Franco Mostert
Full names: Francois John
Date of birth: 27 Nov 1990
Place of birth: Welkom
School: Brits
Springbok no: 872
Springbok debut province: Lions
Physical: 1.98m, 103.0kg
Current age: 33
Test summary: Tests: 76 Tries: 3
First Test: 18 Jun 2016 Age 25 - Reserve against Ireland at Ellispark, Johannesburg
Last Test: 13 Jul 2024 Age 33 - Lock against Ireland at Kingspark, Durban
Test history:
DateAgePositionOpponentVenueResultScoreProvince
18 Jun 2016 25Reserve Ireland Ellispark, Johannesburg Win: 32-26  Lions
25 Jun 2016 25Reserve Ireland Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, Port Elizabeth Win: 19-13  Lions
10 Sep 2016 25Reserve Australia Suncorp Stadium (Lang Park), Brisbane Lose: 17-23  Lions
17 Sep 2016 25Reserve New Zealand AMI Stadium (Rugby League Park), Christchurch Lose: 13-41  Lions
12 Nov 2016 25Reserve England Twickenham, London Lose: 21-37  Ricoh
19 Nov 2016 25Reserve Italy Stadio Artemio Franchi, Florence Lose: 18-20  Ricoh
26 Nov 2016 25Reserve Wales Millenium Stadium (Cardiff Arms Park), Cardiff Lose: 13-27  Ricoh
10 Jun 2017 26Lock France Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria Win: 37-14  Lions
17 Jun 2017 26Lock France Kingspark, Durban Win: 37-15  Lions
24 Jun 2017 26Lock France Ellispark, Johannesburg Win: 35-12  Lions
19 Aug 2017 26Lock Argentina Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, Port Elizabeth Win: 37-15  Lions
26 Aug 2017 26Lock Argentina Estadio Padre Ernesto Martearena, Salta Win: 41-23  Lions
16 Sep 2017 26Lock New Zealand North Harbour Stadium, North Shore City Lose: 0-57  Lions
30 Sep 2017 26Lock Australia Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein Draw: 27-27  Lions
07 Oct 2017 26Reserve New Zealand Newlands, Cape Town Lose: 24-25  Lions
11 Nov 2017 26Reserve Ireland Aviva Stadium (Lansdowne Road), Dublin Lose: 3-38  Lions
18 Nov 2017 26Reserve France Stade de France, Paris Win: 18-17  Lions
25 Nov 2017 26Reserve Italy Stadio Euganeo, Padua Win: 35-61 try Lions
09 Jun 2018 27Lock England Ellispark, Johannesburg Win: 42-39  Lions
16 Jun 2018 27Lock England Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein Win: 23-12  Lions
23 Jun 2018 27Lock England Newlands, Cape Town Lose: 10-25  Lions
25 Aug 2018 27Lock Argentina Estadio Malvinas Argentinas, Mendoza Lose: 19-32  Lions
08 Sep 2018 27Lock Australia Suncorp Stadium (Lang Park), Brisbane Lose: 18-23  Lions
15 Sep 2018 27Lock New Zealand Wellington Regional Stadium, Wellington Win: 36-34  Lions
29 Sep 2018 27Lock Australia Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, Port Elizabeth Win: 23-12  Lions
06 Oct 2018 27Lock New Zealand Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria Lose: 30-32  Lions
10 Nov 2018 27Lock France Stade de France, Paris Win: 29-26  Lions
17 Nov 2018 27Lock Scotland Murrayfield, Edinburgh Win: 26-20  Lions
24 Nov 2018 27Lock Wales Millenium Stadium (Cardiff Arms Park), Cardiff Lose: 11-20  Lions
27 Jul 2019 28Lock New Zealand Wellington Regional Stadium, Wellington Draw: 16-16  Gloucester
10 Aug 2019 28Lock Argentina Estadio Padre Ernesto Martearena, Salta Win: 46-13  Gloucester
06 Sep 2019 28Lock Japan Kumagaya Rugby Stadium, Saitama Win: 41-7  Gloucester
21 Sep 2019 28Lock New Zealand International Stadium Yokohama, Yokohama Lose: 13-23  Gloucester
28 Sep 2019 28Reserve Namibia Toyota Stadium, Aichi Win: 57-3  Gloucester
