The former Bok prop shares a few of his favourite pastimes and adventures away from the game.
FAVOURITE ALBUMS
GODDANK VIR KLANK & THE FAT LADY SINGS [SPRINGBOK NUDE GIRLS]
‘Great albums for the “Giant love Affair” of my adolescent years and of course they have “Springbok” in their name.’
EXTRAORDINARY MACHINE [FIONA APPLE]
‘Nothing like a little bit of acid jazz to make an intern more cultured.’
LIVE THIS LIFE [PRIME CIRCLE]
‘I listened to it before every game for more than 10 years.’
FAVOURITE BOOKS
THE BIBLE
‘It has it all. Adventure, philosophy, great stories and most importantly, wisdom.’
THE FOUNTAINHEAD [AYN RAND]
‘It taught me to never, ever judge people based on appearances.’
TROMPIE SERIES [TOPSY SMITH] & DIE UILE SERIES [COR DIRKS]
‘These books made me fall in love with reading and introduced me to my favourite pastime.’
FAVOURITE CITIES VISITED
ROME, ITALY
‘I love history, so walking on the same stones as the people who founded modern civilisation was surreal.’
BARCELONA, SPAIN
‘A 10-out-of-10 experience whether you go for two days or 20.’
KRAKÓW, POLAND
‘My first experience of Eastern Europe when I visited Auschwitz, was a wake-up call to what atrocities mankind is capable of.’
FAVOURITE BANDS/MUSICIANS
BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN & E STREET BAND
‘I can never get tired of listening to his music.’
LEON SCHUSTER
‘An absolute genius. His music made four-week tours pass by easier.’
RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS
‘Nobody makes rock as cool as Anthony Kids.’
FAVOURITE DOCUMENTARIES
INSIDE JOB
‘This was economics 101 for me after 2008 and the economic crash.’
STOP AT NOTHING
‘After meeting the author David Walsh, the Lance Armstrong story became much more interesting for me.’
REQUIEM FOR THE AMERICAN DREAM
‘So what is the solution to all our inequality?’
FAVOURITE MOVIES AND SERIES
SWEET ’N SHORT
‘No movie has given me more laughs. My roommate can recite the movie from beginning to end.’
GLADIATOR
‘Rome is my favourite city, after all.’
THE BLACKLIST
‘Is he a good guy who does bad things or a good guy who does bad things?’
FAVOURITE MEDICAL PROCEDURES AS A DOCTOR
CAESAREAN SECTION
‘The miracle of a new life makes me speechless, every time.’
REDUCING A DISLOCATED SHOULDER
‘It’s like clicking your fingers, but on steroids.’
OPEN RECEPTION INTERNAL FIXATION
‘The before and after of a broken bone that is perfectly aligned gets the same feel-good hormones flowing in me as for my mom when she watches a before and after Hannon makeover on TV.’
PLAYERS I’D INVITE TO DINNER
ANDREW HORE
‘What a man. I think you’d have a lekker time with him anywhere.’
TONY WOODCOCK
‘We have many battles to talk about.’
ENTIRE JAGTERSVERENIGING
‘That includes Johann van Graan, Flip van der Merwe, Willem Alberts and Adriaan Strauss. The number of world problems we have solved leaves nothing for the smart people of today.’
FAVOURITE DRINKS
BEER
‘Man, I miss Black Label and Castle Light while in France.’
GIN AND TONIC
‘It’s my go-to anti-malaria medicine in the Kruger Park.’
RED WINE
‘Some of the Châteauneuf-de-Pape wines in France tastes like poetry.’