Lions hooker calls it a day
SPOTLIGHT: The Lions lost their second hooker in the space of a year following the announcement of his retirement.
Franco Marais announced on social media platform Instagram on Tuesday that he will call time on a 15-year professional career.
He is the second Lions hooker to call it a day following Jaco Visagie’s retirement in late 2025.
Marais started his career with the Valke as a junior before senior stints with the Sharks, Gloucester, Red Hurricanes, D-Rocks and the Lions.
He also featured off the bench in the 2012 Junior World Championship (World Rugby Under-20) Final against New Zealand at Newlands, which the Junior Boks won by 22-16, breaking the Junior All Blacks’ dominant four-year streak in the tournament.
Marais thanked all those who played a part in his career and highlighted his standout experiences in a heartfelt online message.
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“As my professional playing career came to an end, I felt a feeling that will be something that I carry for the rest of my life.
“The dream was to play professional rugby, to rub shoulders with my heroes, to play on the big stage.
“I look back at a 15-year career, not remembering or longing back to those dreams I had of playing professionally or rubbing shoulders with my heroes or playing on the big stage.
“I look back thinking about all the experiences that this game has given me, all the people that I’ve met from almost all over the world. I think back to memories and moments with teammates that became true friends.
“I think back to every country that I’ve visited playing this beautiful game. I think back to the beers on the bus after a hard battle, the kontiki sessions with men who just let themselves be loose and silly for a few hours.
“I think back to all the different things I got to experience on tours. What I’ve realised is that we have our eyes so set on goals and things that we want to achieve that we sometimes miss the most beautiful moments in the “mundane” things.
“I would rather want to share some photos and videos of a “behind the scenes” look of this incredible life that rugby has given me.
“Thanks to the Sharks for the best 8 years of my life! For a chapter where I turned from a boy into a man, for a chapter that was a real dream/fairytale for me.
“Thank you to Gloucester for restoring my passion for the game and giving me the opportunity to meet some of the best characters that you will find walking the face of the earth.
“Thank you for a true eye-opening experience and one I will cherish for the rest of my life. Thank you to Red Hurricanes and D-Rocks for an opportunity to see, live and experience the amazing country of the rising sun!
“Thank you for the chapter where my wife and I could start our family. Thank you to the Lions for giving me a final taste of rugby on home soil and in front of family and loved ones.
“Thank you to all the players at Lions for showing me again how much fun you can have while playing this brutal game, aka less meetings and more parties!”
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