Wynand Claassen Biography

Wynand Claassen, born on 16 January 1951 in Schweizer-Reneke, captained the Springboks in 1981 and '82 and in 1985 became the youngest ever National Springbok Selector and also the first ever to be selected while still actively playing rugby, before retiring from the game in April 1985.

Wynand Claassen was selected as eighth-man for Northern Transvaal whilst studying architecture at the University of Pretoria in the late 1970s. He formed a loose-trio with Thys Lourens and Burger Geldenhuys and soon had two Currie Cup final victories. 

In 1980 Wynand Claassen moved to Natal and was selected for the Springboks in 1981, captaining the team on his debut against Ireland. Despite Natal's relegation to the Currie Cup B section at the end of 1981 he remained the Springbok captain. He has seven test caps, all as captain, and also played in six tour matches, scoring two tries.

His reign as Springbok captain will always be remembers for the tumultuous tour in New Zealand and the animosity that met the team upon their arrival in 1981. 

It was a tour marred by flour bombs, protests, and the Springboks that had to sleep on changeroom floors, in stadiums and even squash courts on camping beds. The tour was in jeopardy and the Springboks were not prepared for what awaited them in Kiwi country.

But Wynand Claassen had to deal with much more than just protesters. He wasn't the first choice eight man and wasn't included in the first test Christchurch's Lancaster Park, which the Springboks lost 14-9. 

But despite receiving a cold shoulder from the Springbok management, Wynand Claassen would go on to lead the Springboks with an inspiring performance to a 24-12 victory over the All Blacks in the second test in Wellington. This game was the highlight of his career.

The Springboks came very close to becoming only the second team since 1937 to achieve a series win over the All Blacks, but a questionable penalty in the dying stages of the third test meant a 22-25 game and series lost.

During his student days Wynand Claassen played for Tukkies from 1969 to 1979 - captaining the first team during his last six years. He represented the Blue Bulls in 61 games: four as captain before he moved to Durban to join Natal and captained the team in each of his 65 games.

After retiring as a player, Wynand Claassen remained actively involved in the sport as a coach. He coached various teams and since 1995, he served as a selector and manager of the Springbok Sevens team, while at the beginning of 2000 he was re-elected on the Springbok Senior Selection panel and also served as the convenor of the South Africa Under 19 team until the beginning of 2004. 

Wynand Claassen returned to Pretoria and became a real stalwart at his Alma Mater. He coached Tukkies in 2001 before moving into the administration of the game and fullfilled roles as Chairman and President of Tuks Rugby.