World Cup prop's career ended

2007-12-22 17:06:00

Marius Visser, the huge Namibian prop, has had his career ended by spinal problems. He is just 25 years of age.

At 140 kg Visser was the heaviest player at the World Cup and afterwards was given a chance to play for Lyon in France's Pro D2 but a scan has revealed a rachidian channel that is too narrow, which makes playing rugby at tighthead dangerous.

Visser was born in Walvis Bay in 1982 when the fishing town was still an enclave of the Cape Province and so a part of South Africa. Walvis Bay has subsequently been integrated into Namibia which qualified Visser for the World Cup. He was educated at Welkom Technical High and made his provincial debut in 2003, playing for the Griffons. In 2006 he moved to the Border Bulldogs.

In 2007 Visser made his debut for Namibia, playing against Zambia in June. In all he played five times for Namibia before going off to the World Cup where he played against Georgia and Argentina.