Thys Lourens

Thys Lourens
Birth name	Matthys Johannes Lourens
Date of birth	15 May 1943 (age 81)
Place of birth	Vryheid, KwaZulu-Natal
Height	1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)
Weight	90 kg (198 lb)
School	Vryheid High School
Rugby union career
Position(s)
Position(s)	Flank
Provincial / State sides
Years	Team
	Northern Transvaal
International career
Years	Team
1968	South Africa

Matthys Johannes 'Thys' Lourens (born 15 May 1943) is a former South African rugby union Rugby player.^[1]

Playing career

Lourens played 168 first class provincial matches for Northern Transvaal, 91 of which were in the Currie Cup competition. He captained the team on 84 occasions and scored 63 tries.^[2]

Only Louis Moolman (171), Naas Botha (179) and Burger Geldenhuys (184) have played in more matches than Lourens. His usual position was as a flanker, where he also played for the national team, the Springboks.^[3]

He represented South Africa thrice, the first on 22 June 1968, when he played at flanker in a match against the British & Irish Lions at the Boet Erasmus Stadium in Port Elizabeth, which resulted in a six-all draw. He played in the subsequent test at Newlands in which he scored a try in the 11–6 win. He earned a third cap in the third match of the test series, at Ellis Park, which the Springboks won 19–6.

Test history

No.	Opposition	Result (RSA 1st)	Position	Tries	Date	Venue
1.	British Lions	6–6	Flank		22 June 1968	Boet Erasmus, Port Elizabeth
2.	British Lions	11–6	Flank	1	13 July 1968	Newlands, Cape Town
3.	British Lions	19–6	Flank		27 July 1968	Ellis Park, Johannesburg

References

^ "Thys Lourens". ESPN scrum. Retrieved 6 October 2019.
^ Van Rooyen, Quintus (1985). S.A. Rugby Writers Annual 1985. Verwoerdburg: SA Rugby Writers' Society. p. 139.
^ "Thys Lourens". Archived from the original on 18 October 2016.