The former back rower played at the very top of the game before disappearing into the shadows
Van Niekerk moved to the Costa Rican jungle after leaving rugby(Image: Instagram: @junglejoe333)
Throughout a professional rugby career that took him to the very top of the game, Joe van Niekerk was always considered somewhat of an enigma.
A fearless back-rower standing at 6ft 4in and weighing in at close to 110kg, he combined his huge frame, physicality and tackling prowess with explosive pace and silky handling. His talent was spotted early, as he was called up by the Springboks to face the All Blacks at the age of just 21, going on to win 52 caps for his country between 2001 and 2010.
At club level, meanwhile, he represented Western Province, the Lions and the Stormers in his native South Africa before spending six years with French giants Toulon. For four of those years, he was captain, leading the likes of Bryana Habana and Jonny Wilkinson and winning back-to-back European crowns, as well as the Top 14 title, in his final season.
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After a career that was ultimately hamstrung by injuries, van Niekerk hung up his boots in 2014. But while someone of his experience and ability may have been expected to stay in rugby in another capacity, the South African international instead retreated into the shadows.
Admitting later that he faced “a profound loss of identity” in the wake of his retirement, he stayed put in France and spent the next two years in solitude, studying and reinventing himself away from rugby, with his daily routine including meditation and yoga.
Van Niekerk soon adopted a drastic new look, losing weight and growing his hair long, and while nobody saw much of him during his time out of the limelight, photos of his appearance went viral and sparked concerns about his health back in the country of his birth.
van Niekerk in action for South Africa in 2005
“South Africa is crazy about their rugby and, even though I’d been out of the game for a while, someone popped up with this image of me where I looked a lot different and had lost around 15kg of weight,” he later explained.
“During those two years, I had experienced so many shifts and really was very happy about where I was. People could say whatever they wanted. I didn’t take any of it to heart. I just understood that they were curious.
“Even if they said unkind things, I didn’t mind. It was a big shock to some of my closest friends, and even my mum to see me so different physically, but the change has led to me building even closer bonds with them.”
After his two years of solitude, van Niekerk decided to put further distance between him and his past life, as he and his partner Cato bought a campervan and set off to travel the world.
However, when they arrived in Costa Rica, they immediately felt at home, falling in love with the country’s philosophy of ‘pura vida’ and purchasing a 25-hectare organic farm after quickly deciding to stay put.
The farm, which is in the middle of the Costa Rican jungle, had been producing fruit and vegetables for several years, but van Niekerk and his partner slowly transformed it into a retreat centre and a health and wellness space called Rama Organica.
Over the next seven years, the former Springboks forward helped hundreds of people who visited the retreat, leading transformation clinics and hikes through the stunning natural environment in a bid to help his clients recharge their bodies and minds.
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“We organise different transformational journeys for people and, honestly, I can’t tell you the joy it brings,” he told the Guardian in 2022. “When you see someone arrive here tired mentally and physically and then leave revitalised, I realise I am in the right place.”
“We get people here from every walk of life and you need to find a way to connect with them. When I was captaining Toulon, I had every type of colour, creed and culture you can imagine.
“Whether it was a South African, a Pacific Islander, an All Black or a Frenchman, I always had to find a way not only to lead them for a common cause but get them to believe in sacrificing their bodies for the club’s jersey,” he added.
“You have to ask them: to what degree are you willing to put your body on the line for your brother? Now I am working in a very different world, but I am still working to get everyone to pull in one direction for a common goal.”
In late 2023, van Niekerk returned to South Africa as he and Cato prepared to welcome their son, Ragnar, who was born in May the following year. But while he admits he has now entered “a different phase of life” back home, his healing work continues to this day, with the former rugby international still working as a life coach, body practitioner and holistic health mentor.
“When I look at health and well-being these days, I take a holistic approach,” he explained in an interview with SA Rugby Mag. “In other words, I look at it from all aspects – physical, mental, emotional and spiritual – as a whole. That’s how I’ve come to an understanding of what true health really is.”
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