Robert James Louw (born 26 March 1955) is a South African
rugby football
Rugby football is the collective name for the team sports of rugby union and rugby league.
Canadian football and, to a lesser extent, American football were once considered forms of rugby football, but are seldom now referred to as such. The ...
er who represented
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the ...
19 times in international test rugby union. He also played in the
Western Province
Western Province or West Province may refer to:
* Western Province, Cameroon
*Western Province, Rwanda
*Western Province (Kenya)
*Western Province (Papua New Guinea)
*Western Province (Solomon Islands)
*Western Province, Sri Lanka
*Western Provin ...
teams that won the
Currie Cup
The Currie Cup is South Africa's premier domestic rugby union competition, played each winter and spring (June to October), featuring teams representing either entire provinces or substantial regions within provinces. Although it is the premier ...
five consecutive times. South African rugby chief
Danie Craven
Daniël Hartman Craven (11 October 1910 – 4 January 1993) was a South African rugby union player (1931–1938), national coach, national and international rugby administrator, academic, and author. Popularly known as Danie, Doc, or Mr R ...
rated Louw as "one of the best Springboks ever to represent South Africa", "fast enough to play among the backs", and a "superb ambassador for South Africa" due to "his friendly manner and attractive personality". Louw was nominated as South African Rugby Player of the Year in 1979 and in 1984.
Background
Rob Louw was born in
Wynberg, Cape Town
Wynberg () is a southern suburb of the City of Cape Town in Western Cape, South Africa. It is situated between Plumstead and Kenilworth, and is a main transport hub for the Southern Suburbs of Cape Town.
History
In the 1650s, Jan van Riebee ...
on 26 March 1955 to one of the oldest families of Western descent in South Africa. He has two brothers, Mark and Michael. His ancestor Jan Pieterz Louw (1628–91) moved in 1658 from Caspel ter Maere in the
Netherlands
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, image_map =
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, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands
, established_title = Before independence
, established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
to the way-station at the
Cape of Good Hope that the
Dutch East India Company
The United East India Company ( nl, Verenigde Oostindische Compagnie, the VOC) was a chartered company established on the 20th March 1602 by the States General of the Netherlands amalgamating existing companies into the first joint-stock ...
had established in 1652 (present-day
Cape Town
Cape Town ( af, Kaapstad; , xh, iKapa) is one of South Africa's three capital cities, serving as the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. It is the legislative capital of the country, the oldest city in the country, and the second largest ...
). His grandfather, Matthys Michiel Louw (b. 1855), was a nurse at the
leper
Leprosy, also known as Hansen's disease (HD), is a long-term infection by the bacteria ''Mycobacterium leprae'' or ''Mycobacterium lepromatosis''. Infection can lead to damage of the nerves, respiratory tract, skin, and eyes. This nerve damag ...
colony established in 1845 on
Robben Island
Robben Island ( af, Robbeneiland) is an island in Table Bay, 6.9 kilometres (4.3 mi) west of the coast of Bloubergstrand, north of Cape Town, South Africa. It takes its name from the Dutch word for seals (''robben''), hence the Dutch/Afrik ...
, before its transition to a prison. Rob's father, Matthew Michael (Matt) Louw, was born on the island in 1922, and served in the South African Air Force's
30 Squadron in
Cairo
Cairo ( ; ar, القاهرة, al-Qāhirah, ) is the Capital city, capital of Egypt and its largest city, home to 10 million people. It is also part of the List of urban agglomerations in Africa, largest urban agglomeration in Africa, List of ...
during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
. Matt was stationed in Italy for a while, as well as at the military installation on Robben Island in the 1940s, as a radio telegraphist. As a young man Matt had played rugby until a knee injury in 1954 ended his playing career. Due to his love of the game, Matt became a referee, a role in which he continued until he was in his 70s.
Early life
Louw received his secondary education at
Wynberg Boys' High School
Wynberg Boys' High School is a public English medium boys high school situated in the suburb of Wynberg of Cape Town in the Western Cape province of South Africa. Founded in 1841, it is one of the best academic schools in Cape Town, it is the ...
and his tertiary education at
Stellenbosch University
Stellenbosch University ( af, Universiteit Stellenbosch) is a public research university situated in Stellenbosch, a town in the Western Cape province of South Africa. Stellenbosch is the oldest university in South Africa and the oldest extant ...
