Bokdle #16: 17 Oct 2026

The mystery green and gold player on 17 Oct 2026 was Ollie le Roux: Test player #600 · Prop · 54 caps · 1 try · School: Grey College, Bloemfontein.

André-Henri "Ollie" le Roux was a mobile, ball-playing prop who became the youngest front-rower ever to play for South Africa, and who was still winning trophies in Ireland more than a decade later. Born in Fort Beaufort in the Eastern Cape in May 1973, he went to Grey College in Bloemfontein, one of the country's great rugby nurseries, and began his senior career with Free State in 1993.

The youngest Springbok prop

He moved fast. In 1994, aged 21, he made his Test debut against England as Springbok number 600. Over the next eight years he won 54 caps, was part of the side that won the 1998 Tri Nations, and went to the 1999 World Cup in Wales, where the Springboks finished third.

A Shark for nine seasons

Most of his best years were spent in Durban. Le Roux played a century of Currie Cup matches for the Natal Sharks between 1995 and 2003 and more than eighty more in Super Rugby and other competitions. He was known for being comfortable with ball in hand, unusual for a prop at the time.

A second wind

When many props would have retired, he went home. Back with the Free State Cheetahs from 2005, he was part of three Currie Cup-winning squads in three years (2005, a shared title in 2006, and 2007), though he didn't play in the 2007 final. Then, at 34, he signed for Leinster, became a crowd favourite in Dublin, and won the Celtic League in 2008.

After rugby

He retired to Bloemfontein, where he went into chicken farming. Like a few old front-rowers, he has also completed an Ironman triathlon.

Test record

From bokhist.com's Test-by-Test list:

• Springbok number: 600
• Debut: 4 June 1994, aged 21, at tighthead prop against England at Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria (lost 15–32)
• Last Test: 17 August 2002, aged 29, off the bench against Australia at Ellis Park, Johannesburg (won 33–31)
• Tests: 54: 11 starts and 43 off the bench
• Results: 33 wins, 1 draw and 20 losses, a winning rate of 61%
• Starts by position: loosehead prop 10, tighthead prop 1
• Most often played against: Australia (12 Tests)

Did you know?

• He also had spells with the Cats and the Stormers, and played invitational rugby for the Barbarians.
• His career ran from Super 10-era Natal all the way to the Celtic League, across 16 seasons.

Sources: bokhist.com, en.wikipedia.org

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