The Springbok captain shares a few of his favourite pastimes and adventures away from the game.

DREAM CARS

1967 FORD SHELBY MUSTANG
‘I’ve always been a muscle-car man. We have our own website www.musclecars.co.za where people with a similar passion can share and I sit on a WhatsApp group that talks all things horsepower.’

LAMBORGHINI URUS
‘Every good, responsible father needs a nice safe SUV to get the kids to school on time.’

1ST EDITION CHEV CORVETTE FROM THE 50s
‘It will be a tight squeeze but I’m also just happy to look at it parked nicely in the garage.’

*Note: I am a proper petrol head so this topic was considered very carefully and on numerous occasions. Bbear in mind I can’t pick the fancy European cars made for small people as I will pull a hammy every time I need to get out of them.

BEST BOOKS

THE HOUR BETWEEN DOG AND WOLF [JOHN COATES]
‘An in-depth look at how financial risk-taking is linked to human biology, especially to the testosterone levels of young male traders, and the implications of this phenomenon for financial markets and the wider economy.’

THE SUBTLE ART OF NOT GIVING A F**K [MARK MANSON]
‘It’s self-explanatory, really. And a book all professional athletes should read.’

OPEN [ANDRE AGASSI and J R MOEHRINGER]
‘This is Andre Agassi’s autobiography which I found a fascinating surprise to read after years of watching this guy play the great game of tennis.’

FAVOURITE BANDS

U2
‘The first album I ever bought was Joshua Tree, at Pretoria Boys High. I have seen them live on several occasions and they rock every time.’

MUMFORD AND SONS
‘I’ve become a massive fan. They haven’t made too many albums but everything they have put out is quality. Also a great band to see live.’

QUEEN
‘Freddy Mercury was one of, if not the best performers in our time. Plus it’s all I remember when getting into the change room after the World Cup final in 2007!’

BEST CITIES/TOWNS VISITED

LONDON, ENGLAND
‘Absolutely love this place. I lived there, played there and visit whenever possible.’

NEW YORK, USA
‘I enjoy the US and was sent there by SA Rugby as thanks for my contribution to the game. We had an amazing time but the highlight was the Kings of Leon concert at Madison Square Garden.’

LAKE TAUPO, NEW ZEALAND
‘Only because we took a really cool road trip there during the 2011 World Cup, stole a few road signs, got pulled over by the cops and panicked, only to have the cops ask us for a few pics with them. It was an epic day!’

MEMORABLE DAYS

WEDDING DAY
‘I know it’s cheesy but, man, I picked an amazing woman who married me 15 years ago.’

BIRTH DAYS OF MY KIDS
‘Counting 10 fingers and toes successfully at the birth of my three children.’

MY MOM’S PUBLIC LESSON
‘The day my mom pulled me off the tennis court in an ATP event after I lost my temper and threw my racket. I was a 10-year-old brat who learned how to conduct myself in sport that day because of her.’

ALL-TIME FAVOURITE DRINKS

OROS
‘I love Oros, it was one of my nicknames at school as I was a proud ginger but I loved the drink too.’

RED WINE
‘My wife and I thoroughly enjoy red wine, our cellar has some good bottles waiting for us to enjoy. Our go-to is probably a pinot noir and if we have to drink white, we’d probably go with chenin.’

BRANDY AND COKE
‘A crowd favourite here in South Africa, brandewyn en Coke or in my case when I’m trying to lose weight for the Cape Epic, it’s brandy, half soda and half Coke Zero, very responsible.’

BEST SPORTING MOMENTS AS A FAN

1995 RUGBY WORLD CUP FINAL
‘I was lucky enough to be taken to the final by my mate David Tubb. We were 17. A day I will never forget, it helped South Africa on its new democratic journey.’

2012 CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FINAL
‘Chelsea beat Bayern Munich at Allianz Arena in Munich. I was supporting Bayern but the occasion was insane and Didier Drogba’s performance was out of this world.’

2018 WIMBLEDON SEMI-FINAL
‘A bucket-list item of mine was to play at Wimbledon but rugby ruined that dream, so I got to watch Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal last year and loved every ball played.’

POSSIBLE CAREERS IF NOT RUGBY

PHYSIOTHERAPIST
‘I was enrolled at Tuks to study physiotherapy before taking up a contract with the Sharks. I reckon I would have enjoyed it.’

MUSICIAN
‘In the shower I am always convinced I could have been in a band. My kids believe otherwise.’

BROADCASTER/TV PRESENTER
‘I would have also made an incredible fourth member to Jeremy Clarkson’s Top Gear team.’

FAVOURITE NON-RUGBY SPORTS TEAMS

LIVERPOOL FC
‘It’s been a tough few years but delighted to say Liverpool are now Champions of Europe!’

ROGER FEDERER
‘He actually counts as a team purely because it takes a freak of nature to be the world’s best for that long.’

TEAM FERRARI
‘I love the Team Ferrari, but Formula One is so boring at the moment with everyone fighting for second place after McLaren, similar to Super Rugby and the Crusaders!’

BEST AND WORST ROOMMATES

DEON CARSTENS
‘I gave him hell! Tormented the big guy for years.’

BUTCH JAMES
‘He always brought (read smuggled) chocolates back to the room for me and never blabbed.’

BJ BOTHA
‘BJ, also known as Nachos, had a few habits that made touring interesting. From ordering 10 towels a day to leaving half-drunk water bottles all over the room.’