He failed however to establish himself properly in the Springbok side.
De Beer is most famous for his world record five drop goals in a single test match, set in the 1999 Rugby World Cup in Paris against England.
The Springboks won the match 44-21, knocking England out of the tournament.
However, his attempts to repeat the tactic in the semi-final versus Australia backfired, as despite several attempts he only scored one in the match, and the Australians closed him down.
It proved to be his final appearance for the Springboks.
A professed Christian, de Beer credits his faith in God for his successes.
De Beer retired from professional rugby in 2002 due to a knee injury.