Fourie du Preez

Early life

Du Preez was born in Pretoria, the son of Fourie du Preez Snr, a former eighthman for Northern Transvaal and a chartered accountant, and the nephew of former Springbok Frik du Preez. He grew up a Blue Bulls supporter, attending matches at Loftus Versfeld with season tickets bought by his father. He attended Afrikaanse Hoër Seunskool (Affies), where he became a leading schoolboy scrum-half and represented the Blue Bulls at Craven Week, though he was not selected for the South African Schools team. After matriculating, he signed with the Lions but requested a release to join the union he had supported since childhood; administrator Loffie Eloff tore up his contract.

Career

Du Preez began his career with the Bulls in 2001, first playing for their age-group teams. That same year, at age 19, he debuted for the Blue Bulls in a Currie Cup match against the Leopards. His Super 12 debut came in 2003 against the ACT Brumbies. He became a key figure in the Bulls' success, helping them win the Super 14 title in 2007, 2009 (where he scored two tries in the final), and 2010. He also claimed Currie Cup titles with the Blue Bulls in 2003, 2004, and 2009, and appeared in the 2005 final, which they lost. Before leaving South Africa, he made 164 combined appearances for the Bulls and Blue Bulls: 52 in the Currie Cup and 112 in Super Rugby.

International career

Du Preez played junior international rugby for South Africa at Under-19 and Under-21 level, and was part of the squad that won the 2002 IRB Under-21 World Championship on home soil. He made his Test debut on 12 June 2004 against Ireland in Bloemfontein, a 31–17 win, and scored his first Test try later that year against New Zealand in Christchurch. He played a central role in South Africa's unbeaten 2004 Tri Nations campaign. At the 2007 Rugby World Cup, he was among the standout players, creating tries and being named man of the match in a 36–0 pool win over England; he scored the opening try in the 37–13 semi-final win over Argentina and started in the final as South Africa beat England 15–6 to win their second world title.

He was a major contributor during the 2009 Tri Nations title, appearing in all six matches as the Springboks lost only once and beat New Zealand in all three Tests. At the 2011 Rugby World Cup, he started in pool wins over Wales, Fiji, and Samoa, and was among the replacements against Namibia, before South Africa were eliminated 11–9 by Australia in the quarter-finals. After moving to Suntory in late 2011, he played no Tests in 2012, returning to the Springbok squad in 2013.

He was recalled for the 2015 Rugby World Cup; after captain Jean de Villiers broke his jaw, Du Preez was named the 56th man to captain South Africa, leading the side from the pool match against Scotland onward. He scored the decisive try in the quarter-final win over Wales, a 75th-minute score from a scrum move, and the semi-final against New Zealand, lost 18–20, was his final Test. He finished with 76 caps and 16 Test tries, retiring in March 2016 on his 34th birthday.

Legacy

Fourie du Preez is considered one of the finest scrum-halves of the professional game. Rivals like Aaron Smith and Will Genia called him the best of his era. Eddie Jones praised his decision-making, likening his control to an NFL quarterback and saying he was like a coach on the field. Brian Ashton named him the world's top half-back for his ability to dictate a match. Heyneke Meyer described him as a general for directing play. In a 2025 SuperSport fan vote for a Springbok Dream Team, du Preez won the scrum-half spot with about 64 percent of the vote, beating Joost van der Westhuizen.