04 Oct 2019 28Reserve Italy Shizuoka Stadium, Fukuroi Win: 49-3  Gloucester
08 Oct 2019 28Lock Canada Noevir Stadium, Kobe Win: 66-7  Gloucester
20 Oct 2019 28Reserve Japan Tokyo Stadium, Chofu, Tokyo Win: 26-3  Gloucester
27 Oct 2019 28Reserve Wales International Stadium Yokohama, Yokohama Win: 19-16  Gloucester
02 Nov 2019 28Reserve England International Stadium Yokohama, Yokohama Win: 32-12  Gloucester
02 Jul 2021 30Lock Georgia Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria Win: 40-9  Honda
24 Jul 2021 30Lock Britain Cape Town Stadium, Cape Town Lose: 17-22  Honda
31 Jul 2021 30Lock Britain Cape Town Stadium, Cape Town Win: 27-9  Honda
07 Aug 2021 30Flank Britain Cape Town Stadium, Cape Town Win: 19-16  Honda
21 Aug 2021 30Flank Argentina Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, Port Elizabeth Win: 29-10  Honda
12 Sep 2021 30Flank Australia Robina Stadium, Gold Coast Lose: 26-28  Honda
18 Sep 2021 30Flank Australia Suncorp Stadium (Lang Park), Brisbane Lose: 17-30  Honda
25 Sep 2021 30Reserve New Zealand North Queensland Stadium, Townsville Lose: 17-19  Honda
02 Oct 2021 30Reserve New Zealand Robina Stadium, Gold Coast Win: 31-29  Honda
06 Nov 2021 30Reserve Wales Millenium Stadium (Cardiff Arms Park), Cardiff Win: 23-18  Honda
13 Nov 2021 30Lock Scotland Murrayfield, Edinburgh Win: 30-15  Honda
20 Nov 2021 30Reserve England Twickenham, London Lose: 26-27  Honda
02 Jul 2022 31Flank Wales Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria Win: 32-29  Honda
16 Jul 2022 31Reserve Wales Cape Town Stadium, Cape Town Win: 30-14  Honda
06 Aug 2022 31Reserve New Zealand Mbombela Stadium, Nelspruit Win: 26-10  Honda
13 Aug 2022 31Reserve New Zealand Ellispark, Johannesburg Lose: 23-35  Honda
27 Aug 2022 31Reserve Australia Adelaide Oval, Adelaide Lose: 17-25  Honda
03 Sep 2022 31Flank Australia Sydney Football Stadium (Aussie stadium), Sydney Win: 24-81 try Honda
17 Sep 2022 31Flank Argentina Estadio Libertadores de America, Buenos Aires Win: 36-20  Honda
24 Sep 2022 31Reserve Argentina Kingspark, Durban Win: 38-21  Honda
05 Nov 2022 31Reserve Ireland Aviva Stadium (Lansdowne Road), Dublin Lose: 16-191 try Honda
12 Nov 2022 31Lock France Stade Velodrome, Marseilles Lose: 26-30  Honda
19 Nov 2022 31Flank Italy Luigi Ferraris Stadium, Genoa Win: 63-21  Honda
26 Nov 2022 31Flank England Twickenham, London Win: 27-13  Honda
15 Jul 2023 32Flank New Zealand Mount Smart Stadium, Auckland Lose: 20-35  Honda
05 Aug 2023 32Flank Argentina Velez Sarsfield Stadium, Buenos Aires Win: 24-13  Honda
19 Aug 2023 32Reserve Wales Millenium Stadium (Cardiff Arms Park), Cardiff Win: 52-16  Honda
25 Aug 2023 32Lock New Zealand Twickenham, London Win: 35-7  Honda
10 Sep 2023 32Lock Scotland Stade Velodrome, Marseilles Win: 18-3  Honda
23 Sep 2023 32Lock Ireland Stade de France, Paris Lose: 8-13  Honda
01 Oct 2023 32Reserve Tonga Stade Velodrome, Marseilles Win: 49-18  Honda
15 Oct 2023 32Lock France Stade de France, Paris Win: 29-28  Honda
21 Oct 2023 32Lock England Stade de France, Paris Win: 16-15  Honda
28 Oct 2023 32Lock New Zealand Stade de France, Paris Win: 12-11  Honda
22 Jun 2024 33Lock Wales Twickenham, London Win: 41-13  Honda
06 Jul 2024 33Lock Ireland Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria Win: 27-20  Honda
13 Jul 2024 33Lock Ireland Kingspark, Durban Lose: 24-25  Honda

