Where to for Carstens?
After announcing his retirement from rugby Deon Carstens has to find something else to occupy his time.
The Springbok veteran ended his career with a Currie Cup winner’s medal after Western Province beat his old side, the Sharks, in the final at Kings Park last year.
The prop seems to be leaning towards a career in rugby after he has been helping out with the Western Province Vodacom Cup side this season and was also a massive mentor to the likes of Steven Kitshoff, Frans Malherbe and Siyabonga Ntubeni during their successful Currie Cup campaign last season.
"I’ve already helped out and will continue to help the Western Province Vodacom Cup side with their scrumming and certain other aspects of their forward play… Dobbo [John Dobson] and his coaches will find it hard to get rid of me now," joked Carstens.
Carstens has come to terms with the fact that his career might have ended rather abruptly and feels that he could not have ended it on a better note.
"It’s so weird – thinking that my rugby career is over – but I had a great innings and what a twist that it ended in Durban on such a high."
Carstens has got other interests and will be getting himself involved in a company specialising in short-term insurance.
The front-rower still wants to remain involved in the game as much as possible and he will be delighted to see the progress made by the youngsters that he mentored last season.
"I’d love to stay involved in the game somehow," added Carstens.
For Carstens it seems that a career in rugby would be the ultimate but he is not being disillusioned by that.
"I guess I also have to try and find a real job too," he laughed.
