Springboks Bid Farewell to ‘Player 24’ After Memorable Journey [Video]
After 16 years of service and two World Cups, Springboks physiotherapist Rene Naylor – fondly known as ‘Player 24’ – has retired.
Springboks physiotherapist Rene Naylor – fondly known as “Player 24” – has officially retired from the national team.
The Cape Town-born woman joined the national team’s medical staff in 2008 and has over 130 caps.
Rene was responsible for injury prevention and rehabilitation amongst the squad.
RENE NAYLOR BOWS OUT OF SPRINGBOKS
Following the Springboks 45-12 victory against Wales over the weekend, Rene Naylor revealed that she had featured in her last Springbok test match.
In an Instagram post, the mother-of-one revealed that she and her young son were emotional after the game ended.
She captioned a clip of Bok Jesse Kriel helping the duo reunite on the pitch after the game, “We were both in tears.”
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In another clip, Rene posted a video montage of two special souvenirs from the game – a South African and Wales rugby shirt received by the management of both teams.
“Congratulations on winning it all” was a message embroidered on her Welsh shirt. Meanwhile, her Springboks shirt featured the signatures of all 23 players, the coach, and the manager.
Rene Naylor is fondly known as “Player 24” over her contribution to the success of the team.
WHERE TO NEXT?
Rene Naylor’s retirement from the Springboks came as a surprise to many of her social media followers.
Although the Boks star staff member did not respond to questions about her next career move, she does own a physiotherapist business.
According to her website, she also works as a motivational speaker, teaches academic programming and lecturing, and facilitates online fitness video productions.
In September, she was amongst a team of animal rescuers who helped rehabilitate a baby rhino at the Care For Wild Rhino Sanctuary in Mpumalanga.
