Ockie Oosthuizen

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Ockie Oosthuizen
Birth nameOckert Wessel Oosthuizen
Date of birth1 April 1955
Place of birthJohannesburg, South Africa
Date of death3 December 2019 (aged 64)
Height1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)
Weight102 kg (225 lb)
SchoolVolkskool, Heidelberg
Rugby union career
Position(s) Prop
Provincial / State sides
Years Team Apps (Points)
1975–? Western Transvaal ()
1981 Northern Transvaal ()
1982–1985 Transvaal ()
International career
Years Team Apps (Points)
1981–1984 South Africa 9 (4)

Ockert Wessel "Ockie" Oosthuizen (1 April 1955 – 3 December 2019[1]) was a South African rugby player. He was capped nine times, scoring one try.[2]

Rugby career

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Oosterhuizen was born in Johannesburg. He first played for Western Transvaal (now known as the Leopards) as a 20-year-old in 1975, and later moved on to provincial giants Northern Transvaal (Blue Bulls) winning the Currie Cup in 1981 and Transvaal (Golden Lions).[3] He made his international debut against Ireland in 1981 and was part of the ill-fated 1981 South Africa rugby union tour of New Zealand.

Oosthuizen quit rugby in 1985, as he was unhappy with the rugby administration at the time. Along with former Transvaal centre Dries Maritz, he tried to negotiate better financial advantages for their fellow players, which inevitably led to numerous clashes with the powers that be. He later had to appear in front of disciplinary committee after allegations of receiving payment for playing from the Rand Afrikaanse Universiteit (Rand Afrikaans University, now the University of Johannesburg).[4] Although he won the case after an appeal, he was never selected for Transvaal again. He then briefly served as chairman of the now-defunct Randburg RFC, before getting fed up with the politics of the game.

Test history

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No. Opposition Result (SA 1st) Position Tries Date Venue
1.  Ireland 23–15 Reserve 30 May 1981 Newlands, Cape Town
2. Ireland Ireland 12–10 Tighthead prop 6 June 1981 Kings Park Stadium, Durban
3.  New Zealand 24–12 Loosehead prop 29 August 1981 Athletic Park, Wellington
4. New Zealand New Zealand 22–25 Loosehead prop 12 September 1981 Eden Park, Auckland
5.  United States 38–7 Loosehead prop 20 September 1981 Owl Creek Polo ground, Glenville, New York
6. South American Jaguars 50–18 Loosehead prop 1 27 March 1982 Loftus Versveld, Pretoria
7. South American Jaguars 12–21 Loosehead prop 3 April 1982 Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein
8.  England 33–15 Loosehead prop 2 June 1984 Boet Erasmus, Port Elizabeth
9. England England 35–9 Loosehead prop 9 June 1984 Ellis Park Stadium, Johannesburg

Life after rugby

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After his retirement from playing, he went into business and became chairman of a company specializing in financial services. In the early 1990s, he got involved in efforts to restart rugby league in South Africa.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Former Springbok prop Ockie Oosthuizen dies". Sport. 4 December 2019. Retrieved 5 December 2019.
  2. ^ "Ockie Oosthuizen". ESPN scrum. Retrieved 5 December 2019.
  3. ^ (in Afrikaans) OCKIE OOSTHUIZEN: Die korrelkop-stut Rugbypolitiek te veel vir hom
  4. ^ Luyt (2003), pg 153.

Bibliography

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