Congratulations with the appointment! Tell us about the Old Players Union
The Old Players Union acts on behalf of all the former players and we try to keep in contact with one another on a regular basis.

The Old Boys are always interested in what’s going on and it is our job to keep them up to date with the latest news. We are building bridges with all the parties involved and we try to maintain strong relationships with the current players.

We are also raising money via the Old Boys Trust and we use these funds mainly to assist former players with their medical costs.

Who else are on the committee?
Wynand Claassen is the vice-chairman and the other members are Pote Fourie, Conrad Breytenbach and Oeloff de Meyer.

When a former player wants to join the Old Players Union who should he contact?
He can phone me on 083 226 5177.

I will gladly assist him and tell him everything he needs to know.

When did you play for the Blue Bulls (Northern Transvaal)?
I made my debut in 1971 and played my last match in 1984. All in all I have played in 112 matches for the Union.

What was the highlight of your career?
I was fortunate enough to be involved in eight Currie Cup finals. We won seven of these, but I must say every match for Northern Transvaal was a highlight.

Did you always play at hooker?
Yes, most of the time, although I was used as a flanker on our Israel tour in 1975.

Tell us about your Springbok career
I played in 20 matches for the Boks. Eleven of these were test matches and I made my debut in 1980 against the British Lions.

You guys thrashed the British Lions in 1980. What is going to happen later this year?
We have wonderful depth at the moment and I firmly believe we can record a famous series win. I am very positive about Springbok rugby and I have no doubt that we are on the right track.

The attitude of our players is great and I think they are all looking forward to play against the best players from the British Isles.

If you were a selector, who would play in your front row?
John Smit will be my captain and hooker.

I have tremendous respect for him as a leader and a player and with him in the staring XV Bismarck du Plessis will be the impact player. Heinke van der Merwe will be my loosehead and Jannie du Plessis the tighthead.

What do you think about the Bulls’ Super 14 campaign thus far?
I am very positive about our season.

I think the Bulls and the Sharks are going to be in the final and although we have lost two matches on tour, we are still on track to play in the semi’s. We have the potential to win the competition and if we were a bit luckier against the Crusaders on Friday we could have recorded a historic win.

How do you spend your time nowadays?
I’m quite busy managing my restaurant the “Bosveld Lapa” and I play golf whenever I get the chance.

The Old Players Union also gets a lot of my attention and I am involved with a project of the University of Pretoria where we are mentoring and training a large number of the school principles in the Mpumalanga region.



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