Harry Abrahams Dies

Harry Abrahams, a great man of rugby died at home on 19 June 2014, three weeks after his wife Gwen. He was 8+4.

Harry Francis Abrahams was born in Humansdorp on 19 September 1929. The family moved to Somerset West when he was small and he went to St George' Primary School and Trafalgar High School in Cape Town. In the community and at Trafalgar he acquired a love of rugby that lasted him all his life.

A small man, he was a scrumhalf. He played provincial rugby for Somerset Board and then became a referee. He refereed the Final of the Gold Cup in 1967 and a Test between the Federation and the African Springboks at Athlone Stadium in 1971, at which time he was a Federation national selector and helped in picking the team that played against England in 1972.

By profession Abrahams was a schoolmaster and later on the staff at the University of the Western Cape. His passion for rugby took him into coaching and he coached the Tygerberg provincial team.

It was in refereeing that Abrahams probably made his biggest contribution to the game. A Test referee, he went on to become the chairman of TRASA, SARU's refereeing body in pre-unification days. He led his referees into unification as the leader of the 10 representatives of the five SARU units in the Western Province area and into unification of SA Referees. He was vice chairman to Piet Robbertse on the new national body and vice-chairman of the new Western Province Referees where he took on the task of appointments.

He had a good eye for a referee and encouraged the referees. One of his proteges was Carl Spannenberg, a Test referee at the time of his untimely death by drowning on Zeekoeivlei.

In 2010 Abrahams was made a life member of South African Referees.

A vast knowledge of rugby, its history and players has died with him.