Kees Lensing has started a new career away from professional rugby.
The former Namibia prop recently graduated from the state training academy for the Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife in the USA.
Lensing's wife, Claire Suni, announced the news on LinkedIn, sharing her pride in her husband for making a bold career pivot after more than two decades in the sport.
"After 25+ years of dedicating his life to professional rugby, my husband Kees Lensing graduated yesterday from the state training academy for the Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife. I'm so proud of him," she wrote.
"Rugby shaped so much of who he is - disciplined, team-oriented, and ready to put himself on the line - and was the bedrock of his identity, first as a player then as a coach. It takes a lot of courage to pivot after an entire lifetime in one profession, but I'm so excited to see what this chapter will hold for him. He's worked so hard this year and shown such a commitment to keep serving a mission bigger than himself. Congratulations, Kees. We're so proud of you."
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Lensing earned 24 Test caps for Namibia, representing them at the 2003 and 2007 World Cups. Domestically, he played for the Bulls and Sharks in South Africa before a stint with French club Castres.
After hanging up his boots, he moved into coaching, serving as forwards coach at Rugby United New York and later as head coach of the Seattle Seawolves in Major League Rugby.