. The Springbok fast bowler
Garth le Roux was one of his school mate
Louw joined the South African Navy, where he was Sportsman of the Year for two consecutive years.
Early career
Louw gained provincial selection to Western Province's 1972–1973 school teams for
Craven Week
The Craven Week is an annual rugby union tournament organised for schoolboys in the Republic of South Africa. The tournament started in July 1964, and is named after the legendary Springbok rugby union player and coach Dr Danie Craven.
The to ...
. In 1975 he was selected for a South African under-21 team that included
Gysie Pienaar
Zacharias Matheus Johannes 'Gysie' Pienaar (born 21 December 1954 in Bloemfontein, South Africa) is a former South African rugby union player.
Playing career
Pienaar played for the Free State and the Springboks. He made his test debut agai ...
,
Divan Serfontein
David Jacobus 'Divan' Serfontein (born 3 Augustus 1954 in Krugersdorp, South Africa) is a former Springbok rugby union player.
Playing career Provincial career
Serfontein started his rugby career in 1974 at where he was selected for the club' ...
, and
Schalk Burger
Schalk Willem Petrus Burger Jr. (born 13 April 1983) is a South African former professional rugby union player. He played as a flanker for Saracens in the English Premiership and has won 86 caps for South Africa.
He was a member of the 2007 ...
Sr.
As a student he regularly represented his university, which has the most rugby teams of any club in South Africa. At the 1979 Toyota annual national club rugby tournament, Louw scored five tries in
Maties
Stellenbosch University ( af, Universiteit Stellenbosch) is a public research university situated in Stellenbosch, a town in the Western Cape province of South Africa. Stellenbosch is the oldest university in South Africa and the oldest extant ...
' game against
Pukke, who lost 9-97. By 1990 Louw's feat still stood as the record for most tries scored by a player during the tournament. The Stellenbosch team set several other records in this 1979 encounter: most points in a match, most tries in a game (16), and the largest win margin. They not only won the 1979 tournament, but set records for most tries in the tournament (26) and most points in the competition (165). Stellenbosch beat
Tukkies 27–11 in the final to emerge overall champions.
Louw played 81 times for Western Province's senior team from 1978 to 1985, appearing in six Currie Cup Finals winning three.
During Province's centenary year celebrations in 1983 he played for his home team on 31 May against a Rest of South Africa team. At the time his home club was given as Defence.
He scored a try in Province's
1984 Currie Cup
The 1984 Currie Cup was the 46th edition of the Currie Cup, the premier annual domestic rugby union competition in South Africa.
The tournament was won by for the 25th time; they beat 19–9 in the final in Cape Town.
See also
* Currie Cup
...
Final victory of 19–9 over Natal.
International career
Louw made his test début at the New Wanderers Ground in
Johannesburg
Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu and xh, eGoli ), colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, or "The City of Gold", is the largest city in South Africa, classified as a megacity, and is one of the 100 largest urban areas in the world. According to Dem ...
against a South American team on 26 April 1980. Captained by
Morné du Plessis
Morné du Plessis OIS (; born 21 October 1949) is a former South African rugby union player often described as one of the Springboks' most successful captains. During the five years from 1975 to 1980 that he served as captain, the Springboks wo ...
, the South Africans beat their opponents by 24-9 before a crowd of 34,000.
Appropriately enough, he finished his test career just over four years later with a match on 27 October 1984 against South America and Spain at Cape Town. The increasing pressure from internal and international opposition to apartheid had rung the death knell for international competition by South Africa's sports teams. Louw had played in 28 Springbok matches, of which 19 were tests; the most notable were probably the 1980 series in South Africa against the British and Irish Lions, and the 1981 tour to New Zealand and the USA.
British and Irish Lions tour, 1980
Louw was selected for all four of South Africa's tests against the touring
British and Irish Lions
The British & Irish Lions is a rugby union team selected from players eligible for the national teams of England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. The Lions are a test side and most often select players who have already played for their national ...
