In a feature from the latest issue of SA Rugby magazine, we caught up with former Bulls, Cheetahs and Blitzboks player Boom Prinsloo.
RUGBY CAREER
A hard-as-nails flanker and a fierce competitor, Boom Prinsloo always played like a man possessed, whether it was for Shimlas, the Cheetahs, Bulls or Blitzboks.
Prinsloo rose to prominence in the 2010 Varsity Cup, where his swashbuckling performances for Shimlas saw him chalk up seven tries in eight matches, earned him the Player of the Tournament award and led to call-ups to the Cheetahs’ Vodacom Cup and Currie Cup teams as well as selection in the Blitzboks squad for the 2010 Commonwealth Games in New Delhi.
‘The proudest moment of my career was the first time I was selected to play for the Springbok Sevens,’ Prinsloo told SA Rugby magazine.
But while he packed a lot into his sevens career – a Commonwealth Games bronze medal coupled with 55 appearances in the World Rugby Sevens Series, in which he accumulated 70 points from 14 tries – his time in the abbreviated format of the game spanned just two years from 2010 to 2012. It was his time at the Cheetahs that earned him the status as one of the most loyal players around.
During his seven years at the Free State union, the Grey College product made 51 Super Rugby and 37 Currie Cup appearances. And he nominates that period as the most exciting of his career.
‘My most memorable moment as a player was came in 2013 when I was part of the Cheetahs squad that made the Super Rugby playoffs for the first time,’ he says.
‘The best game I ever played also came in Cheetahs colours. In our last match of the regular season in 2015, we beat the Bulls 42-29. I was Man of the Match and it was the first time the Cheetahs had won a Super Rugby match at Loftus. It was crazy but it was one of those games where everything just clicked.’
Prinsloo moved from Bloemfontein to Pretoria in 2017 and went on to represent the Blue Bulls in eight Currie Cup matches, captaining on four occasions, and also making 12 Provincial Challenge appearances (six as captain). But he never advanced to their Super Rugby ranks and in 2018 he announced his retirement at the age of 29.
‘I had a couple of big injuries throughout my career that took away a lot of time I could have spent playing the sport I love, but I have no regrets about my career. I am grateful for the opportunities I had and enjoyed every minute.
‘I got to play alongside veterans like Sarel Pretorius and Heinrich Brussow, and against a player like David Pocock, who I admired immensely and rates as an all-time great in our sport.’
LIFE AFTER RUGBY
Prinsloo had completed his degree in quantity surveying in 2010 and after his retirement he was offered a job at QuanCo quantity surveyors in Hyde Park.
‘My transition from professional rugby to the workforce was seamless. I worked at QuanCo until the end of May 2020 and have since started working at Tri-Star Construction.’
But much like his playing career, Prinsloo is always striving to achieve more. He is working towards an honours degree in construction management and is running his own business.
‘My brother and I started a property business in 2010 with the aim to invest in rental properties to create a passive income for the future and we are so proud of the way the business has developed and expanded over the years,’ he says.
With his busy schedule, there’s no time for rugby in Prinsloo’s life. But he admits to keeping a keen eye on one specific team he holds dear.
‘I still follow the sevens avidly. I’m impressed with what Neil Powell and the team has achieved over the past couple of years.’
FAMILY LIFE
Prinsloo and Marquerite have been married for almost two years.
‘We don’t have children, but we have Roger, our pitbull who was named after my favourite tennis player Roger Federer.
‘When we have time we go on road trips to explore South Africa. We also like to visit new places in and around Johannesburg, especially if they are dog friendly.’ – Mariette Adams
Photo: Carl Fourie/Gallo Images
