Tendai Mtawarira considered retirement in 2017

World Cup-winning Springbok prop Tendai ‘Beast’ Mtawarira has revealed that he considered retirement back in 2017 after the Springboks suffered a poor run of form.

The now-retired test centurion played a pivotal role in the Springboks' Rugby World Cup campaign in 2019 featuring in six of South Africa's seven matches in the tournament. The 35-year-old put in a fantastic scrummaging performance in the final against England winning multiple penalties and got the better of England tighthead Dan Cole.

However, things could have been very different for Rassie Erasmus' men in 2019 as the man affectionately as known as 'The Beast' considered ending his career two years prior. 

Speaking on the Supersport documentary on the Springboks, Chasing the Sun, Mtawarira said that he had people coming up to him in the streets after the Springboks dropped to eighth in the world rankings after a disastrous 2017 season.

Mtawarira was so down after the two thrashings at the hands of the All Blacks, 57-15 & 57-0, that he considered calling time on his career.

‘It was a dark time for Springbok rugby,’ Mtawarira said.

‘I, myself, being a senior player, took it really personally. I took it personally that we were not producing on the field and that we were falling really short of that standard.

‘It was very personal for me. I had sleepless nights. During those two years, it was tough to walk around the streets, to meet people on the streets, because you felt that you were disappointing everybody.

‘At that time I was contemplating retiring. I thought about it, that probably this was it. At the end of 2017, I really wanted to call it. At the time, towards the end of 2017, I remember having a meeting with [former Bok coach] Allister Coetzee at one of the Test matches. I just felt that things needed to change. There was a lot of problems that we were having in camp. I just felt like, I did not stand for what was going on.

‘Fortunately, Rassie came and took charge at the beginning of 2018 and that was probably the moment where I sat down and decided that I was going to give it my last shot. Give everything that I have to get to that World Cup squad. For me that was probably the last thing that I needed to do, to win a World Cup. So, Rassie coming in gave me that confidence to make that decision.’