, and scored in each of the first two matches. His first test try came on 31 May at
Newlands Stadium
The Newlands Stadium, referred to as DHL Newlands for sponsorship reasons,
is located in Cape Town, South Africa. The stadium has a capacity of 51,900 people, but is not an all-seater venue.
Various sports teams use the stadium as their hom ...
, his home ground. Gysie Pienaar had chipped and gathered the ball for a storming run down the right-side of the field before passing to Louw on his inside. Louw evaded a hapless
John Carleton with an inside swerve, and scored from 25 metres out, despite the attempts of Lions' wing
Mike Slemen
Michael Anthony Charles Slemen (11 May 1951 – 20 July 2020) was an international rugby union player. He toured South Africa in 1980 with the British and Irish Lions and at the time played club rugby for Liverpool.
Early life
Mike Slemen wa ...
. He drove for the try-line with full-back
Rodney O'Donnell
Rodney Christopher O'Donnell (born 16 August 1956)Known by all as “The HotRodESPN Scrum.com is a former Ireland international rugby union player. He made his Ireland debut in Australia in 1979 when Ireland won both tests (the first Northern H ...
on his back for the last six metres, and scored before an ecstatic crowd of 40,000.
In the second test match at the
Free State Stadium
The Free State Stadium ( af, Vrystaatstadion), currently known as the Toyota Stadium for sponsorship reasons and formerly known as Vodacom Park, is a stadium in Bloemfontein, South Africa, used mainly for rugby union and also sometimes for associa ...
in
Bloemfontein
Bloemfontein, ( ; , "fountain of flowers") also known as Bloem, is one of South Africa's three capital cities and the capital of the Free State province. It serves as the country's judicial capital, along with legislative capital Cape To ...
on 14 June, Louw scored in the 12th minute of the game.
Wing
A wing is a type of fin that produces lift while moving through air or some other fluid. Accordingly, wings have streamlined cross-sections that are subject to aerodynamic forces and act as airfoils. A wing's aerodynamic efficiency is e ...
Gerrie Germishuys
Johannes Servaas Germishuys, best known as Gerrie Germishuys (born 29 October 1949 in Port Shepstone, Natal) is a former South African rugby union player who played wing for the Springboks.
Biography
As a winger, Germishuys was known for his sp ...
had intercepted a cross-field kick by the Lions'
Andy Irvine and sprinted down the left-side of the field, wrong-footing a retreating John Carleton with an outside-inside swerve. Germishuys passed to Louw, who gave the ball to
Willie du Plessis upon being tackled himself. Louw jumped up and ran himself into position on Du Plessis' inside to take his second pass. The cross-cover defense of
Ray Gravell
Raymond William Robert Gravell (12 September 1951 – 31 October 2007) was a Welsh rugby union centre who played club rugby for Llanelli RFC.
At international level, Gravell earned 23 caps for Wales and was selected for the 1980 British Lions t ...
arrived too late to stop Louw's try in the corner. Before the match
''The Glasgow Herald'' had noted the pace of Louw, matched with that of Du Plessis, gave the Springboks "a marked superiority".
New Zealand tour, 1981
The Springbok tour to New Zealand met a barrage of protests against the policy of
apartheid
Apartheid (, especially South African English: , ; , "aparthood") was a system of institutionalised racial segregation that existed in South Africa and South West Africa (now Namibia) from 1948 to the early 1990s. Apartheid was ...
. Protesters opposed the tour as part of an international anti-apartheid movement that believed in denying economic, sporting and cultural contact with South Africa. The movement wanted to isolate the South African government and force it to negotiate with the liberation movements, particularly the African National Congress.
On the tour, Louw shared a room with coloured flyhalf
Errol Tobias
Errol George Tobias (born 18 March 1950) is a former South African rugby union footballer, and the first player of colour to play in a test match for the South African national side. He gained six caps between 1981 and 1984 when the country was ...
. In an interview reported in ''The Sydney Morning Herald'', Louw claimed that black and coloured players were proud of the Springboks and that rugby had created a sense of unity among South Africans. Due to his friendship with Tobias, Louw was not well-regarded by team manager
Johan Claassen
Professor Johannes Theodorus Claassen (23 September 1929 – 6 January 2019) was a South African rugby player, playing at the second-row forward position.
