Hannes Marais
Encyclopedia
Johannes Frederick Klopper "Hannes" Marais (born 21 September 1941) is a former South African
rugby
captain. He was capped 35 times, scoring one try.
. He attended Gill College in Somerset East, a school that also produced the Springbok brothers Willie and Michael du Plessis. After school he went to study agriculture at the prestigious Stellenbosch University, with the intention of becoming a veterinarian. Later on he did his doctorate at the University of Port Elizabeth, the forerunner of the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University
. .
when he went to Stellenbosch.
At provincial level, he represented Western Province as well as now-defunct North Eastern Cape and Eastern Province.
He won his first cap against Australia
in 1963 and his last against France
in 1974. He became captain in 1971 after having served as vice-captain in 1970.
After retiring from first-class rugby, he continued to play for his hostel team at university for five seasons and stopped playing altogether just shy of his 40th birthday.
.
South Africa national rugby union team
The South African national rugby union team are 2009 British and Irish Lions Series winners. They are currently ranked as the fourth best team in the IRB World Rankings and were named 2008 World Team of the Year at the prestigious Laureus World Sports Awards.Although South Africa was instrumental...
rugby
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
captain. He was capped 35 times, scoring one try.
Personal history
Marais was born in the town of Somerset East and grew up on a farm near CookhouseCookhouse
Cookhouse is a small town in Eastern Cape province, South Africa....
. He attended Gill College in Somerset East, a school that also produced the Springbok brothers Willie and Michael du Plessis. After school he went to study agriculture at the prestigious Stellenbosch University, with the intention of becoming a veterinarian. Later on he did his doctorate at the University of Port Elizabeth, the forerunner of the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University
Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University
Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University is a South African tertiary education institution with its main administration in the coastal city of Port Elizabeth. The merger creating the NMMU was realized in January 2005 but its history dates back to 1882 with the foundation of Port Elizabeth Art School...
. .
Rugby career
In his schooldays he was a loose forward, but was converted into a prop by Danie CravenDanie Craven
Daniël Hartman Craven , more famously known as Danie Craven or simply Doc Craven, is a former Western Province, Eastern Province, Northern Transvaal and Springbok rugby union player as well as arguably South Africa's best and best-known rugby administrator...
when he went to Stellenbosch.
At provincial level, he represented Western Province as well as now-defunct North Eastern Cape and Eastern Province.
He won his first cap against Australia
Australia national rugby union team
The Australian national rugby union team is the representative side of Australia in rugby union. The national team is nicknamed the Wallabies and competes annually with New Zealand and South Africa in the Tri-Nations Series, in which they also contest the Bledisloe Cup with New Zealand and the...
in 1963 and his last against France
France national rugby union team
The France national rugby union team represents France in rugby union. They compete annually against England, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales in the Six Nations Championship. They have won the championship outright sixteen times, shared it a further eight times, and have completed nine grand slams...
in 1974. He became captain in 1971 after having served as vice-captain in 1970.
After retiring from first-class rugby, he continued to play for his hostel team at university for five seasons and stopped playing altogether just shy of his 40th birthday.
Life after rugby
After his retirement from playing, he coached the University of Port Elizabeth's as well as the Eastern Province under-20 sides and was also the assistant coach to the Eastern Province senior team for a while. He served as a Springbok selector from 1982 through 1986, and then again from 1993 up to the 1995 Rugby World Cup1995 Rugby World Cup
The 1995 Rugby World Cup was the third Rugby World Cup. It was hosted and won by South Africa, and was the first Rugby World Cup in which every match was held in one country....
.
External links
- Hannes Marais on espnscrum.com
- Hannes Marais at the Springbok Rugby Hall of Fame