Percy Montgomery

Template:Short description Template:EngvarB Template:Use dmy dates Template:Infobox rugby biography

Percival Colin Montgomery OIS (born 15 March 1974) is a Namibian born-South African former professional rugby union player. When he ended his international career in August 2008, he held the all-time records for both caps and points for South Africa's national team, known as the Springboks.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

CareerEdit

Montgomery was born 15 March 1974 in Walvis Bay. He attended one of the oldest schools in the country, South African College Schools, in Cape Town. He played the early part of his South African domestic career for Western Province in the Currie Cup and the Stormers in Super Rugby; before moving to Wales in 2002 to join Newport RFC, and joined the Newport Gwent Dragons after the 2003 reorganisation of Welsh rugby into a regional setup. Template:Citation needed

At the end of the 2004–05 Northern Hemisphere season, he returned to play in South Africa for the Template:Rut in the Currie Cup and the Sharks in Super Rugby. He later spent the 2007–08 Northern Hemisphere season in the French Top 14 competition with Perpignan before returning to South Africa in June 2008. He then played for Western Province and the Stormers before ending his playing career in May 2009.

File:Percy Montgomery.JPG

Montgomery in action for South Africa

Montgomery earned his first Springbok cap against the British & Irish Lions in July 1997 as an outside centre. He played at the 1999 Rugby World Cup finals and had amassed 50 caps by the end of 2001. However, his Springbok career stalled after his move to Wales, since at that time players were only eligible for Springboks selection if they were playing domestically. After a change in policy, he was recalled by new coach Jake White in 2004. He was the leading points scorer in the Tri Nations in 2004 and 2005, and currently holds the record for the most points scored in a career by a Springbok rugby player. On 17 June 2006 against Scotland, he became the first Springbok player to reach 600 points in his Test career, and on 9 June 2007 he passed the 700-point mark against Manu Samoa. Template:Citation needed

On 14 September 2007, Montgomery reached two major milestones in the springboks' second 2007 Rugby World Cup pool match against England. He became the first Springbok to score 800 Test points and, more significantly, he equalled Joost van der Westhuizen as the most-capped Springbok with his 89th appearance. He took sole possession of the Springboks caps record on 22 September against Tonga. He was the leading point scorer in the 2007 Rugby World Cup, playing a key role in the Boks' successful march to the Webb Ellis Cup.

Montgomery's 893 Test points give him well over twice as many points as the player in second place on the all-time Springboks points list, Naas Botha, who played in only 28 Tests compared to Montgomery's 102, since most of his prime years were in South Africa's era of isolation from world rugby.

On 13 May 2003 while playing for Newport, Montgomery was sent off for pushing a touch judge to the ground, and was later heavily fined and given a two-year ban, with 18 months suspended, for the offence of "assaulting a match official".<ref>Wyn Griffiths: "Rugby Union: Montgomery suspended for pushing touch judge." The Independent, London, 4 June 2003.</ref> He consequently missed the 2003 Rugby World Cup and returned to play in Wales in early December 2003.<ref>"Montgomery Returns." Template:Webarchive European Rugby Cup website, 5 December 2003.</ref>

He left Wales to join the Sharks for the 2006 Super 14 season where he played fullback.

For the 2007–2008 season, he signed for the French Top 14 club USA Perpignan and moved to France after the World Cup. In May 2008, he was signed by coach Rassie Erasmus to return to Western Province after completing his commitments with the Springboks. He was contracted to play for Province in the Currie Cup and the Stormers in the Super 14 to 2009 .<ref>"WP sign Montgomery." Template:Webarchive</ref>

Montgomery became the first Springbok to earn 100 caps, being awarded a gold cap after their game against the All Blacks in Cape Town, losing 19–0.<ref name="Stuff.co.nz_584941">Template:Cite news</ref>

File:Percy Montgomery against Samoa.jpg

Percy Montgomery running the ball for the Springboks against Samoa in 2007, with Jaque Fourie supporting on the outside.

RetirementEdit

Percy Montgomery announced his retirement from international test rugby on 30 August 2008, after the Springboks beat Australia 53–8 in their last game of the 2008 Tri-Nations.<ref>Percy Montgomery retires</ref> In May 2009, he rejoined the Boks, but this time in a coaching role as the team's kicking consultant in the run-up to the British & Irish Lions' tour of South Africa.<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref> Shortly after his appointment was announced, he confirmed his retirement as a player, indicating that he had planned to end his playing career at the end of the 2009 Super 14 season.<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref>

Post-retirement lifeEdit

Montgomery became involved in the tourism industry and supports various charities. In 2021, Montgomery and his long-time partner, Doris van Niekerk founded the successful alcohol brand El Centurion 102.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