Biography
He attended school in Christiana and later attended University in Potchefstro ...
and coach
Nelie Smith. Reflecting on the tour 15 years later, former Springbok flank
Boland Coetzee praised Louw and
Hempies du Toit for their efforts to make Tobias feel welcome.
The All Black visit to South Africa in 1985 was cancelled due to political pressure from anti-apartheid organizations. Trials had already been held to select a national squad. To compensate South African players for the cancellation, the South African Rugby Board selected a so-called "Shadow" Springbok team for an internal tour. The team included Louw and two players of colour, Dolly Ntaka from the black
South African Rugby Association, and Wilfred Cupido from the coloured Western Province Leagues.
International caps
Playing abroad
L'Aquila, 1980–1985
Louw was probably the first rugby player of international standard to play rugby in Italy regularly, from 1980 to 1985. Louw played in the
L'Aquila team of 1980–1981 which won the Italian league title, beating
Treviso
Treviso ( , ; vec, Trevixo) is a city and '' comune'' in the Veneto region of northern Italy. It is the capital of the province of Treviso and the municipality has 84,669 inhabitants (as of September 2017). Some 3,000 live within the Ven ...
39–33. He later returned to coach
Rugby Roma.
Wigan, 1985–1987
After the cancellation of the 1985
All Black
The New Zealand national rugby union team, commonly known as the All Blacks ( mi, Ōpango), represents New Zealand in men's international rugby union, which is considered the country's national sport. The team won the Rugby World Cup in 1987, ...
tour to South Africa due to South Africa's apartheid policies, Louw joined the professional rugby league club
Wigan
Wigan ( ) is a large town in Greater Manchester, England, on the River Douglas. The town is midway between the two cities of Manchester, to the south-east, and Liverpool, to the south-west. Bolton lies to the north-east and Warrington t ...
in
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
, accompanied by Springbok teammate
Ray Mordt.
Louw and Mordt's actions caused
Danie Craven
Daniël Hartman Craven (11 October 1910 – 4 January 1993) was a South African rugby union player (1931–1938), national coach, national and international rugby administrator, academic, and author. Popularly known as Danie, Doc, or Mr R ...
to inveigle against "traitors", in the context not only of the antipathy between rugby union and rugby league, but also because rugby union at the time was committed to amateurism as guiding principle. In order to sign on at Wigan, Louw and Mordt had to relinquish their amateur status, which excluded them from further involvement with rugby union at the time.
Initially Louw had to play in Wigan's second team, but recently appointed New Zealand coach
Graham Lowe
Sir Graham Michael Lowe is the owner of the Bradford Bulls together with fellow New Zealander Andrew Chalmers. He is a New Zealand former rugby league football coach and administrator. He previously coached in Australia and England and was the ...
soon included him as a lock, alongside
Ian Potter
Sir William Ian Potter (25 August 190224 October 1994), known as Ian Potter, was an Australian stockbroker, businessman and philanthropist. Potter was knighted in 1962. The Ian Potter Foundation, which he established in 1964, has made grants t ...
, in the first team. Despite good performances by Louw and fellow-South African Nick du Toit in the last games of the season, Wigan lost by one point to Halifax in the race for the 1986 British rugby league title.
Rob Louw played as an
interchange/
substitute, i.e. number 15, (replacing
Ian Roberts) in
Wigan
Wigan ( ) is a large town in Greater Manchester, England, on the River Douglas. The town is midway between the two cities of Manchester, to the south-east, and Liverpool, to the south-west. Bolton lies to the north-east and Warrington t ...
's 15–8 victory over
Oldham
Oldham is a large town in Greater Manchester, England, amid the Pennines and between the rivers Irk and Medlock, southeast of Rochdale and northeast of Manchester. It is the administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham ...
in the
1986
The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations.
Events January
* January 1
**Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles.
**Spain and Portugal enter ...
Lancashire
Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly.
The non-metropolitan county of Lancash ...
County Cup
The county football associations are the local governing bodies of association football in England and the Crown dependencies. County FAs exist to govern all aspects of football in England. They are responsible for administering club and player ...
