Has this Springbok retired without anyone knowing?

A former Springbok World Cup winner has effectively gone off the grid, and the likelihood is that his career is over.

Springbok Sbu Nkosi confirmed to have test positive for banned substance. Image: SowetanLIVE

Sbu Nkosi was part of the 2019 World Cup winning squad. Image: SowetanLIVE

Back in 2022, there was serious concern when Springbok star Sbu Nkosi was reported missing, leading to a nationwide search to ascertain his whereabouts.

He was eventually found to be staying with a family member, and would later admit that severe mental health issues had led to him going AWOL for three weeks at a time when he was looking to revive his career at the Bulls.

Nkosi, who has 16 Springbok caps and was part of the squad that lifted the Rugby World Cup in 2019, subsequently put rugby on the back-burner for quite some time as he sought to find much-needed stability in his life.

Last year, Nkosi received a career ‘lifeline’ at the cheetahs and just as the winger was beginning to put in some encouraging performance, he was reported to have tested positive for an anabolic steroid. Subsequently, a three-year ban was handed down to the 29-year-old.

It speaks volumes that the troubled former rugby star has not made any public comment since receiving his World Rugby ban, while he is no longer active on social media.

Has former Springbok Sbu Nkosi retired?

Nkosi has effectively gone off the grid and taken himself completely out of the public eye, and there has been no official confirmation of his retirement after being released by the Cheetahs.

However, considering he will be nearly 32-years-old when his ban comes to an end, it’s highly unlikely that he would be able to return to professional rugby at that age and after such a long time out of the game.

It shouldn’t be forgotten that Nkosi also has a massive passion for music, having previously released a rap song under the stage name of Lawd Odin, but he has not released any tracks publicly for years now.

In all likelihood, Nkosi’s rugby-playing days are behind him, and one can only hope that he is getting the necessary help and support at a time when his rugby career has come to an ignominious end.