Rene Naylor: 'Congratulations on winning it all'
Rene Naylor, the renowned physiotherapist regarded as the Springboks’ secret weapon, has called time on her career with the national team.
Naylor joined the national team’s medical staff in 2008 and has become an instrumental figure in the World Champions’ success.
Hailing from Belhar in Cape Town, Naylor has accumulated over 100 Springboks caps.
She was a vital cog in helping the Springboks to the 2019 and 2023 World Cup triumphs. She is often the first spotted on the sidelines and the first one to react when a player goes down with an injury.
She has spent many years developing an injury risk profiling system for SA rugby players which includes an intervention component. The musculoskeletal tests used to develop an injury risk profile of a player are available globally on the BOKSMART programme.
Apart from her work with the SA Rugby, Naylor has been a force in the medical industry.
In 2018 she was given the South African Sports Medicine Association’s Honorary Award for outstanding contribution in Sports Medicine and in 2020 received the Ministerial Recognition Award for outstanding women in their field at the Gsport Awards.
After the Springboks’ 45-12 win over Wales last weekend, Naylor bid farewell to the national team after 17 years.
In a social media post, she shared a video of how she struggled to get her son Cullin on the pitch for the final farewell at Cardiff.
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In another clip, she revealed the two special souvenirs she received from Wales and the Springboks.
On the Welsh jersey, “Congratulations on winning it all” was embroidered on it.
Meanwhile, her Springboks shirt featured the signatures of all 23 players, the coach, and the manager.
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Naylor received numerous tributes, which included Springbok wing Bryan Habana.