Final during the
1986–87 season at
Knowsley Road
Knowsley Road in Eccleston, St Helens, Merseyside, was the home ground of St. Helens from 1890 until its closure in 2010. St Helens Town FC played their home fixtures at Knowsley Road from 2002 until 2010. For a period, the venue also hoste ...
,
St. Helens, on Sunday 19 October 1986.
In 1987, Louw was on the reserve bench but was not used when Wigan beat Warrington to retain the
John Player Special Trophy, while Mordt did not make the team. Louw made enough appearances to win a league medal as Wigan won the league in 1986/87.
World XVs, 1984, 1997
Louw was selected for two world fifteen matches abroad,
both in 1984, and he also played for a South African invitational team against a World XV in 1997.
To commemorate the completion of
Cardiff Arms Park
Cardiff Arms Park ( cy, Parc yr Arfau Caerdydd), also known as The Arms Park, is situated in the centre of Cardiff, Wales. It is primarily known as a rugby union stadium, but it also has a bowling green. The Arms Park was host to the British ...
, an invitational Wales Rugby Union President's XV was selected to play
Wales
Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...
in 1984. Louw was appointed captain of the President's XV, which included All Blacks
Gary Whetton
Gary William Whetton (born 15 December 1959) is a former New Zealand rugby union player. He played 180 matches for Auckland, and 58 tests (15 as captain) at lock for the All Blacks from 1981 to 1991. He serves on the Auckland Blues board and was ...
and
Steven Pokere, Australian
Roger Gould and Peter Grigg, and fellow-South Africans Wilfred Cupido (a coloured player, selected for the Springboks' internal tour of South Africa in 1985) and
Henning van Aswegenbr>
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On 3 April the World XV encountered Crawshay's Welsh Rugby Football Club at
Stradey Park
Stradey Park (Welsh: ''Parc y Strade'') was a rugby union stadium located near the centre of the town of Llanelli in Carmarthenshire, Wales. It was the home of the Scarlets region and Llanelli RFC rugby teams. The stadium was a combination o ...
in
Llanelli
Llanelli (" St Elli's Parish"; ) is a market town and the largest community in Carmarthenshire and the preserved county of Dyfed, Wales. It is located on the Loughor estuary north-west of Swansea and south-east of the county town, Carmarth ...
.
Louw was included in the RFU President's XV five months later that played against England on 29 September 1984.
Danie Gerber
Danie Gerber (born 14 April 1958 in Port Elizabeth, Union of South Africa) is a former South African rugby union player, who played for South Africa between 1980 and 1992. He played mainly at inside or outside centre, but also on the wing.
Hi ...
, Errol Tobias, and
Rudi Visagie were among his teammates, while the England squad included
Rob Andrew,
Rory Underwood
Rory Underwood, (born 19 June 1963) is an English former rugby union player, he is 's record international try scorer with 49 tries in 85 internationals between 1984 and 1996. Underwood's principal position was wing and he played 236 games for ...
and
Clive Woodward
Sir Clive Ronald Woodward (born 6 January 1956) is an English former rugby union player and coach. He was coach of the team from 1997 to 2004, managing them to victory in the 2003 Rugby World Cup. He also coached the 2005 British & Irish Lion ...
.
In 1997, Louw played in a South African team against a World XV in Stellenbosch to benefit
Keith Andrews and
Robert Jones. The South African team included
Danie Gerber
Danie Gerber (born 14 April 1958 in Port Elizabeth, Union of South Africa) is a former South African rugby union player, who played for South Africa between 1980 and 1992. He played mainly at inside or outside centre, but also on the wing.
Hi ...
,
Breyton Paulse and
Nick Mallett
Nicholas Vivian Haward Mallett (born 30 October 1956) is a former South African rugby union player who played for the Springboks, South Africa's national rugby union team, in 1984. He also coached the Springboks between 1997 and 2000 and was the ...
, while the World XV boasted Scotland's
Gavin Hastings
Andrew Gavin Hastings, (born 3 January 1962) is a Scottish former rugby union player. A fullback, he is widely regarded to be one of the best ever Scottish rugby players and was one of the outstanding players of his generation, winning 61 ...
