Former Sharks player on horror injury: ‘Pain was unbearable’

Talented centre Le Roux Malan, who currently plays for Welsh club Cardiff, has walked an interesting road on his rugby journey.

Born in Namibia, but schooled at Paarl Boys’ High and the University of Cape Town, Malan went on to start his senior career at the Sharks.

He then played for the New England Free Jacks in Major League Rugby (MLR), Hawke’s Bay in New Zealand’s domestic National Provincial Championship competition and then back at the Sharks in the United Rugby Championship.

However, it was while playing for Namibia at the World Cup in France in September 2023 that he suffered a horrific injury during a group match against New Zealand at Stadium de Toulouse.

Having caught his leg in a “real freaky position”, Malan has opened up in an interview with SA Rugby magazine about the rollercoaster of emotions he felt at the time after dislocating his ankle, fracturing his fibula and tearing his semitendinosus.

 “It was quite a scary experience seeing my leg facing 90 degrees. The first thing that came to my mind was that my career was over. The pain was unbearable.

“It had been a rollercoaster,” he added. “Honestly, it was very emotional. The highs were extremely high and the lows were extremely low.

“It was probably the most challenging time in my life. It was a weird process, one that entailed a ton of growth and experience. There was a bit of everything.”

Former Sharks player back in action

Ironically, the forward who featured for the Sharks back in 2025, could now face his former team in a URC fixture at Arms Park this Friday after working his way back to fitness.

Touching on his move to Wales, he said: “I have always been someone who wanted to travel and rugby can take me all over.

“It’s been great. Cardiff is definitely one of the coolest places I have been to. There’s a lot of history with the club as well. There have been some legends here and it’s awesome to see what the 150th anniversary means to people.

“Corniel van Zyl being a South African coach was also a big appeal.

“It’s a chance to develop my game and learn from people.”

URC FIXTURES AND KICK OFF TIMES TO TAKE NOTE OF THIS WEEKEND

Friday, 23 October 2026

• Cardiff vs Sharks – 20:45
• Connacht vs Zebre Parma – 20:45
• Edinburgh vs Lions – 20:45

Saturday, 24 October 2026

• Bulls vs Ulster Rugby – 13:45
• Stormers vs Scarlets – 16:00
• Benetton vs Glasgow Warriors – 16:00
• Leinster vs Munster – 19:00
• Ospreys vs Dragons RFC – 20:00