Johnny Buchler
Encyclopedia
John Ulrich "Johnny" Buchler (born 7 April 1930) was a South Africa
n rugby union
player, most often playing as a fullback. Buchler played club rugby for West Rand and provincial rugby for Transvaal
. He won ten caps for the South African
national team (the Springboks), appearing in just one losing game. Bulcher was part of the 1951-52 South Africa rugby tour of Great Britain, Ireland and France which lost only once in 31 matches, winning all five international Tests. He was noted for his reliable defensive play.
mine, having previously been a clerk. Buchler was a strict Baptist, and a lay preacher.
. Buchler had a near faultless game, but one mistake led to the tourists' winning try; when he failed to correctly handle a New Zealand kick which saw Larry Savage score.
When the trials began for the 1951 tour of Great Britian, Buchler was regarded as a near certainty to gain a place. The trials for team selection were held over a week at Newlands
; but in the first fifteen minutes of the first match of the trials Buchler broke his right ankle. Despite his lack of play, when the official team was announced at a dance, Buchler was the first name called out. Buchler climbed onto the platform on crutches.
. He played in the win over Cardiff
on 20 October 1951 and after missing two games he was back in the squad to face a combined Glasgow and Edinburgh side. Buchler scored a penalty goal and made two conversions in the match, but was forced to leave the field in the second half after injuring his left ankle. The injury kept him away from selection for the next five matches, but he was fit again and selected for the first Test on the 24 November, against Scotland
. South Africa beat their Scottish counterparts in an 44-0 whitewash.
After the Scotland game, Buchler was rarely out of the team, playing every two games out of three, picking up the matches from Viviers who was now placed at centre. Buchler was chosen for each of the next three internationals, wins over Ireland, Wales and England, preventing Keevy from winning a cap. Buchler was key to the South African play in the encounter with Wales, punishing Cliff Morgan
by returning the Welsh fly-half's kicks with greater precision. The match after the victory over England was in Wales against Newport. Buchlar was chosen over Keevy again, but was forced to leave the pitch temporarily with a thigh strain. During his absence Newport scored their only try
of the match, but South Africa prevailed winning 12-6. Buchler was again classed as injured for the next four matches, the final four games in Britain before the team left for France. Although Buchler was deemed fit for the first game in France he was not chosen, but played in the final three encounters after that. The final game of the tour, against France
saw Buchler winning his fifth consecutive cap.
. The first team Buchler faced was John Solomon
's 1953 tourists, who played four Tests in South Africa. Buchler was chosen for all four Tests. The first at Johannesburg ended in a 25-3 win for South Africa, Buchler scored a penalty goal and a conversion, his first international points. The next Test, played on 5 September saw Bulcher part of a losing international side for the first, and only, time. South Africa were beaten at Cape Town by a narrow 14-18 scoreline. Buchler survived a cull of the team, when the South African selectors dropped six members of the squad for the third Test. The changes had the desired effect, South Africa won the third Test 18-8. The final Test, another Springbok's win, saw Bulcher's ninth consecutive international match. South Africa won 22-9 with Bulcher contributing to the score line with a dropped goal.
Buchler missed the next five South Africa matches, including the entire four Tests of the 1955 British Lions tour to South Africa
. In 1956 another South African tour was undertaken, this time to Australia and New Zealand. Buchler was part of a 32 man squad that travelled to Australia, though the first Test saw Basie Viviers take the fullback position. The next encounter with Australia was at Brisbane on 2 June, and Buchler was selected for his final match, a 9-0 victory for South Africa.
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
n rugby union
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...
player, most often playing as a fullback. Buchler played club rugby for West Rand and provincial rugby for Transvaal
Golden Lions
The Golden Lions is a provincial rugby team based in Johannesburg, South Africa. The team was originally known as Transvaal, before changes to the political landscape in South Africa forced a name change to the Gauteng Lions, before again being changed to the Golden Lions. For sponsorship reason...
. He won ten caps for the South African
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...
national team (the Springboks), appearing in just one losing game. Bulcher was part of the 1951-52 South Africa rugby tour of Great Britain, Ireland and France which lost only once in 31 matches, winning all five international Tests. He was noted for his reliable defensive play.
Personal history
Buchler was born in Johannesburg, South Africa in 1930. At the time of the 1951 tour of Great Britain, Bulcher was a compund assistant on a RandWitwatersrand
The Witwatersrand is a low, sedimentary range of hills, at an elevation of 1700–1800 metres above sea-level, which runs in an east-west direction through Gauteng in South Africa. The word in Afrikaans means "the ridge of white waters". Geologically it is complex, but the principal formations...
mine, having previously been a clerk. Buchler was a strict Baptist, and a lay preacher.
Rugby career
Buchler played rugby from a young age, and played his first club rugby at the age of fourteen as a hooker. He initally represented West Rand, under the captaincy of former international Jan Lotz, in the Transvaal League. He was first selected to play regional rugby for Transvaal in 1948 when he was eighteen and in 1949 he was chosen for the region to face the 1949 touring New Zealand team at Ellis ParkEllis Park Stadium
Ellis Park Stadium, also known because of its sponsorship by The Coca-Cola Company as Coca-Cola Park, is a rugby union and association football stadium in the city of Johannesburg, Gauteng Province, South Africa. It hosted the final of the 1995 Rugby World Cup, which was won by the country's...
