Johannes "Jan" Albertus Prinsloo (1935 – 1966) was a South African rugby union and professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1950s and 1960s. He played representative level rugby union (RU) for South Africa, and at provincial level for Western Province as a wing, i.e. number 11 or 14, and representative rugby league (RL) for

Rugby League XIII The Rugby League XIII was an invitation team run along the same lines as the Rugby Union Barbarians team. Particularly in the Second World War, when international fixtures were restricted to England V Wales. The Rugby League would play representa ...

, and at club level for St Helens and Wakefield Trinity ( Heritage № 669) as a , i.e. number 2 or 5.

Playing career

International honours

Jan Prinsloo won caps for South Africa (RU) while at Western Province against France on Saturday 26 July 1958, and against France on Saturday 16 August 1958, and represented

(RL).

Club career

Jan Prinsloo was signed by St. Helens on 14 October 1958, he scored his first try for St. Helens as part of a two-try début against Rochdale Hornets on Saturday 8 November 1958. During the 1958–59 season Prinsloo scored hat-tricks against Salford and

Blackpool Borough Blackpool Borough was a rugby league club based in Blackpool, Lancashire, England, that played in the Rugby Football League from 1954 until 1993. The club moved to Wigan in 1987 and was renamed Springfield Borough; to Chorley in 1988 and was ...

for a season total of 27-tries from 31 games. Prinsloo played a vital part in finishing dazzling moves for many a St. Helens victory including the sensational 1959

Championship Final In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion. Championship systems Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship. Title match system In this system ...

win by 44 points to 22 over a great Hunslet side where Prinsloo exhibited a fabulous touchline dash rounded off with his trademark 'swallow dive' over the try-line. During the 1959–60 season Prinsloo scored 4-tries against Liverpool City and a hat-trick of tries against Hull FC, finishing the season with 29-tries from 38 matches. The following year brought more success with a hat-trick of tries against Workington Town, his last match for St. Helens was against Warrington on Saturday 7 January 1961. The transferring of both Prinsloo to Wakefield Trinity and

Frank Carlton Frank Carlton (21 March 1936 – 19 February 2009) was an English professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1950s and 1960s. He played at representative level for Great Britain and England, and at club level for St. Helens, and W ...

to Wigan paved the way for a £11,000 World Record transfer to bring Mick Sullivan to Knowsley Road. Prinsloo had the daunting task of wearing the St. Helens number five jersey at the same time as Tom van Vollenhoven was setting the whole game on fire on the other wing. His record and strike-rate demonstrates what a fine finisher Prinsloo was in rugby league. He made his début for Wakefield Trinity during February 1961, and he played his last match for Wakefield Trinity during the 1962–63 season.

County Cup Final appearances

Jan Prinsloo played , i.e. number 5, in St. Helens 4-5 defeat by Warrington in the

1959 Events January * January 1 - Cuba: Fulgencio Batista flees Havana when the forces of Fidel Castro advance. * January 2 - Lunar probe Luna 1 was the first man-made object to attain escape velocity from Earth. It reached the vicinity of E ...

Lancashire County Cup Final during the 1959–60 season at Central Park, Wigan on Saturday 31 October 1959, and played in the 15-9 victory over Swinton in the

1960 It is also known as the "Year of Africa" because of major events—particularly the independence of seventeen African nations—that focused global attention on the continent and intensified feelings of Pan-Africanism. Events January * Ja ...

Lancashire County Cup Final during the 1960–61 season at Central Park, Wigan on Saturday 29 October 1960 in front of a crowd of over 31,000.

References

External links

Search for "Prinsloo" at rugbyleagueproject.orgProfile at saints.org.ukSearch for "Jan Prinsloo" at britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk
{{DEFAULTSORT:Prinsloo, Johannes 1935 births 1966 deaths Afrikaner people Expatriate rugby league players in England Sportspeople from Pretoria Rugby league players from Gauteng Rugby league wingers Rugby League XIII players Rugby union players from Pretoria Rugby union wings South Africa international rugby union players South African expatriate rugby league players South African expatriate sportspeople in England South African people of Dutch descent South African rugby league players South African rugby union players St Helens R.F.C. players Wakefield Trinity players