Percy Montgomery

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Montgomery was born 15 March 1974 in Walvis Bay, present-day Namibia. He attended South African College Schools in Cape Town. He played for Western Province and the Stormers before moving to Wales in 2002 to join Newport RFC, and later the Newport Gwent Dragons. He returned to South Africa for the Sharks and Western Province, and also played for Perpignan in France. On 13 May 2003 while playing for Newport, Montgomery was sent off for pushing a touch judge to the ground, and was later heavily fined and given a two-year ban, with 18 months suspended.

In Their Own Story

On 13 May 2003 while playing for Newport, Montgomery was sent off for pushing a touch judge to the ground, and was later heavily fined and given a two-year ban, with 18 months suspended, for the offence of 'assaulting a match official'. He consequently missed the 2003 Rugby World Cup and returned to play in Wales in early December 2003. He left Wales to join the Sharks for the 2006 Super 14 season where he played fullback. For the 2007–08 season, he signed for the French Top 14 club USA Perpignan and moved to France after the World Cup. In May 2008, he was signed by coach Rassie Erasmus to return to Western Province after completing his commitments with the Springboks. He was contracted to play for Province in the Currie Cup and the Stormers in the Super 14 to 2009. Montgomery announced his retirement from international test rugby on 30 August 2008, after the Springboks beat Australia 53–8 in their last game of the 2008 Tri-Nations. In May 2009, he rejoined the Boks as the team's kicking consultant in the run-up to the British & Irish Lions' tour of South Africa. Shortly after, he confirmed his retirement as a player, indicating that he had planned to end his playing career at the end of the 2009 Super 14 season.

Reader's Guide

Montgomery earned his first Springbok cap against the British & Irish Lions in July 1997. He played at the 1999 Rugby World Cup and had 50 caps by end of 2001. After a change in policy, he was recalled in 2004. He was the leading points scorer in the Tri Nations in 2004 and 2005. He became the first Springbok to reach 600 Test points on 17 June 2006, and passed 700 points on 9 June 2007. On 14 September 2007, he became the first Springbok to score 800 Test points and equalled Joost van der Westhuizen as the most-capped Springbok with his 89th appearance. He took sole possession of the caps record on 22 September against Tonga. He was the leading point scorer in the 2007 Rugby World Cup. His 893 Test points are well over twice as many as Naas Botha's second-place total. He became the first Springbok to earn 100 caps after a game against the All Blacks in Cape Town. He announced his retirement from international test rugby on 30 August 2008. In May 2009, he rejoined the Boks as a kicking consultant and confirmed his retirement as a player.

Did You Know?

• Montgomery was sent off in 2003 for pushing a touch judge and received a two-year ban, with 18 months suspended.
• He holds the record for most points scored in a career by a Springbok rugby player.
• He founded the tequila brand El Centurion 102 in 2021 with his partner Doris van Niekerk.