Hannes Venter was one of those provincial players who never had the opportunity to play at a higher level. He was a wonderful player who had electrifying pace (he was a junior sprint champion) and could beat defenders on the outside. He also had a solid left boot and a sound kicking game. Unfortunately injuries […]
Gerrie Germishuys was a classic winger who regularly beat his opponents on the outside. Just watch his try against the All Blacks in 1981. When last did a Springbok winger beat his opponent on the outside like that? He will go down as one of the greatest Springbok wingers of all time. Enjoy and thanks […]
Watching footage of Wahl Bartmann again made me realize how tough he was. This guy didn’t shrug away from any physicality, was very quick around the field and was massive on defense. He was a very good ball carrier too and explosive on the run when given a little space. Wahl famously joined Natal from […]
In 1995 there was a global fight for rugby and luckily the Unions won the fight. Doc Craven always said that professionalism would ruin the game. It has certainly changed the game – I’m not sure if it was for the better. This interview is pretty much the moment rugby went professional in South Africa, […]
With the Springboks slowly climbing their way back up the world rankings, we look back to the greatest tries the Springboks have scored against the All Blacks over the last 25 years. The tries are chronological order and we have limited our selection to tries from 1992 only. Enjoy and thanks for watching!
Morne Steyn divides opinion among rugby fans, but one thing cannot be argued – he was as consistent as gravity. It was interesting making this video, because you can actually see how his style of play evolved over the years and although he was always a good kicker, he only really became famous for his […]
The Boks were a better team in 1993 under new coach Ian MacIntosh. There were sparks of brilliance in the first test which was drawn and expectations were high for the Boks to win the second test at Ellispark. After an early try by James Small, the Springboks couldn’t build on that early momentum and […]
In 1991 South Africa united all it’s different rugby boards and unions into one governing body, The South African Rugby Board. We were still in isolation, but an “international” friendly was scheduled between the Springboks and the Junior Springboks, technically matching the 30 best players in South Africa against each other. It was quite and […]
“I went to Dale College one year and the headmaster, a Mr Searle, told me he had a future Springbok who was then playing for the school. “H.O.” was a good looking, clean-cut youngster who was headboy of the school. I addressed the pupils and it was his duty to thank me. I understood he […]
Frik du Preez was named South Africa’s rugby player of the twentieth century by the country’s passionate fans of the game. Given that he retired from rugby in 1971, it was a significant expression of the esteem he continues to be held in. In many ways the vote extended beyond Du Preez’s performances on the […]
Dr. Danie Craven on Mannetjies Roux: “I walked past the field one day where the first year students were having their trials and I saw a youngster running through the opposing team every time he got the ball. Later I told Jannie Krige, the coach, that I had seen a centre who was outstanding. I […]
Dr. Danie Craven on Jannie Engelbrecht: ” Jannie played for Stellenbosch’s third team in his first intervarsity match – and intervarsities reveals the players with big match temperament. It was immediately evident that he had the heart for the big occasion. He and Mannetjies Roux, who both played for South Africa so often, were by […]
Dr. Danie Craven said of Tom: “Tom first attracted my attention because of his speed, but he had weak hands. Many will disagree, but it is my belief that the further away from the scrum – in the three quarter line the less thinking there is to be done. When you’re on the wing you […]
Hendrik Scholtz Vosloo Muller was born March, 26th, 1922 in Witbank, South Africa. His International career was from 1949-53 in which he played 13 tests, of which 9 was a captain. Hennie Muller introduced a new style of play for a number 8 forward in the immediate postwar years. The clue comes in his nickname, […]
Dr. Danie Craven said of Danie: “He is a natural; you never have to tell him what to do, he instinctively chooses the right option. Show him that you have confidence in him and he will turn the world upside down! Danie possesses unusual strength, speed and agility and using those skills and at tributes […]
The Springboks made their return against the All Blacks the week before and although they were outplayed, many felt that they could have won that game. So hopes were high going into this test match against the reigning RWC champions. To say the Boks were outplayed was an understatement. Australia coped better with the wet […]
Theo van Rensburg could have, and should have played more tests for South Africa. For some reason, he just did not quite crack it at national level, but at provincial level, he showed real class and promise from a young age. He made a big impact at Tukkies and the at Northern Transvaal before moving […]
Japie Mulder was called up to the Springbok squad as a replacement on the tour of New Zealand in 1994 and impressed so much in the mid week games that he was quickly included in the test team. His peak was in 1995 and 1996, but he played his last test for the Boks in […]
Some would say Gavin Johnson was a flash in the pan, and they have a case, but while he was on the scene in South Africa he had some brilliant moments for Transvaal and the Springboks. He hit South African rugby like a tornado in 1993 after failing to make an impact at Northern Transvaal. […]
The Springboks made their comeback to the international rugby scene against their biggest rivals, the All Blacks in 1992. The scoreline flattered the Boks somewhat as they were completely outplayed. It was clear that the years of isolation hurt South African rugby. But there were some flashes of brilliance and three great tries were scored, […]
Ruben Kruger was arguably the greatest flank to ever play for South Africa. He wasn’t always in the headlines and some other players may have featured more than he did, but the fact remains that he was one of the hardest and most consistent rugby players in the history of South African rugby. He was […]
Ollie Le Rous was a multi talented sportsman. He reached the highest honours on the rugby field and he also won national colours in water polo. In the late 90’s he was mainly used as a “super sub” in the Springbok setup, but always made an impact when he came onto the field. Enjoy and […]