On the 5th of May this year, Robert Ebersohn played in his 100th match for the Toyota Cheetahs and continued to play in 10 more matches before he decided to hang up his boots after a successful career.
Ebersohn joined the Toyota Cheetahs straight after school and made his debut in 2008 at the age of 19 against the Blue Bulls at Loftus Versfeld. “I still remember my first game. Meyer Bosman went off the field for blood, and I came on for 5 minutes,” Robert recalls.
He was the captain of the SA u/20 side and represented the Junior Springboks in 10 matches in 2008 and 2009. He played in 11 tournaments for the Blitzboks between 2008 and 2012 the Blitzboks. Robert played in 59 games for the Central Cheetahs. The Central Cheetahs was a franchise comprising of the Free State Cheetahs, Griffons and Griquas.
Robert earned 72 caps for the Free State side and was captain in 10 games before he moved to France in 2013, where he played 54 games for Montpellier, 97 for Castres, and 24 for Béziers. He returned to South Africa in 2021 and played 37 games for the Toyota Cheetahs.
Eberson recalls his experience of his last match in France on 14 May 2021 when he played for Béziers against Nevers in the French PRO D2 competition.
“We played in Nevers which is about 260 km southeast of Paris. I played in front of a packed Nevers stadium with no one in the crowd who knew who I was. My wife and two kids were at home and couldn’t see me play. Because I only joined Béziers eight months before, I didn’t know a lot of the players and didn’t have enough time to make friends. There were two other South Africans in the team with whom I enjoyed a beer after the game and that was it.”
“I prayed to God and said to Him that if this was my last game, I would accept it, but if it was His will, I asked for the opportunity to finish my rugby career in a better way.”
“In August 2021 I joined my beloved Cheetahs again. I had the opportunity to play in front of the supporters who saw me grow up, and people who knew me and supported me in the good times and bad times. I could play in front of my family. My wife and two kids, my mother and father and my brother and sister.”
“My twin brother watched me run onto the field in my 100th game in Bloemfontein and my sister was in the stadium when we played against the Bulls in Pretoria, just as she watched me play in my last Currie Cup game in 2008, 15 years ago.”
“In two years I made new friends. Teammates who I care for. If you care about your teammates and they care about you, you can only play better. And for this, I’m truly grateful.”
“I started playing rugby with my brother and our friends in the garden, and I ended my professional career playing with friends.”
“I want to thank my wife, Mariza who set her career and life aside to allow me my dream to be a professional rugby player.
The Toyota Cheetahs thanks Robert for his loyal service to rugby and the Cheetahs and wishes him well in his future