Percy Montgomery has auctioned off his semi-final 2007 World Cup jersey ©Getty Images

Retired South African rugby union player Percy Montgomery is auctioning off the jersey he wore in the semi-finals of the 2007 World Cup to help his home nation's efforts in curbing the spread of COVID-19.

Montgomery, who holds the record as the top scorer for the Springboks with 893, is donating the funds raised from the jersey sale to the Princess Charlene of Monaco Foundation South Africa, which is fighting the pandemic.

In the semi-final match, South Africa defeated Argentina 37-13 to reach the final in Paris with 17 of those points scored by Montgomery's boot.

Montgomery, the first South African to reach 100 caps, would go on to score 105 points in the Rugby World Cup to lead the standings, and he played his part in the nation's 15-6 final win over England to lift their second title.






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I will be auctioning my original 2007 ?World Cup Jersey SA?? against Argentina ??when we played them in the Semifinals in Paris to support @pcmfsouthafrica in their #strongtogether initiative????Follow @sarugbymag on all their social media platforms on how to bid for my jersey. Bidding will open on the 1st of June so keep a close eye?‍♂️I also decided to sponsor another prize to win a 2 night stay for 2 people @15views_ penthouse overlooking the bustling Camps Bay strip and spectacular sunsets?I will also give the winner a private tour of my Percy Montgomery rugby museum and join them for a glass of bubbly after? All you have to do to go into the draw for this prize is click the link in my bio☝️and go donate as little or as much as you can to support. I challenge @stefanstander from @nashuawinelands to get behind me in combating the Covid-19 crises. We are all in this together so let’s be #strongtogether #covid19 #lockdown #sacsoldboys #springboks #sarugby #sarugbylegends #pumasouthafrica

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He will also offer a second prize which includes a two-night stay at his Camps Bay penthouse in Cape Town and a tour of his own dedicated rugby museum.

Bidding for the auction started today, with the chance to meet Montgomery at the 2021 Monaco Grand Prix also a possibility for those who donate.

To date, South Africa is the most-affected nation in Africa from COVID-19, with more than 32,600 confirmed cases.

This has resulted in the deaths of 683 people – the second highest rate on the continent behind Egypt.