Fourie du Preez is widely regarded as the best scrumhalf in the world and one of the best players currently in world rugby. As the understudy of legendary Springbok and Bulls No 9 Joost van der Westhuizen, Du Preez was groomed for greatness from a very early age.

He made his provincial debut for the Blue Bulls as a teenager and made his Springbok bow three years later against Ireland in Bloemfontein on June 12, 2004. He scored his first Test try in his fifth international in the Tri-Nations clash against New Zealand in Christchurch.

He featured in all of South Africa’s matches in their unbeaten campaign as they claimed their second Tri-Nations title. Two years into his international career he was named SA Player of the Year in 2006 and was nominated for IRB Player of the Year as well – missing out to All Black captain Richie McCaw.

Du Preez was one of the stars of the 2007 World Cup and played a significant role in the Springboks’ victorious campaign. While he was consistently impressive throughout the competition, it’s his faultless performance against England in the 36-0 pasting in the pool stages that many consider to be one of the most complete scrumhalf performances ever.

Two year later, Du Preez marshalled South Africa to a 2-1 series win over the British & Irish Lions as well as to a third Tri-Nations title. His sensational ability to dictate matters saw him voted SA Player of the Year for a second time as well as another nomination for IRB Player of the Year, which again went to Richie McCaw.

In his age group and provincial careers, he has won the IRB U21 World Cup, three Currie Cup titles and two Super 14 titles.

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