Springbok, Bulls prop announces retirement
· The South African
Bulls stalwart Lizo Gqoboka, capped twice by the Springboks and a veteran of well over a century of appearances in blue, confirmed his retirement this week at the age of 36.
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“I think it’s been long coming,” Gqoboka said, reflecting on a decision he says he has quietly been preparing. “Most of my early thirties and the past four years especially, with all the injuries I was getting back to back, I knew it was really getting close. But I was so grateful to finish here, with the Bulls.
“I just felt that it’s time, you know? I knew I was always on the edge, but I just had this knowing now that it’s time, at 36. I’ve had a good run. I’ve had a really good run, and so I think my heart is just full with gratitude and contentment.”
Gqoboka has walked an incredible road to the rugby field, having worked loading trucks at 15 and later at a funeral parlour at 17, and having not actually picked up a rugby ball in earnest until he was 19, starting out as an eighthman before eventually settling at prop.
“I couldn’t tell you the difference between a prop and a hooker when I started,” he admitted. “I had never watched rugby before I played it. I just took the ball and ran fast because I played soccer and did athletics. I think that’s why I was picked, because I didn’t know what I was doing.”
The popular Springbok and Bulls prop has made an impact on and off the field
It was a former EP Kings connection (Robbi Kempson) who first spotted something in him and helped convince veteran coach Alan Solomons to hand him his first professional contract.
From there, Gqoboka built a career that took him through a stint at the Stormers, a stint at Montpellier, and finally more than a decade as a first-choice prop for the Bulls.
Two Bok caps
Of all the honours, one stands above the rest. “Definitely playing for the Springboks, representing my country. I think that’s the biggest one for any player.”
Off the field, he has also built a business in earthmoving equipment, and discipline shows there too: a savings habit he started at 22, the moment he signed his first contract.
Beyond the numbers and the honours, those who have worked with Gqoboka point to something less measurable: a warmth that never seemed to dim, even through years of injury setbacks that would have worn down most players.
“Lizo’s journey is one of the most remarkable stories in South African rugby, defined not just by his physical power on the field, but by his humility, resilience, and character off it,” said Edgar Rathbone, chief executive of the Blue Bulls Company.
“To arrive at the game so late and go on to earn two Springbok caps while serving as a foundational pillar for the Vodacom Bulls for over a decade speaks volumes about the man he is. He leaves behind an inspiring legacy at Loftus Versfeld, and while we will miss his leadership and infectious warmth in the changeroom, we wish him every success in this next chapter.”
It is a sentiment echoed by everyone who has crossed his path in a Bulls jersey. Even through the injuries, the frustration, the years on the physio table, Gqoboka was the one guy in the changeroom with a permanent smile, a reminder that gratitude was never in short supply.
“I’m truly grateful,” he concluded.