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Theuns Briers Dies

Theuns Briers, a great Springbok wing in his playing days, has died at just over 89 years of age.

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He lived most of his life in the Paarl District, born there, was schooled there, played his rugby there and farmed there till he retired to Bloubergstrand.

Doc Craven said of him: Theuns Briers could and did win matches from the wing position because he was so strong and powerful.

Briers went to Paarl Boys’ High, a great school with a strong rugby tradition. After school he continued playing, this time for the Paarl club, a force in the Western Province. In fact in his last season Paarl were Grand Challenge Champions.

He played for Western Province from 1953 to 1959. In his time,  when the Currie Cup was in competition only three times, Western Province won it twice, in 1954 and 1959.

In 1955 the Springbok trials were in Johannesburg and Craven insisted that Briers be amongst the trialists. Craven said: “He played himself into the Springbok team with a brilliant performance.”

The great 1955 Lions toured that year and Briers played against them five times – for Western Province and then in all four Tests. The first Test is still regarded as one of the greatest in rugby history when the Lions won 23-22 before what is believed to have been 100 000 spectators. Briers scored two tries for South Africa that day, the first after a pass from Daan Retief when the right wing beat three defenders to score. He scored the second just before the final whistle. It moved the score to 23-22 in the Lions’ favour with the kick to come. The kick failed.

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The Springboks won the second Test 25-9, a brilliant performance by the Springboks. Briers scored a try. There was only one try scored in the third Test, by Jeff Butterfield. The Lions won 9-6.

The Springboks saved the rubber in the fourth Test in Port Elizabeth when they won 22-8, and Briers again scored two tries. In four Tests Briers scored five tries.

After the exhilaration of the Lions’ tour, the Springbok tour to Australia and New Zealand was a unhappy time for the Springboks. Briers had declared himself unavailable for the tour and so was not one of the four wings chosen. But when injuries struck Briers and James Starke flew out to bolster the Springboks. They arrived just before the first Test in New Zealand and were not chosen, but Briers was back on the wing for the remaining three tests. Apart from the Tests Briers played in five other tour matches, scoring tries, including a hat-trick against the Maori

Briers’s rugby interest lasted long beyond his playing days and he would regularly come in from Paarl to Newlands on a rugby occasion.

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Theunis Petrus Daniel Briers was born in Otterkuil in the Paarl District on 11 July 1929. A strong man of few words, he farmed and was a director of Windmeul Cellars. He died on 7 October 2018 in Bloubegstrand, survived by his wife Elna, their three children, sons Ryk and Francois and daughter Salome,  and their families.

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