Andrews
Mark Andrews is a legend of South African rugby. Find out more about him and his playing career here with your resident experts RugbyPass.
Mark Andrews Bio
Mark Andrews is a true great of the game and is considered amongst the best South African second-rows of all time. Across his illustrious career he earned a number of top accolades but also a reputation as a towering, fearsome enforcer for both club and country. Mark Andrews was inducted into the RugbyPass Hall of Fame in 2021.
Born in Elliot, in what was Cape Province, South Africa in February 1972, he was originally tipped to play water polo and even played for the national team as a Junior when at school. However, he made the switch to rugby union and was quickly selected to play for the Border Schools team as a youth. As Mark Andrews grew, so did his career and while at university in 1993 he was picked for the SA Student team. He then joined provincial side Natal – The Sharks – starting his senior career in the same year.
Mark Andrews spent nine years with Sharks playing in both the Currie Cup – winning the tournament in both 1995 and 1996 – as well as within the Super Rugby competition. Collectively he made over 150 appearances for the club and gained over 50 points and was both feared and respected for his tough tackling, but also his impressive mobility for a player of his size.
He later played his final season in England playing Premiership Rugby for Newcastle Falcons before then retiring.
On the world stage Mark Andrews made his debut for South Africa aged just 21 against Argentina in 1993 and quickly became a regular starter for the Springboks. One of the biggest highlights of his international career was the key part he played in the 1995 Rugby World Cup – eventually helping his team mates to win the competition. He played a total of 77 tests for South Africa and racked up 12 tries in a six-year period. The closest Mark Andrews came to repeating this success was in the 1999 Rugby World Cup where South Africa gained a third-place spot beating New Zealand in the playoff.
Today, Mark Andrews is a successful entrepreneur having opened a sporting goods business in South Africa.
