Pierre Johan Spies is a retired South African rugby union player. He usually plays as a Number 8, but can also play as a flanker. Between 2005 and 2015, he spent the majority of his career playing Super Rugby for the and domestic South African rugby for the. He also represented between 2006 and 2013.
He made his first class debut for the in 2005 in a match against. He made his Super 12 debut against the, becoming the youngest player ever to represent the. However, he picked up an injury in this match and reverted to the side, where he scored nine tries in six games in the 2005 Under-21 Provincial Championship. After representing the South African Under-21 side at the 2006 Under 21 Rugby World Championship in France, Spies made his Springbok debut their 49–0 defeat at the hands of in the 2006 Tri Nations Series. He was retained for the home leg of the tournament and turned in two "Man-of-the-Match" performances, in their wins over the in Rustenburg and in Durban. He was injured in a match against on the Springboks' end of year tour, which ruled him out for the rest of the tour, as well as much of the 2007 Super 14 season, but he did make his comeback for the Bulls in their 49–12 victory over southern rivals the. On 21 July 2007, Spies was selected was in Jake White's Springbok squad for the 2007 Rugby World Cup to be played in France in September, but was forced to withdraw from the squad nine days later after blood clots were found in his lungs. After getting a second opinion, it was stated that Spies could return to the World Cup squad if a third opinion was positive. However, the third diagnosis confirmed the original one and Spies withdrew from the squad. He returned to the Springboks' team for the 2008 June internationals against Wales. In domestic rugby, he was nominated for the 2008 Currie CupPlayer of the Year, South African Player of the Year, International Player of the Year and won the award for South Africa's Most Promising Player of the Year and Sportsman of the Year. In 2009, his performances in the Super 14 earned him a selection for the Springboks to play against the British & Irish Lions during their tour to South Africa. He was also selected for South Africa's end-of-year tour, but injured his finger and was ruled out. Spies was credited with great strength, and pace for his size, but was criticised for a lack of physicality,. Injuries hampered his career.
Physical
As of 2009, Spies could power clean 135 kg, dead-lift 240 kg, bench-press 165 kg and do pull-ups with a 50 kg weight between his legs. He could jump 1.4m onto a raised platform and had a body-fat percentage of 6.5.
