John Gainsford was the greatest centre in the world. Learn about his life and career with Rugby365, your resident rugby gurus. Click here for more.
John Gainsford
Nice Guys Come Second is the title of John Gainsford's autobiography and that says it all about both the man and the player. Winners take all, was his approach to rugby and he believed that rugby was played to be won.
John Gainsford was born in Germiston on 4 August 1938 and passed away due to cancer on 17 November 2015 aged 77. He grew up in Lansdowne and went to what was then Lansdowne High School (later known as Windsor High) where he played hooker to start with and then scrumhalf and centre.
John Gainsford was a star athlete and true leader, even during his schooling days where he was head boy, captain of rugby, excelling in cricket, athletics and academic. After school he went to the local club, Villagers and played centre.
He was 19 when he played his first match for Western Province at 20 he went with the Junior Springbok on tour to Argentina in 1959. The following year, at only 21 years of age, he made his debut for the Springboks against Scotland in Port Elizabeth.
John Gainsford played in 71 matches for the Springboks, including tour games, and was known for being the most-capped Springbok centre until his record was overtaken by Japie Mulder in 2001.
He would attack with great determination and, with his physical power and blistering speed for a big man over six feet tall, his opponents found it a daunting task to contain him. He was quick off the mark and John Gainsford could burst pas the inside of his opponents of bly past them on the outside, leaving him hopelessly stranded.
He was energetic, big and strong but with wonderful feet and powerful acceleration as he sprinted, head up and determined. John Gainsford was a Province man through and through. He played for them 46 times, which was a vast number in those days, and he played from 1958 to 1967 without being dropped. He was the Province captain in 1966 when they won the Currie Cup.
Teammate HO de Villiers said of him: “John's speed, brawn and exceptional elusiveness for a man his size were major assets, but I think the real strength of the man was his almost arrogant confidence and his powerful competitive drive.
He wore a Springbok jersey more often than a Province jersey that included 33 Tests between 1960 and 1967 and scored 24 points for the national team. He scored two tries during the 1962 British Lions tour that contributed to South Africa's 3-0 series victory. Gainsford played his last Test in 1967 against the visiting French team.
After his playing days John Gainsford coached Western Province and still later was on the executive committee of the Western Province Rugby Union. In his playing, coaching and administrating he was never afraid to speak his mind and was often at loggerheads with the authorities. But he was also a loyal man and, despite living in Paarl, would continue to serve Villagers, his club.