De Jager has been playing for Japan’s Wild Knights for the past three seasons, following three seasons at Sale Sharks in England.

However, he told a press conference that at 32 years of age, he has to look after his body a little bit more.

“All of us are getting a bit older, so recovery and especially with the shoulder stuff, keeping the shoulders healthy, it’s a big priority for me in the gym, especially. But it’s been going well, the body’s feeling good,” De Jager said.

De Jager has been training with the Bok squad for the past week in preparation for the international season. He says it’s good to be back with old and new teammates after being sidelined with an injury for much of last season.  

“I think luckily, when you’ve got family and kids, they keep you busy enough so you don’t overthink everything. But I think for me the big thing was I felt I could still contribute, if I could get myself healthy and I could get the body ready, I feel I could still add value,” he said.

When asked if playing in Japan helped his recovery process, rather than being in South Africa, De Jager says it might have played a part, as the schedule in Japan offers a little bit more downtime.

However, De Jager said underestimating the standard of rugby in Japan would be a mistake. 

“The Springboks are a step up to anything. It doesn’t matter if you play in the UFC, if you play in France, the Premiership, even the Champions Cup, international rugby is a whole different beast. But I must say the standard in Japan has definitely picked up,” he said.

De Jager has two more seasons on his contract in Japan. He has been out of the Springbok fold after being out since July 2023 because of an injury.

OFM Sport/Ilse Smalberger cg