INSIDER: Franco Mostert: Brenden Nel

It isn’t hard to miss Franco Mostert in a game.

He isn’t flashy. But there are few players worldwide that possess the work ethic and workrate that he does, who consistently produces exceptional performances, but also goes under the radar when it comes to accolades.

Much like Danie Rossouw, who was the backbone of the 2007 World Cup side and an unsung hero in a team full of them, Mostert has carved out a reputation for being a workhorse, a player teams can’t do without. Ask any coach who has coached him before and they will tell you, there are few players who come close.

But his story is often one that doesn’t see the limelight. Where several of his team-mates win man-of-the-match awards, get written up by local and foreign media and find their way into teams across the world, Mostert just carries on. He knows only one way, and that is to put his head down and grind.

TACKLE COUNT
A perfect example of this was against the British and Irish Lions. While his colleague Eben Etzebeth became a focus of the media, Mostert simply carried his weight and did his job. Not surprisingly to those who watch closely but by the end of the test series Mostert had racked up a massive 42 tackles in the tests, Etzebeth 26. To make it more impressive was that he didn’t play 80 minutes of every game in the series either.

But it is just another example of a player who had to overcome adversity, fight his way for every place in every team and took the long, hard road to the top.

It may surprise you that Mostert was never a Craven Week player, never excelled for the top schools and spent his time in Brits, having been born in Welkom. He actually doubted becoming a rugby player when he was younger, and had to choose in high school between golf and rugby.

His father Francois, played for Free State and his older brother JP was the Craven Week captain for North West and later the captain for the Valke. So despite the love for golf perhaps it never really was a choice after all. Saying that, Mostert still loves the golf course, playing off a 3 handicap and spends much of his free time chasing the tiny ball around.

SKINNY LAD
His break came when Werner de Beer, one of the Bulls scouts, asked him to come for a trial at Tuks, where Nollis Marais was coaching.

“He came from Brits and Werner said he had potential. He was a skinny lad but we let him play in a trial match against the under-21 side and immediately it showed that he had an amazing work-rate. I could see this guy would develop into a real good player,” Marais told SuperSport.

Mostert made his mark in the Varsity Cup for Tuks, scoring a try in the 2012 final by showing pace. Clayton Blommetjies took an up and under on attack and offloaded to a flying Mostert, whose try under the posts capped an exceptional win for Tuks over their old foes Maties.

“Franco was the heart and soul of that match. The speed he showed in outsprinting the Maties defence won the game for us. He was such an influential player, and always lead from the front. He was always the guy to ignite the fire. If someone had to go hard, Sous was that guy. You can always bargain on him playing 80 minutes.”

TRANSFER LIST
Strangely though, after moving up to the Bulls under-21 side, Mostert was put on the transfer list by then high-performance manager Xander Janse van Rensburg, along with several others that would go on to make their name at the Lions and beyond.

Lions coach Johan Ackermann had just taken over, and when he was scouting for players, couldn’t believe his luck when he saw Mostert’s name on the transfer list. He immediately snapped him up.

“He stood out immediately when I saw him play for Tuks,” Ackermann told Supersport.com, “He was this player that never seemed to give up. When I saw his name on the Bulls list, I told my CEO I can’t believe they’re letting this guy go.

