Stormers lock David Meihuizen has announced his retirement from rugby with immediate effect.
Meihuizen, 24, played his schoolboy rugby at Paarl Boys’ High before representing UCT in the Varsity Cup. A late bloomer, he made his Western Province debut in 2018, and the Stormers the following year.
His sudden rise was eye-catching and in 2020, there were rumours that the 2.06-metre lock, who qualifies to represent Scotland, was being lined up by the Bravehearts for a lucrative deal as a project player.
Meihuizen made 23 appearances for WP and eight for the Stormers, the last of which came against Connacht at the Sportsground at the end of February. On Tuesday, the 24-year-old announced his retirement via social media citing the advice of experts regarding the risk of continuing to play given his history of concussions.
I am writing this to publicly announce my retirement from rugby.
Due to circumstances out of my control and the advice of respective specialists I will be retiring from all forms of rugby.
As a result of having many concussions over the course of my short career I have been advised to stop playing the game in order to prevent any long-term damage to my brain.
I am heartbroken. I have played through torn ligaments and muscles, cracked bones and everything in between. I have woken up at 4am to drive to training sessions. Trained until I have vomited. I have missed more family and social gatherings than I can count. I have poured my blood, sweat and tears into this game for 7 years and it was worth every second of it. I fell in love with the camaraderie, the teamwork, the technicality and complexity.
Many boys dream of growing up and playing for the Stormers. I did not. Because I never thought I would. I was never the best rugby player. I wasn’t even the second or third best. But at the age of 18, Western Province Rugby have a tall skinny kid from Paarl a chance.
From there I found a home with UCT and the Ikey Tigers. 4 years of my life I will cherish forever. Brothers on the Green Mile. Warrior Poets who helped shape my career and self. All the while quietly working on my rugby until in 2019 at the age of 21, I received a call to tell me I would be running out for the team I had supported since I could walk.
For the next 3 years I lived out a dream I never knew I had. I had achieved more for myself than I ever thought possible and played for my childhood team. And my career was only just starting. But now I must say goodbye.
I wish I could say something positive like I’ll come back stronger, but I can’t. Because it’s over and this isn’t a happy ending. This isn’t something I had planned for. This is the end of my rugby career.
I’ve heard people say, “You never know if this will be your last game.” Those words have never rung truer as I won’t be able to play my “last” game. I will miss this game. I will miss standing side by side with my Stormers brothers in the trenches. I will miss the 5am wake up calls, the mauling sessions, the weigh-ins, the team buildings, the pre-match jitters, the post-game beers, the heavy hits, and lineout takes, the team talks, the match analysis, and the cheer of the crowd. I’ll miss it all.
This is not a decision I take lightly but my health needs to be my first priority. I would like to thank Western Province Rugby for their faith in me as a player. And I couldn’t have picked a better union to have spent my short career at.
And lastly to the Stormers and Western Province boys. Thank you all for the seasons. The wins, losses, heartbreaks and celebrations. For the friends I’ve made, experiences I’ve had and life lessons I’ve learned. I know what this jersey means to everyone so thank you for letting me share it with you.
