Stadium, Cardiff
3.  New Zealand 0–28 Tighthead prop 10 Jul 1999 Carisbrook, Dunedin
4.  Australia 6–32 Tighthead prop 17 Jul 1999 Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane
5.  New Zealand 18–34 Tighthead prop 7 Aug 1999 Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria
6.  Australia 10–9 Tighthead prop 14 Aug 1999 Newlands, Cape Town
7.  Scotland 46–29 Tighthead prop 3 Oct 1999 Murrayfield, Edinburgh
8.  Uruguay 39–3 Tighthead prop 15 Oct 1999 Hampden Park, Glasgow
9.  England 44–21 Tighthead prop 24 Oct 1999 Stade de France, Paris
10.  Australia 21–27 Tighthead prop 30 Oct 1999 Twickenham, London
11.  New Zealand 22–18 Tighthead prop 4 Nov 1999 Millennium Stadium, Cardiff
12.  Canada 51–18 Tighthead prop 10 Jun 2000 Basil Kenyon Stadium, East London
13.  England 22–27 Tighthead prop 24 Jun 2000 Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein
14.  Australia 23–44 Tighthead prop 8 Jul 2000 Colonial Stadium, Melbourne
15.  New Zealand 12–25 Tighthead prop 22 Jul 2000 Jade Stadium, Christchurch
16.  Australia 6–26 Tighthead prop 29 Jul 2000 Stadium Australia, Sydney
17.  New Zealand 46–40 Tighthead prop 19 Aug 2000 Ellis Park, Johannesburg
18.  Australia 18–19 Tighthead prop 26 Aug 2000 Kings Park, Durban
19.  New Zealand 3–12 Tighthead prop 21 Jul 2001 Newlands, Cape Town
20.  Australia 20–15 Tighthead prop 28 Jul 2001 Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria
21.  Australia 14–14 Tighthead prop 18 Aug 2001 Subiaco Oval, Perth
22.  New Zealand 15–26 Tighthead prop 25 Aug 2001 Eden Park, Auckland
23.  France 10–20 Tighthead prop 10 Nov 2001 Stade de France, Paris
24.  Italy 54–26 Substitute 17 Nov 2001 Stadio Marassi, Genova
25.  England 9–29 Substitute 24 Nov 2001 Twickenham, London
26.  United States 43–20 Tighthead prop 1 Dec 2001 Robertson Stadium, Houston
27.  Scotland 29–25 Substitute 7 Jun 2003 Kings Park, Durban
28.  Scotland 28–19 Substitute 14 Jun 2003 Ellis Park, Johannesburg
29.  Argentina 26–25 Tighthead prop 28 Jun 2003 Boet Erasmus Stadium, Port Elizabeth

Later career

Visagie joined Premier Team Holdings Limited as Commercial Director of the Group of four companies based in the United Kingdom. In 2011, he was appointed Principal for Africa at Templewood Merchant Bank.[4] The following year, he co-founded Africa Merchant Capital, based in London to focus exclusively on corporate finance advisory, private equity deal origination and syndication in Sub-Saharan Africa.[9]

Accolades

Visagie was one of the five South African Rugby players of the Year for 1999, along with Breyton Paulse, Joost van der Westhuizen, Hennie le Roux and the eventual winner of Player of the Year, Andre Venter.[10]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Izak Jacobus Visagie". ESPN scrum. Retrieved 20 July 2020.
  2. ^ "Cobus VISAGIE - International rugby matches. - South Africa". Sporting Heroes. Retrieved 20 July 2020.
  3. ^ Van der Merwe, Floris (2007). Matieland is rugbyland, 1980-2006. Stellenbosch: SUN Press. pp. 181–182. ISBN 9781920109790. OCLC 190836768.
  4. ^ a b Team, The Editorial (8 July 2019). "Exclusive Interview: Cobus Visagie, Chief Executive Officer, Africa Merchant Capital Limited". Retrieved 21 July 2020.
  5. ^ "Cobus VISAGIE - Player statistics - It's rugby". www.itsrugby.co.uk. Retrieved 20 July 2020.
  6. ^ "Saracens sign Cobus Visagie". Premiership Rugby. Retrieved 21 July 2020.
  7. ^ "Gregan and Co make serious point". The Independent. 6 March 2005. Retrieved 22 July 2020.
  8. ^ "Cobus Visagie to hang up his boots". Premiership Rugby. Retrieved 22 July 2020.
  9. ^ "Big-tackling ex-Springbok rugby player Cobus Visagie starts Africa fund". African Business Central. Retrieved 22 July 2020.
  10. ^ Colquhoun, Andy (2001). The South African Rugby Annual 2001. Cape Town: SARFU & MWP Media Sport. p. 41. ISBN 0958423180.

External links

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South Africa squad – 1999 Rugby World Cup third place
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