Antonie CLAASSEN (TBS 2018) - Flanker with Racing 92

Antonie Claassen (TBS 2018) will be playing a new season with Racing 92.
Confirmed by Actu Rugby, the Flanker has just signed up for another year. 

The 35-year-old Racingman proclaimed : "I still want to play and I'm still able to play at top level, match after match". It might not even be his last season with the blue and whites. He confided that "for as long as my motivation is intact, I will continue to play. If I retire, it will be because my body asks me to do so or because I no longer have the motivation. We shall see if I go on for one season or more".

Moroever, he already has his objectives in mind : "On a sports level, I want to continue to play and perform. I can also support players such as Jordan Joseph and Yoan Tanga. On a team level, we want to win trophies. That is Racing 92's ambition".

In his sixth year with Racing 92 after arriving in France in 2007 from South Africa, Antonie Claassen played first for Brive and Castres where he won the Brennus Shield in 2013. In 2014, he then moved to the Hauts-de-Seine region to be with his two former trainers from Castres, Laurent Travers and Laurent Labit. In 2016, the South African won a second title as French Champion with Racing 92 .

During the 2019-2020 season, which was interrupted by the Covid-19 health crisis, he played in 13 out of 23 matchs with Laurent Travers' team. 
However, following the décision by EPCR, the Champions Cup will be picked up again between September and October 2020. "It is a good decision. The Racing 92 team has never won the European Cup. We still have a chance to win the 2019-2020 season cup, and then go on to the 2020-2021 cup. Claassen insisted that "when we get near the end of our career and we have the chance to win this type of competition and title, we just have to take up the challenge".

Conversion currently in progress

Antonie Claassen wasn't able to rest up during the lockdown. He followed a course to become a fitness trainer.  

Above all, he had time to work on his thesis within the scope of his Master's degree in Business Management with TBS Business School. His thesis looked at the impact of social media on the ARES Fighting Championship, events organized in Dakar and South Africa. He passed his degree during lockdown. 

Since 2017, Antonie Claassen has been preparing for his post-rugby life. He began the Management course at TBS Business School, following classes at a distance and a one-day-a-week professional placement. "On my day off on a Wednesday, I work at Vivendi sport. Then, in the evenings once or twice a week, I follow virtual classes from 6pm to 8pm and I also have assignments to hand in. Classes included subjects such as logistics, marketing, management. The International (6 caps) recognized that "It is important to prepare for the future, to learn about the business world, a different side to life".

Once Antonie Claassen had presented his thesis via a videoconference, he passed his Master's degree in Business Development in April during the lockdown. He underlined that "it goes to show that it is possible to play professional Rugby and study at the same time. I managed both the sport and the studies and thankfully my spouse helped me a great deal". When the time comes to stop his sporting career, the recent graduate will pursue his studies and said "I would like to do a Master's degree in Business Administration, after which I will look into solutions and opportunities in a professional area I am interested in".

(Article extracted from https://actu.fr/)