, the Frenchmen
Philippe Saint-André
Philippe Georges Saint-André (; born 19 April 1967) is a former French rugby union footballer and currently the manager of Top 14 side Montpellier. He earned 69 test caps for France between 1990 and 1997. His preferred position was wing but he ...
and
Philippe Sella, Wales'
Phil Davies, and England's
Peter Winterbottom
Peter James Winterbottom (born 31 May 1960 in Otley, West Yorkshire), is a former England rugby union footballer who played as an openside flanker. He was England's most-capped openside (with 58 caps) until being overtaken by Neil Back in 20 ...
and
Mike Teague
Michael Clive Teague (born 8 October 1960) is a former England and British Lions rugby union footballer.
Early life
Teague was born and raised on a farm a few miles outside Gloucester. He attended Churchdown School.
Personal life
Teague mar ...
.
Classics tournaments
Louw has turned out in several tournaments for former international players.
In November 1997, he participated in the World Rugby Classic series in
Bermuda
)
, anthem = "God Save the King"
, song_type = National song
, song = "Hail to Bermuda"
, image_map =
, map_caption =
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, alongside
Wilfred Cupido,
Helgard Muller, and
Mkaya Jack. In April 2000 he played in the Golden Oldies tournament in
Japan, along with
Gysie Pienaar
Zacharias Matheus Johannes 'Gysie' Pienaar (born 21 December 1954 in Bloemfontein, South Africa) is a former South African rugby union player.
Playing career
Pienaar played for the Free State and the Springboks. He made his test debut agai ...
,
Avril Williams
Avril Percy Williams (born 10 February 1961 in Paarl) is a former rugby union wing who was the second coloured man (after Errol Tobias) to play for South Africa. His nephew Chester Williams later played for the Springboks too.
Playing career
Wil ...
, Wilfred Cupido,
Divan Serfontein
David Jacobus 'Divan' Serfontein (born 3 Augustus 1954 in Krugersdorp, South Africa) is a former Springbok rugby union player.
Playing career Provincial career
Serfontein started his rugby career in 1974 at where he was selected for the club' ...
,
Burger Geldenhuys, and
Eben Jansen
Eben-Haeser Jansen (born 5 June 1954 in Griekwastad, Northern Cape, South Africa) is a former South African rugby union player.
Playing career
Jansen played for the Free State in the South African Currie Cup competition. He made his test debu ...
. In March 2004, Louw was in the squad for the match between the Springbok Legends and the Puma Classics of
Argentina
Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...
at the
Olivos Rugby Club
Olivos Rugby Club is an Argentine rugby union and field hockey club located in the Munro district of Vicente López Partido. The rugby team is member of the Unión de Rugby de Buenos Aires (URBA), having won its only URBA championship in 1940. Ol ...
in Buenos Aires. Others in the squad included
John Allan,
James Small,
Pieter Hendriks
Pieter Hendriks (born 13 April 1970), is a former South African rugby union player who played for the South Africa national rugby union team between 1992 and 1996.
Playing career
Hendriks represented the South Eastern Transvaal Schools team at ...
,
Garth Wright
Garth Derick Wright (born 9 September 1963) is a former South African rugby union player.
Playing career
Wright played for Eastern Province and Transvaal in the South African domestic competitions. He made his test debut for the Springboks ...
,
Zithobile Ntaka,
Dick Muir, and
Gary Teichmann.
Further rugby involvement
Louw applied to the South African Rugby Board (SARB) in 1988 for reinstatement as an amateur in order to play in and coach a
South African Defence Force
The South African Defence Force (SADF) (Afrikaans: ''Suid-Afrikaanse Weermag'') comprised the armed forces of South Africa from 1957 until 1994. Shortly before the state reconstituted itself as a republic in 1961, the former Union Defence F ...
club. Louw's appeal was based on an International Rugby Board rule that allowed former professional players to play for Defence Force clubs. The disciplinary committee of the SARB rejected Louw's appeal on the grounds that he was not a serving member of the Defence Force, even though he was a Navy reservist at the time. By 1994, Louw had been allowed to return to rugby, and was coaching Hamilton Rugby Football Club in Greenpoint.
