Because of his on-field commitments, it has taken Stormers hooker Jean-Jacques (JJ) Kotze six years to complete his BSc degree in physiotherapy at Stellenbosch University (SU).
A statement from SU said Kotze will receive his degree this year, albeit in absentia as he will be in London this week for the European Rugby Championship game against the Harlequins.
His graduation ceremony will take place at the Stellenbosch University on Thursday December 12.
Kotze enrolled for the four-year BSc physiotherapy programme in 2019, just as he was offered a contract to play with the DHL Stormers. However, when the pandemic hit the following year, Kotze was forced to put his rugby career on hold. This gave him an opportunity to focus on his studies.
But when he made his DHL Stormers debut in 2021, it became even more challenging as his rugby demands intensified. “My lecturers and I needed to be more creative to find a way for me to realise this dream of becoming a physiotherapist. So, I needed to extend my third and fourth years to fit in all the practical hours and theory in between all the training sessions and games.”
His advice to other aspiring professional athletes balancing sport and studies is to brush up on their time management skills.
“Also be honest about your intentions and motivations behind doing both and making sure you have a very good support system around you whether it be family or friends or lecturers and mentors.”
Senior physiotherapy lecturer Leoné Williams says, “Despite very strenuous demands from both his rugby career and physiotherapy studies, JJ showed such diligence, commitment and passion that he had gained the respect of everyone he encountered during his years of study.”
The former Paul Roos Gymnasium player says he has always had a fascination with the human body, and exercise and health. And it tied in “pretty well” with rugby too.
“Seeing how involved our team physios always are with our recovery processes (from the initial injury all the way until you are back on the field) it made me realise that I could see myself in that career.”
Kotze’s rugby goal is to have a long run on the field playing the game he loves so much. This means tackling the game with the same dedication and intensity as he has applied to his studies.
“My plans for now are to focus most of my efforts on my rugby career and to see how far I can push myself. But I really want to keep up to date with the world of physio and healthcare and I am still contemplating furthering my studies more into the sport and high-performance fields.”
