Bismarck du Plessis
The dominant hooker who anchored the Springboks' front row with power and precision.
Bismarck du Plessis (born 22 May 1984) is a South African former professional rugby union player, widely acknowledged to be one of the best hookers of his time, both in club and country performances. He played for the Bulls in the United Rugby Championship and for the Blue Bulls in the Currie Cup, after earlier stints with the Free State Cheetahs in 2003, the Sharks from 2005 (where he spent the bulk of his career), and Montpellier in the French Top 14. A native of Bethlehem in the Free State province, he made his debut for the Sharks in Super Rugby in 2005 and went on to earn caps for South Africa, debuting in the 2007 Tri Nations Series.
- position
- Hooker
- debut_year
- 2007
- retirement_status
- Retired
Verified Timeline
Lore & Background
Bismarck du Plessis played hooker and for much of his career was a backup to South Africa's past captain, John Smit, until Smit moved to tighthead prop. Before that change, du Plessis still played in Super Rugby and the Currie Cup whenever Smit was unavailable. In 2007, he was selected to play for South Africa in the Tri Nations Series, making his debut as a substitute in the same game against Australia in Sydney where his older brother, Jannie, also made his Springboks debut in the starting XV. The du Plessis brothers became the 23rd set of brothers to earn caps for South Africa at rugby union. Following an illness to Pierre Spies, Bismarck was called into South Africa's squad for the 2007 Rugby World Cup; his brother Jannie was a later addition, replacing BJ Botha who injured a knee in the final pool match against the USA. During the 2008 end-of-year Test series, the Springboks moved Smit to tighthead to accommodate both him and the younger, faster du Plessis in the front row together, a change that continued through the 2009 Super 14 season and into the Boks' 2009 Test season.
In Their Own Story
After South Africa's second game of the 2008 Tri Nations Series, against New Zealand, du Plessis was cited for an eye-gouge on New Zealand's Adam Thomson. At the subsequent disciplinary hearing — the first of his career — the judicial officer found that his action had been 'careless', not deliberate, and imposed a three-week suspension, a significantly lower penalty than the three-to-six months' suspensions routinely imposed for deliberate eye-gouging. In June 2012, du Plessis won a man of the match performance against England in the second test and also scored a try as the Springboks won 36-27 thanks to a late try from right winger JP Pietersen. During the 2013 Rugby Championship, du Plessis received two yellow cards in a match against New Zealand and was then issued a red card. The IRB later admitted an error in one of the yellow cards, and the red card was overturned and struck from du Plessis' record. He has since featured prominently for the Springboks, being first-choice hooker, and was selected for the 2015 Rugby World Cup.
Reader's Guide
Bismarck du Plessis made his debut for the Sharks in Super Rugby (then the Super 12) in 2005. He played for the Free State Cheetahs in 2003 before moving to the Sharks in 2005, where he spent the bulk of his career. He later played for Montpellier in the French Top 14, and for the Bulls in the United Rugby Championship and the Blue Bulls in the Currie Cup. At international level, he debuted for South Africa as a substitute in the 2007 Tri Nations Series against Australia. He was called into the 2007 Rugby World Cup squad following an illness to Pierre Spies, and was selected for the 2011 Rugby World Cup along with his brother Jannie. He came off the bench against Wales in which South Africa won 17-16. He was also selected for the 2015 Rugby World Cup. In 2012, he delivered a man of the match performance against England in the second test, scoring a try in a 36-27 win. During the 2013 Rugby Championship, he received a red card that was later overturned by the IRB.
Did You Know?
- Bismarck du Plessis and his brother Jannie became the 23rd set of brothers to earn caps for South Africa at rugby union, both debuting in the same match against Australia in Sydney in 2007.
- He was called into South Africa's 2007 Rugby World Cup squad following an illness to Pierre Spies; his brother Jannie was later added after BJ Botha injured a knee.
- During the 2008 Tri Nations, du Plessis was cited for an eye-gouge on New Zealand's Adam Thomson but received only a three-week suspension after the judicial officer ruled the action 'careless'.
- In the 2013 Rugby Championship, du Plessis received a red card against New Zealand that was later overturned by the IRB and struck from his record after the IRB admitted an error in one of the yellow cards.
- He won a man of the match performance in June 2012 against England in the second test, scoring a try in a 36-27 victory.