/ 25 September 2008

Veteran winger Daniels retires

Veteran rugby winger John Daniels (36) has retired and will in future act as coach of the Bella Vista Rugby Club outside Ceres.

Daniels has scored the most tries in the Currie Cup competition in a career spreading over 11 seasons.

His 77 tries could be a record for a very long time, beating former Springbok winger Breyton Paulse into second place with 70.

Daniels started his first-class career with the Boland Kavaliers in 1998 before moving to the Lions. He then also played Super 12 and Super 14 for the Stormers, the Cats and the Bulls. He was also selected for the Emerging Springboks and the South African Barbarians.

Daniels injured a calve muscle a few weeks ago that did not respond quick enough to therapy.

His retirement comes as a big blow for the Kavaliers who have also lost Tommy Dixon (prop), Henley du Plessis (flank) and Fabian Brandt (prop) over the last three months. — Sapa