Former Springbok captain Theuns Stofberg dies

Former Springbok captain Theuns Stofberg died on Wednesday of injuries suffered in a car crash.

Stofberg, 68, was seriously injured in a crash outside Stellenbosch on Tuesday but succumbed to his numerous injuries on Wednesday morning.

SA Rugby said in a statement Stofberg played in 21 Tests, while donning the Bok jersey on eight other occasions.

He captained the Test team on four occasions, perhaps most famously in defeat in the first Test of the highly contentious 1981 series in New Zealand.

He had a decorated provincial career being the only player to win the Currie Cup with three different teams (Free State, Northern Transvaal and Western Province), until Duane Vermeulen equalled the feat. Stofberg played in 117 provincial matches between 1976 and 1985.

Stofberg also had a stint in Italy with Padua.

A gentle giant off the field, Stofberg cut a towering figure on it. In the tight exchanges he was in the thick of things but what set him apart was his ability to make his presence felt about the park.

His leg drive in the tackle brought go-forward and momentum.

The man who took over from Stofberg in the second Test in New Zealand, Wynand Claassen, remembered Stofberg as a phenomenal player.

“On that tour there was this issue of the management picking him over me in the first Test and though they tried to drive a wedge between us, that didn't succeed,” Claassen recalled.

“There was never ill feeling and we worked well together and it never influenced our relationship. The respect remained.”

Claassen described Stofberg as a “wonderful team man” who was popular with his teammates. “He had a good career and was a quality international player. He made his Test debut very young against the All Blacks in 1976. For a big guy he had speed and was a very strong ball carrier.”

Stofberg, though, was tough as teak in defence too. “I remember how he and Moaner van Heerden used to tackle the living daylights out of each other when he was still playing for the Free State. They would have a proper go at each other and it was their own private little battle.”

Above all though, Claassen described Stofberg as a gentleman.

“This is tremendously tragic. The manner in which he died, he was still young. It just shows you have you have to live each day. It is a truly sad day.”

SA Rugby president Mark Alexander paid tribute to Stofberg.

“To say Theuns Stofberg made an immense mark on South African rugby in a difficult time in the history of our game would be somewhat of an understatement,” Alexander said.

“Theuns held a deep love of rugby, he treasured the ethos and camaraderie of the game, and he ensured that he and his former teammates stayed in touch over the years.

“He was well-respected all over the world and a wonderful ambassador for South Africa. Our thoughts and prayers are with his wife, Martie; their four children, Elni, Theunis, Johan and Anzél and their spouses; their grandchildren, other family and friends in this time of grief.”