Louis Moolman Biography

Former Northern Transvaal lock Louis Moolman was born on 21 January 1951 and sadly passed away in 2006 aged 55 after a short illness after suffering a stroke. He was born in Pretoria and attended Hoërskool Verwoerdburg.

Moolman was a lock in the traditional mould, beyond compare in the line-outs. He represented Northern Transvaal in 171 matches over a period of 13 seasons (1974-1986).

In this period, Louis Moolman represented his province in nine Currie Cup finals winning five. 

His 24 Tests bear further testament of the giant impact he had on South African rugby. 

Louis Moolman made his test debut in 1977 against a World Invitational side at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria. 

The bearded lock was one of the most successful Springbok and Blue Bulls and one of the best players in his era.

He played his last test on 31 May 1986 against the New Zealand Cavaliers at Ellis Park Stadium in Johannesburg at the age of 35. 

Louis Moolman was a solid lock forward and was an impressive sight with his bulk and thick beard at 9.95 meters tall driving upfield with the ball in hand.

Former Springbok captain Wynand Claassen, who played with Moolman since their Under-21 years at Tukkies, described Louis Moolman as one of the "greats" of South African rugby.

“We played together at nearly every level from club level to Springbok. Louis beat the best from all over the world. One never needed to motivate him. He was always ready and was a man of stature on the field.

"Nobody ever took away his line-out ball, he was an excellent scrummager and drove well with the ball."

Louis Moolman was also described as a quiet person, but one of the great characters in the teams for which he had played.

"I remember that on the 1981 tour to New Zealand we lost the first Test and he arranged for a few extra beers on the bus. That was all that was required to make the team get some spirit.”

Louis Moolman played in 19 winning teams for the Springboks and in 13 seasons he played in 171 matches for the Blue Bulls.

In 2000 he was inducted into the University of Pretoria Sport Hall of fame.