A former professional rugby union player put his training to good use when he chased down and captured a crook recently.

Images from a video showing Springbok captain Jean de Villiers chasing down the alleged shoplifter in Paarl last month quickly went viral after they were shared online.

De Villiers, 41, spotted the sweet-toothed crook stuffing handfuls of treats in his pockets before walking out of The Boer & Butcher shop in Paarl without paying on 23rd January.

Store owner Edu Hanekom said that De Villiers, who captained the Springbok team on 37 occasions, and his wife Marlie, were regular customers.

He said the former Springbok and Stormers captain was the first to spot the man acting suspiciously.

And he showed he was still in top shape when he ran after the suspect before frog-marching him back to the store and handing him over to security.

He said: “When I said ‘hey’ he looked around and started running. Then I just said to myself ‘I must also run now and I chased him across the road towards Home Affairs, with my sandals and sunglasses coming off.”

Edu Hanekom added: “We are very grateful for Jean’s actions. It was quite a thing when a former Springbok rugby captain arrived with the thief.”

De Villiers, 41, played 109 times for the Springboks between 2002 and 2015.