Jannie du Plessis

Jan Nathaniel du Plessis (born 16 November 1982 in Bethlehem, Free State) is a former South African rugby union player, who played as a prop for in the French Top 14 and the Lions in Super Rugby. He played for the in the Currie Cup and the in Super Rugby until 2007, when he joined Durban-based side the , where he played until 2015. He won 70 caps for South Africa between 2007 and 2015.

Personal and early life Du Plessis showed promise as a rugby player early, being named as captain of the Eastern Free State age-group team at Craven Week in 1995. While he continued to advance in rugby, playing for Free State representative teams at under-18 and under-19 level, he never represented South Africa at junior level.

He studied medicine at the University of the Free State

Rugby career He eventually made the senior Free State Cheetahs side in 2003, and continued playing for the Cheetahs through the 2007 Currie Cup.

Du Plessis made his Super 14 debut in 2006 for the Cheetahs. Jannie was called up to replace BJ Botha after Botha blew out a knee against the USA in the Boks' final pool match.

A week after the Boks' victory over England in the Rugby World Cup final, Du Plessis was in the squad for another final – the 2007 Currie Cup final, in which the Cheetahs defeated the Golden Lions 20–18. Because of his late call-up to the World Cup squad, he was the only member of the World Cup winners to play in enough Currie Cup matches to qualify for the final (at least four are required). Du Plessis joined three members of the 1995 Rugby World Cup winners as the only players to earn World Cup and Currie Cup winners' medals in the same year.

Du Plessis had to use his medical skills unexpectedly in 2009. In the early morning hours of 29 March, Brumbies lock Shawn Mackay was hit by a car outside a Durban nightclub, suffering a paralysing injury. Du Plessis was at the scene because he was helping Brumbies players get back to their hotel after their match with the Sharks; he helped Mackay breathe and contacted emergency services, who stabilised him and rushed him to a hospital. However, Mackay died from complications of his injuries several days later.