“I realised after working with him how hungry he is to succeed and how hard work was everything to him.”

CAR ACCIDENT
But just as his career was starting at the Lions, disaster struck. Mostert was involved in a car accident and broke his hip bone. The doctor told him he may not play rugby again and his life crashed in a single moment.

“It was a bit tough for me, at the beginning of the year we played the Lions challenge and I got the weekend off and went home to North West. I got into a car accident and broke my hip. I was out for 9 months. It was tough because we were back in Super Rugby in 2014, and I had to work very hard to get back in time to play,” Mostert explains.

At first he didn’t think he was injured, but the day after the accident he couldn’t stand up. His father Francois immediately rushed him to hospital.

“The doctor told my father i had to have immediate surgery my father looked at him asked is he going to play rugby again. The doctor looked at him and said no. There were lots of tears running down my face and I believed all my dreams were running away,” he said.

The Lions coaches brought in a specialist, and transferred Mostert to Fourways hospital, where it was decided they wouldn’t operate but that he would have to lay in traction.

“I had tears of joy, especially when you think someone told you you were finished with rugby. I can’t describe what goes through your hear. I knew it would be a hard road to come back and learn to walk again. It was hard and it took me six months to sit up straight again.”

DETERMINED
When Mostert returned he ran with a limp, but slowly worked his way back into the side and never looked back. He eventually won his first Springbok cap in 2016, coming on as a reserve against Ireland in a 32-26 victory.

“One of the things that sets him apart is his drive. In 2015, I dropped him for a game and I could see he wasn’t happy. He wanted to talk to me about it but he didn’t seem to know how. When he got the chance again he made a point and proved me wrong, showed that hunger again and easily got his place back in the team,” his then-Lions coach Ackermann recalls.

“I wasn’t surprised when he became a Springbok and since then he has been indispensable to the national team.”

Another setback hit Mostert’s family when his older brother JP was heading to a bachelor party with a friend, who was driving, and had a car accident, breaking his neck and being paralysed from the waist down. Mostert took it hard and became even more determined to play his heart out, for his brother and family.

PLAYING FOR JP
“I’m playing for him now,” he told Huisgenoot in an article shortly after JP’s car accident.

“His brother’s accident had a massive effect on him,” Ackermann recalls. “The fact that JP fights as well to try and walk again, it seems that the fight is in the Mosterts’ genes. They can’t give up. France hasn’t got a scared hair on his body. Every time we were behind and got back into the changeroom, he was always the most positive guy.”

“It’s something amazing to see, to see a player so passionate about his game, and his family and how they have handled all the setbacks. To handle that and deliver consistently impressive performances says a lot about him.”

Ackermann recalls that one unique feature about Mostert, is the way he prepares for a game. While other players do individual warm-ups before a match before the team runs its lines out on the field, Mostert was always the last player to get onto the field.

“He would literally sit until a minute before the conditioning coach called the team together to run their warm-ups. I was amazed. I would see him sitting peacefully in the changeroom, doing his strapping, but I never saw him stretch. I’ve never seen players that can go out without stretching and simply play like that,” Ackermann said.

“He’s a great guy. I don’t think there is a player that doesn’t have respect for him and love for what he means for every team he plays in.”

HIGH PRAISE
This sentiment was echoed by both Marais and Ackermann’s assistant coach and later Lions coach Swys de Bruin.

“He is a hard-working guy. Everytime he plays he gives everything he has got. He is never injured. You know every week when you pick a side you pick him first. He plays for 80 minutes, he never gives up,” Marais said.

“The tougher it goes, the tougher he gets. He can soak up pressure and apply it like nobody else. He’s got quite an engine, he never stops.”

“A forward leader, a grinder. The guys respect him so much,” says his former Lions coach Swys de Bruin.

“Sous is unreal. We love him. He is so inspiring. If we have to pick characters for our movie one day, he will be one of the main characters.”

And while many others may get the limelight, you can bet there isn’t a coach whose team Mostert is in, that isn’t thankful he sets the bar so high. And has so much fight in him.