Melt Hanekom

Melt Hanekom
	Hanekom in New Zealand in 1956
Birth name	Melt van der Spuy Hanekom
Date of birth	27 July 1931
Place of birth	Moorreesburg, Union of South Africa
Date of death	8 October 1997 (aged 66)
Place of death	Strand, South Africa
School	Hoërskool Dirkie Uys, Moorreesburg
Rugby union career
Position(s)
Position(s)	Hooker
Amateur team(s)
Years	Team
	Moorreesburg RC
Provincial / State sides
Years	Team
	Boland
International career
Years	Team
1956	South Africa (tour)

Melt van der Spuy Hanekom (27 July 1931 – 8 October 1997) was a South African rugby union player.^[1]

Playing career

Hanekom was born and raised in Moorreesburg. He played provincial rugby for Boland and although he was the second choice hooker for Boland, after his South Africa teammate, Bertus van der Merwe, he was also selected for the Springboks.

Hanekom toured with the Springboks to Australia and New Zealand in 1956.^[2] During the second match on tour, he broke his leg, but he did not leave the field and finished the match with the broken leg. The broken leg kept him off the field for just three weeks, after which he resumed his tour.^[1] Hanekom did not play in any test matches, but did play in nine tour matches and scored three tries.^[2]

References

^ ^a ^b de Kock, Gielie (12 October 1997). "Bok-held Melt met af been op veld, sterf [Bok-hero Melt with broken leg on field, die]". Rapport.
^ ^a ^b Heath, Duane; Grieb, Eddie; Smit, Kobus (2020). South African Rugby Annual 2020. Cape Town: South African Rugby Union. p. 238. ISBN 9780620872041.