Springbok blood at Craven Week
There have been Springboks whose sons have become Springboks and there are Springboks whose sons are at the 2013 Craven Week.
It's not new. Ruan Pienaar, son of Springbok Gysie not only went to Craven Week but was chosen for SA Schools and went on to become a Springbok himself. Father Gysie did not have the same path for he did not go to Craven Week at all, though the year after he left school he made his debut for the Free State senior team.
The Bekkers, Hennie and Andries, and the Burgers, Schalk and Schalk, all went to Craven Week and all played for South Africa.
Robert du Preez, tough Springbok scrumhalf of the early 1990s has two sons at Craven Week this year and in fact for the third year running – the twins Daniël and Jean-Luc. They both played for SA Schools last year. This year their slightly older brother Robert, played flyhalf for SA Under-20 at the Junior World Championship in France. Robert – Robert James like his father – was born in 1993, his father's last year as a Springbok. Robert Jnr went to Craven Week in 2011. In 2011 all three brothers went to Craven Week. That was neatly 30 years after their father went to Craven Week in Worcester, playing for Western Transvaal.
On the first day of Craven Week a big blond centre was the star. He scored four tries, tackled with ease and did it all with a smile. He was the man of the match Daniël du Plessis, the grandson of both Willem du Plessis who played for Eastern Province and Michael de Kock who played for Western Province. He is also the son of Springbok Michael, the nephew of Springboks Willie and Carel and Eastern Province wing Jacques. Daniel du Plessis showed that the genes are a long way from running out. Father Michael could play anywhere he chose on the rugby field, prop apart. He was a star centre and flyhalf. He was one of the few players Dr Craven regarded as a genius.
There is also a grandson – Johan du Toit, the grandson of the mighty Piet du Toit, an abnormally strong prop whose nickname was Spiere. Johan's older brother is Pieter-Steph du Toit – names really Pieter Stephanus, the same names as his Springbok grandfather. His grandfather was 20 when he was chosen to tour New Zealand in 1956; Pieter-Steph was 20 when called into the Springboks squad in 2013, forced out by injury. He turns 21 on 22 August 2013. Like Pieter-Steph, Johan is a lock for Boland Schools.
Western Provinbce also have a grandson, an imposing centre from his grandfather's old school – Jarryd Sage whose grandafther was Dopug Hopwood, one of the greatest Springboks of all time.
There would have been another Springbok's son. Matthew Reece-Edwards was chosen at scrumhalf for KwaZulu Natal but was injured late in the last school game of the term, playing for Kearsney against Maritzburg College. His father was the great Natal fullback, Hugh Reece-Edwards who played for South Africa in the early 1990s – at the same time as Robert du Preez. Father Hugh captained Natal schools at the 1979 Craven Week.
There is a lot of achievement in those families.
