Andries Bekker (born 5 December 1983 in

Cape Town Cape Town is the legislature, legislative capital city, capital of South Africa. It is the country's oldest city and the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. Cape Town is the country's List of municipalities in South Africa, second-largest ...

, South Africa) is a former South African rugby union player for the Springbok rugby team as well as

Kobelco Steelers The Kobelco Kobe Steelers are a Japanese rugby union team owned by Kobe Steel, and based in Kobe. They were the first ever Top League champions when the League started in the 2003-2004 season. The team rebranded as Kobelco Kobe Steelers ahead of ...

in the Japanese

Top League Japan Rugby League One (), formerly known as the Top League (), is a rugby union competition in Japan. It is the highest level of professional rugby competition in the country. The Japan Rugby Football Union created the competition in 2003, by ...

Playing career

Bekker made his South African debut in 2008 against Wales in a 43–17 victory in

Bloemfontein Bloemfontein ( ; ), also known as Bloem, is the capital and the largest city of the Free State (province), Free State province in South Africa. It is often, and has been traditionally, referred to as the country's "judicial capital", alongsi ...

. At 6'11" he is one of the tallest international rugby players, but he only made the Springbok side regularly after the retirement of locks

Bakkies Botha John Philip Botha (born 22 September 1979), known as Bakkies Botha, is a South African former professional rugby union player who played as a lock. He was a member of the South Africa team that won the 2007 Rugby World Cup in France in additio ...

and

Victor Matfield Victor Matfield (born 11 May 1977) is a South African former professional rugby union player. He played for and South African rugby union captains, captained the South Africa national rugby union team, South Africa national team (Springboks) as ...

. He is the son of former Springbok International

Hennie Bekker Hennie Bekker (born 1934) is a Zambian-born composer, arranger, producer and keyboardist based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. His work includes jazz fusion, film scoring, new-age and techno. Bekker won a Juno Award for his work with techno-driven ...

who was also a lock. Holding the record for being the tallest Springbok in history, Andries Bekker was an imposing figure in the DHL Stormers lineout. Despite his large physique, he is blessed with mobility and pace; aspects which have seen him become an integral part of the current Springbok squad. His experience and all-round ability was to be crucial to the success of a relatively young pack in 2010. In 2013 Bekker agreed to a move to Japanese club Kobelco Steelers. He announced his retirement in January 2018.

Accolades

Bekker was a Vodacom Super 14 Rugby Player of the Year nominee in 2008.

References

Sources

External links

*
itsrugby.co.uk profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bekker, Andries South African rugby union players South Africa international rugby union players Stormers players Western Province (rugby union) players Kobelco Kobe Steelers players Living people Afrikaner people 1983 births Rugby union players from Cape Town South African expatriate rugby union players in Japan 21st-century South African sportsmen Alumni of Paul Roos Gymnasium Rugby union locks