. Buchler had a near faultless game, but one mistake led to the tourists' winning try; when he failed to correctly handle a New Zealand kick which saw Larry Savage score.
When the trials began for the 1951 tour of Great Britian, Buchler was regarded as a near certainty to gain a place. The trials for team selection were held over a week at Newlands
Newlands Stadium
Newlands Stadium, currently referred to as DHL Newlands for sponsorship reasons, is located in Cape Town, South Africa.The stadium currently has a capacity of 51,900 people, but is not an all seater venue....
; but in the first fifteen minutes of the first match of the trials Buchler broke his right ankle. Despite his lack of play, when the official team was announced at a dance, Buchler was the first name called out. Buchler climbed onto the platform on crutches.
1951 South African tour
Buchler played in 14 games of the 1951 tour, including all five Test matches against the four Home Nations and France. He scored 12 points in total, from three conversions and two penalties, though all were scored in the country and club encounters not in the internationals. Buchler played in the first encounter of the tour against the South East Counties, missing the next two games to allow rotation of the fullback position between himself, Basie Viviers and Jakkals KeevyJakkals Keevy
Albert Charles "Jakkals" Keevy was a South African rugby union player, most often playing as a fullback, though sometimes utilised at flyhalf. Keevy played club rugby for Brakpan and provincial rugby for both Orange Free State and Eastern Transvaal...
. He played in the win over Cardiff
Cardiff RFC
Cardiff Rugby Football Club is a rugby union football club based in Cardiff, the capital city of Wales. The club was founded in 1876 and played their first few matches at Sophia Gardens, but soon relocated to Cardiff Arms Park where they have been based ever since...
on 20 October 1951 and after missing two games he was back in the squad to face a combined Glasgow and Edinburgh side. Buchler scored a penalty goal and made two conversions in the match, but was forced to leave the field in the second half after injuring his left ankle. The injury kept him away from selection for the next five matches, but he was fit again and selected for the first Test on the 24 November, against Scotland
Scotland national rugby union team
The Scotland national rugby union team represent Scotland in international rugby union. Rugby union in Scotland is administered by the Scottish Rugby Union. The Scotland rugby union team is currently ranked eighth in the IRB World Rankings as of 19 September 2011...
. South Africa beat their Scottish counterparts in an 44-0 whitewash.
After the Scotland game, Buchler was rarely out of the team, playing every two games out of three, picking up the matches from Viviers who was now placed at centre. Buchler was chosen for each of the next three internationals, wins over Ireland, Wales and England, preventing Keevy from winning a cap. Buchler was key to the South African play in the encounter with Wales, punishing Cliff Morgan
Cliff Morgan
Cliff Morgan is a former Welsh rugby union player who played for Cardiff RFC and earned 29 caps for Wales between 1951 and 1958.-Rugby career:...
by returning the Welsh fly-half's kicks with greater precision. The match after the victory over England was in Wales against Newport. Buchlar was chosen over Keevy again, but was forced to leave the pitch temporarily with a thigh strain. During his absence Newport scored their only try
Try
A try is the major way of scoring points in rugby league and rugby union football. A try is scored by grounding the ball in the opposition's in-goal area...
of the match, but South Africa prevailed winning 12-6. Buchler was again classed as injured for the next four matches, the final four games in Britain before the team left for France. Although Buchler was deemed fit for the first game in France he was not chosen, but played in the final three encounters after that. The final game of the tour, 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...
saw Buchler winning his fifth consecutive cap.
Australian tourists and the Australian tour
After the 1951 tour Buchler played in five more internationals, all against AustraliaAustralia 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...
. The first team Buchler faced was John Solomon
John Solomon
John Lewis Solomon is a public servant and former Canadian politician. Since 2001, he has been chair of Saskatchewan's Workers' Compensation Board...
's 1953 tourists, who played four Tests in South Africa. Buchler was chosen for all four Tests. The first at Johannesburg ended in a 25-3 win for South Africa, Buchler scored a penalty goal and a conversion, his first international points. The next Test, played on 5 September saw Bulcher part of a losing international side for the first, and only, time. South Africa were beaten at Cape Town by a narrow 14-18 scoreline. Buchler survived a cull of the team, when the South African selectors dropped six members of the squad for the third Test. The changes had the desired effect, South Africa won the third Test 18-8. The final Test, another Springbok's win, saw Bulcher's ninth consecutive international match. South Africa won 22-9 with Bulcher contributing to the score line with a dropped goal.
Buchler missed the next five South Africa matches, including the entire four Tests of the 1955 British Lions tour to South Africa
1955 British Lions tour to South Africa
In 1955 the British Lions rugby union team toured Southern and Eastern Africa. The Lions drew the test series against , each team winning two of the four matches. They won the first test by a single point and the third by three points and lost the second and fourth matches by wider margins...
. In 1956 another South African tour was undertaken, this time to Australia and New Zealand. Buchler was part of a 32 man squad that travelled to Australia, though the first Test saw Basie Viviers take the fullback position. The next encounter with Australia was at Brisbane on 2 June, and Buchler was selected for his final match, a 9-0 victory for South Africa.