International statisticsEdit

Test Match RecordEdit

Against	P	W	D	L	Tri	Con	Pen	DG	Pts	%Won
Template:Ru	4	4	0	0	1	9	6	0	41	{{#expr:4/4*100 round 2}}
Template:Ru	20	10	0	10	3	13	31	2	140	{{#expr:10/20*100 round 2}}
Template:Noflag	2	1	0	1	2	0	0	0	10	{{#expr:1/2*100 round 2}}
Template:Ru	1	1	0	0	1	0	0	0	5	{{#expr:1/1*100 round 2}}
Template:Ru	12	8	0	4	1	20	18	0	99	{{#expr:8/12*100 round 2}}
Template:Ru	1	1	0	0	0	3	1	0	9	{{#expr:1/1*100 round 2}}
Template:Ru	9	4	1	4	1	8	18	1	78	{{#expr:4.5/9*100 round 2}}
Template:Ru	6	5	0	1	0	10	12	0	56	{{#expr:5/6*100 round 2}}
Template:Ru	4	4	0	0	3	3	4	0	33	{{#expr:4/4*100 round 2}}
Template:Ru	1	1	0	0	1	12	2	0	35	{{#expr:1/1*100 round 2}}
Template:Ru	19	6	0	13	1	16	20	3	106	{{#expr:6/19*100 round 2}}
File:Flag of rugby Pacific Islanders.svg Pacific Islanders	1	1	0	0	0	3	4	0	18	{{#expr:1/1*100 round 2}}
Template:Ru	2	2	0	0	3	6	3	0	36	{{#expr:2/2*100 round 2}}
Template:Ru	7	7	0	0	3	19	16	0	101	{{#expr:3/3*100 round 2}}
Template:Ru	1	1	0	0	0	1	1	0	5	{{#expr:1/1*100 round 2}}
Template:Ru	1	1	0	0	0	6	1	0	15	{{#expr:1/1*100 round 2}}
Template:Ru	2	2	0	0	0	6	1	0	15	{{#expr:1/1*100 round 2}}
Template:Ru	9	8	0	1	5	18	10	0	91	{{#expr:8/9*100 round 2}}
Total	102	67	1	34	25	153	148	6	893	{{#expr:67.5/102*100 round 2}}

Pld = Games Played, W = Games Won, D = Games Drawn, L = Games Lost, Tri = Tries Scored, Con = Conversions, Pen = Penalties, DG = Drop Goals, Pts = Points Scored

Test tries (25)Edit

Tries	Opposition	Location	Venue	Competition	Date	Result
1	Template:Noflag	Durban, South Africa	Kings Park Stadium	Test match	28 Jun 1997	Template:Lost
1	Template:Noflag	Johannesburg, South Africa	Ellis Park Stadium	Test match	5 Jul 1997	Template:Won
1	Template:Ru	Auckland, New Zealand	Eden Park	Tri Nations Series	9 Aug 1997	Template:Lost
2	Template:Ru	Pretoria, South Africa	Loftus Versfeld	Tri Nations Series	23 Aug 1997	Template:Won
1	Template:Ru	Lyon, France	Stade de Gerland	Test match	15 Nov 1997	Template:Won
2	Template:Ru	Edinburgh, Scotland	Murrayfield	Test match	6 Dec 1997	Template:Won
2	Template:Ru	Pretoria, South Africa	Loftus Versfeld	Test match	27 Jun 1998	Template:Won
1	Template:Ru	Port Elizabeth, South Africa	Boet Erasmus Stadium	Test match	12 Jun 1999	Template:Won
1	Template:Ru	Durban, South Africa	Kings Park	Test match	19 Jun 1999	Template:Won
1	Template:Ru	Cardiff, Wales	Millennium Stadium	Test match	26 Jun 1999	Template:Lost
1	Template:Ru	East London, South Africa	Basil Kenyon Stadium	Test match	10 Jun 2000	Template:Won
1	Template:Ru	Port Elizabeth, South Africa	Boet Erasmus Stadium	Test match	30 Jun 2001	Template:Won
1	Template:Ru	Cardiff, Wales	Millennium Stadium	Test match	6 Nov 2004	Template:Won
1	Template:Ru	Buenos Aires, Argentina	José Amalfitani Stadium	Test match	5 Nov 2005	Template:Won
1	Template:Ru	Durban, South Africa	Kings Park Stadium	Test match	10 Jun 2006	Template:Won
1	Template:Ru	Sydney, Australia	Telstra Stadium	Tri Nations Series	5 Aug 2006	Template:Lost
1	Template:Ru	Pretoria, South Africa	Loftus Versfeld	Test match	2 Jun 2007	Template:Won
1	Template:Ru	Johannesburg, South Africa	Ellis Park	Test match	9 Jun 2007	Template:Won
1	Template:Ru	Cape Town, South Africa	Newlands	Test match	15 Aug 2007	Template:Won
2	Template:Ru	Paris, France	Parc des Princes	2007 Rugby World Cup	9 Sep 2007	Template:Won
1	Template:Ru	Bloemfontein, South Africa	Free State Stadium	Test match	7 Jun 2008	Template:Won