Springbok teammates die
Martiens Louw and Robbie Barnard, hooker and prop, who played together for Transvaal and South Africa, have died just over a week apart.
Louw died in Pretoria on 12 October 2013 and Barnard on 20 October 2013. Louw was 75, Barnard 71.
Barnard, a Diggers member, played for Transvaal from 1964 to 1972, Louw from 1969 to 1974. They both played in the front row for Piet Greyling's Transvaal team when they drew the 1971 Currie Cup Final but neither was in the winning team that beat Eastern Transvaal the following year. That year Louw broke an ankle early in the season.
Barnard played 12 times for the Springboks but his only Test appearance was as a replacement for Piston van Wyk against New Zealand at Newlands in 1970. In 1971 both of them were chosen for the Springbok team for that tour of Australia, a tour that had great highs and great lows. The high was that the Springboks won all their matches, the only Springbok touring team to do so. The low was the demonstrations against the team and the virulence of them. There were seven Transvalers in the team – Peter Cronje, Peter Swanson, Theo Sauerman, Piet Greyling, Syd Nomis, Barnard and Louw. Louw played in the second and third Tests on that tour, replacing Theo Sauerman at loosehead.
After his playing days, Louw was a Transvaal selector, coached Vereeniging and when Vaal Triangle was formed in 1984 he was the new province's vice-president and their coach.
Marthinus Johannes Louw was born in Germiston on 20 April 1938 and educated at Hoërskool Vereeniging. He suffered heart problems for several years and died in a Pretoria Hospital on 12 October 2013 three months after a heart attack. He is survived by his wife Suzette, their three daughters Riana Barkhuizen, Suzette Miller and Erika Delport and five grandchildren.
Robert William Barnard was born in Pretoria on 26 November 1941 and educated at Hoërskool Fakkel. He died of cancer. Barnard's wife Dawn died in 2007. He is survived by their two sons Robert and Johannes. His younger brother, Jannie, was 20 when he played five Tests for South Africa in 1965 but he was killed in a motor smash outside Potchefstroom in 1985.
