Winning The Away Game

What happens when the biggest decision of your life looks completely irrational to everyone around you? Former professional rugby players Jonathan Mokuena and Ernie Kruger share how faith, identity and purpose shaped the defining moments of their lives. From walking away from rugby dreams to rebuilding life in America, this conversation explores what it really means to succeed when success is no l...

This episode is for athletes, founders, operators, South Africans abroad, and anyone trying to turn credibility into something useful after the spotlight moves on. Keegan Daniel shares the hard reality of life after professional rugby: identity, purpose, financial planning, and the uncomfortable question of what value you can offer once the title no longer opens doors. Sven Boermeester brings the...

This episode isn’t about what happens after success. It’s about what you do while you’re in it. Adriaan Strauss was building businesses while playing at the highest level. Stephan Weyers started as a mascot—and never stopped stacking opportunities until he built a high-performance coaching business. Two completely different journeys. One shared principle: they never waited. If you're a founder, op...

In this episode of Winning The Away Game, Justinus Adriaanse and Flip van der Merwe sit down with Jan Pieterse and Ollie le Roux to explore life beyond elite performance. From Springbok rugby and international athletics to business leadership and coaching, this conversation dives into the uncomfortable transition from being known for what you do to discovering who you are. If you're a founder, exe...

What happens when the identity you’ve spent decades building suddenly changes? In this episode of Winning The Away Game, Justinus and Flip are joined by former South African international cricketer, Pat Symcox, and filmmaker, Desmond Denton, for a powerful conversation about identity, community, immigration, purpose, and reinvention. From Pat’s extraordinary decision to risk his career to play for...

What does it really take to leave South Africa and build a new life abroad? In this episode of Winning The Away Game, Kirsten and Marc share the highs, lows and unexpected lessons from rebuilding their lives in North America. From Olympic-level mental toughness to navigating identity loss, family separation and starting from zero, this conversation goes far beyond immigration. It’s a masterclass i...

What happens when the thing that defined you no longer defines you? In this episode of Winning The Away Game, Justinus Adriaanse and Flip van der Merwe sit down with rugby international and Behind The Ruck co-host Rudy Page, alongside former banking executive, helicopter pilot, and Relocated South African founder Jan Higu. From professional sport to entrepreneurship, from executive leadership to i...

Pierre Spies and Daniel Ornellas come from completely different worlds — elite rugby and global music — but this conversation reveals how similar the pressure of identity, purpose, loss, and reinvention really is. Pierre opens up about losing his father before his Springbok breakthrough, the emotional reality of retiring from rugby, and why fame can never become your identity. Daniel shares the st...

What do catamarans, tequila, and elite rugby have in common? On the surface—nothing. But underneath, this episode reveals the mindset of people who refuse to live ordinary lives. Ricky Maia and Percy Montgomery unpack what drives obsession-level commitment—from building a boat from scratch and sailing across the Atlantic, to kicking in World Cup finals and launching a tequila brand after rugby. Th...

What separates the leaders who sustain success from those who flame out at the top? In this episode, Springbok coach Nick Mallett and global fund manager Sean Peche strip back decades of high-performance experience to reveal the decisions, assumptions, and identity shifts that defined — and sometimes derailed — their careers. This is essential listening for founders, executives, and anyone operati...

What does it take to succeed in systems that were never designed to recognise you? In this episode, Nomsebenzi "Noms" Tsotsobe, the first captain of the Springbok Women's Team, and Francisca Lombard, engineer and creator of MineGPT, share what it really looks like to build credibility, authority, and resilience in male-dominated environments. This episode is for anyone navigating career transition...

In this episode of Winning The Away Game, Pat Lambie and Bruce Whitfield unpack what it means to rebuild after loss - whether it's concussion ending a rugby career or walking away from a powerful media platform. This conversation is for founders, operators, and high performers navigating uncertainty, identity shifts, and global transitions. From elite sport to global banking, this episode explores...

In this episode of Winning The Away Game, Schalk Brits and Andrew Farrant unpack the real cost of ambition — from elite rugby and expat life to rebuilding identity in corporate environments abroad. This conversation is for founders, operators, athletes, and expats who’ve had to reinvent themselves in unfamiliar territory. It’s about sacrifice, culture, ego, family, and the brutal honesty required...

In this episode of Winning The Away Game, hosts Justinus Adriaanse and Flip van der Merwe speak with former Springbok Cabous van der Westhuizen and global entertainment executive Brannon Phillips about reinvention, starting over in new countries, and what elite sport teaches you about succeeding when no one is clapping anymore. From building a beach bar business in Mauritius to navigating the ente...

What happens when elite sport ends, the cheering stops, and life asks you to start again? In this episode of Winning The Away Game, we sit down with Springbok and Bulls legend Wynand Olivier and veteran journalist Robyn Curnow for a powerful, honest conversation about identity, reinvention, and what it really means to begin again. We talk about the emotional reality of leaving professional rugby,...

In this episode of Winning The Away Game, we sit down with two true South African sporting icons — Springbok legend Rob Louw and world champion surfer Shaun Tomson. This is a powerful, wide-ranging conversation about breaking barriers, choosing adventure over comfort, leadership through change, and rebuilding life after elite sport. From apartheid-era tours and the evolution of South African rugby...

In this episode of Winning The Away Game, we sit down with Springbok legend Coach G (Gurthro Steenkamp) and entrepreneur (and Shark Tank Shark) Tim Vieira for a deep, honest conversation about reinvention, resilience, and starting again when life forces change. We unpack what happens when identity is stripped away — through injury, rejection, business failure, or relocation — and how purpose is re...

We sat down with BJ Botha (a Sharks man through and through and a Springbok World Cup winner) and Linda Reddy (a South African leader flying the Nando’s flag globally) to talk about what it really takes to build a life and career across borders. This conversation is about identity, purpose, and the grit it takes to start again: from moving cities, to moving countries, to rebuilding after rugby, to...

Gus Byleveld knows what it's like to start all over again, from the bottom floor, with no elevator. Watch the full episode now or listen to it on Spotify or Apple.

AJ Venter told us how his experiences growing up and playing rugby informed his strategy in the business. Watch the whole episode now.

We sit down with Springbok legend AJ Venter and technologist-turned-founder Gus Byleveld to talk about what really happens when the first big chapter of your life ends – and you have to start again from scratch. From barefoot schoolboy rugby on frozen Free State and Paarl fields to Test matches against the All Blacks, Silicon Valley term sheets and a fresh start in Colorado, this conversation is a...

In episode 3 of Winning The Away Game, Hein Wagner blew us away with the statement that if he could undergo a surgery that would give him sight, he wouldn’t take it. Watch the whole incredible interview with Hein and Corne Krige now.

Kobus Wiese lives life like one of the tight five. Charge ahead, deal with things as they get in your way. Be the unstoppable force. He even made the huge decision to quit rugby while at the top of his game…overnight. Catch the full interview now, or listen to it on Apple and Spotify.

We were so inspired by Hein’s incredible story that we had to make a highlights reel. If you haven’t watched the full interview with Hein and Corne Krige, go check it out now.

Corne Krige has never shied away from a challenge. Here are some highlights from one of our favourite episodes.