Who is Frans Malherbe: Ten things you should know about the South Africa prop 

Frans Malherbe has been a regular in the South Africa front row since 2018. Here are facts and stats about the tighthead prop.

Ten things you should know about Frans Malherbe

1. Frans Malherbe was born in Bredasdorp, about 160km from Cape Town, on 14 March 1991 and was educated at Paarl Boys’ High School.

The school has produced several Springboks including Corne Krige, Carel du Plessis and Boy Louw. Louw was a prop who played in the first South African series win in New Zealand, in 1937.

2. The prop made his Super Rugby debut for the Stormers in 2011 and played every match of their Super Rugby campaign the year after.

In 2012 he started the Currie Cup final, aged 21, as Western Province beat the Sharks 25-18 in Durban to take the trophy for the first time in 11 years.

3. Malherbe made his Test debut against Wales in Cardiff in November 2013. South Africa won the game 24-15, with Malherbe lasting 55 minutes.

Pieter-Steph du Toit also made his Test debut in the match, coming off the bench.

4. Injuries punctuated Malherbe’s early Test career. In 2014 he broke his leg but returned to play six games at the 2015 Rugby World Cup. He added three Internationals against Ireland in 2016 before a neck injury sidelined him for the rest of the season. The front-rower also missed the 2017 Rugby Championship with a neck injury.

5. Malherbe was a regular for South Africa from June 2018 right through to the 2019 World Cup win, playing 21 Internationals with 19 starts. In Japan he played six times, coming off the bench once – against Canada in the pool game in Kobe.

6. He scored his first Test try in that game against Canada, in his 35th Test match. South Africa won the game 66-7.

7. During RWC 2015 pictures emerged, via The Daily Mail, that appeared to show Malherbe biting the shoulder of USA lock Matt Trouville during a pool game at London’s Olympic Stadium.

Trouville could not recall the incident, in a match won 64-0 by the Boks, and the storm ended with Malherbe being exonerated.

8. Malherbe is a keen golfer and plays off a handicap of 12.

9. The prop was the subject of lucrative offers from Japanese Top League clubs but committed to Western Province and the Stormers in April 2021 because he wanted to face the British & Irish Lions later in the summer.

He said: “I decided against it because my club responsibilities would in all probability have overlapped with the Springboks’ Test series against the Lions.”

10. Malherbe played his 100th Super Rugby game for the Stormers, against the Bulls, in February 2020 in Cape Town.

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