In 1992, Louw was included in a South African Veterans' B team which played against an A team at Dan QueQue Stadium in the black township of
New Brighton,
Port Elizabeth. The match was notable for the exploits of
Bantu Holomisa
Bantubonke Harrington Holomisa (born 25 July 1955) is a South African Member of Parliament and President of the United Democratic Movement.
Holomisa was born in Mqanduli, Cape Province. He joined the Transkei Defence Force in 1976 and had b ...
, who sprinted 40 metres to score a try for the A team, which won 35–34. Other members of the team included
Hennie Bekker, alongside players of colour such as
Godfrey Symons and
Aslam Toefy. Louw succeeded with a goal kick for the B team, which included
Norman Xhoxho,
Zola Dunjwa and
Zola Yeye. In the main curtain raiser, an invitational A team was beaten 52-47 by a B team that included
Mike Catt
Michael John Catt OBE (born 17 September 1971) is a South African-born former rugby union player who played for the England national rugby union team. He played professionally for the clubs London Irish and Bath. He earned 75 international ca ...
, who later represented
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
in their
Rugby World Cup
The Rugby World Cup is a men's rugby union tournament contested every four years between the top international teams. The tournament is administered by World Rugby, the sport's international governing body. The winners are awarded the Webb E ...
Final victory in 2003.
Louw served as manager of South Africa's Sevens rugby team at the Commonwealth Games in Manchester in July 2002. Earlier that year he was one of the co-presenters on four training programs in
Gauteng
Gauteng ( ) is one of the nine provinces of South Africa. The name in Sotho-Tswana languages means 'place of gold'.
Situated on the Highveld, Gauteng is the smallest province by land area in South Africa. Although Gauteng accounts for only ...
that was co-sponsored by rugby ball manufacturer
Gilbert and the
Afrikaans
Afrikaans (, ) is a West Germanic language that evolved in the Dutch Cape Colony from the Dutch vernacular of Holland proper (i.e., the Hollandic dialect) used by Dutch, French, and German settlers and their enslaved people. Afrikaans gra ...
newspaper
Beeld
''Beeld'' (freely translated as ''Picture'' or ''Image'') is an Afrikaans-language daily newspaper that was launched on 16 September 1974. ''Beeld'' is distributed in four provinces of South Africa: Gauteng, Mpumalanga, Limpopo and North West, ...
.
Family
Louw is married to Azille and is the father of a son,
Robbie
Robbie or Robby is a surname. It is usually encountered as a nickname or a shortened form of Robert, Rob or Robin. The name experienced a significant rise in popularity in Northern Ireland in 2003.
People Given name Robbie
* Robbie Amell (born ...
, and three daughters: Mystique, Shahnee, and Roxanne (
Roxy), a model who was the face of
Oakley's 2005-2010 international advertising campaign.
Azille returned in April 1987 to Cape Town so that Roxy could be born in South Africa. Louw followed at the end of May. The Louws live in
Durbanville
Durbanville is a town in the Western Cape province of South Africa, part of the greater Cape Town metropolitan area. Durbanville is a semi-rural residential suburb on the north-eastern outskirts of the metropolis and is surrounded by farms prod ...
, a rural residential suburb of the greater Cape Town Metropolis.
Personal life and health
Louw sued ''SA Sports Illustrated'' in 1987 to prevent the magazine from publishing a photograph in which the rugby player posed in such a way as to suggest that he was naked, apart from a strategically placed rugby ball. The image was meant to mirror a similar one of South African cricket captain
Clive Rice
Clive Edward Butler Rice (23 July 1949 – 28 July 2015) was a South African international cricketer. An all-rounder, Rice ended his First Class cricket career with a batting average of 40.95 and a bowling average of 22.49. He captained Nott ...
, published a couple of years previously. ''SA Sports Illustrated'' and Louw settled the matter out of court, with the magazine agreeing not to publish.
In 1990, Louw incurred serious injuries to his right upper arm during the
Mykonos Cup race for inflatable rubber boats at
Langebaan
Langebaan is a town in the Western Cape province of South Africa on the eastern shore of Langebaan Lagoon.
Langebaan is situated 120 km north of Cape Town, just off the R27, about 28 km from Vredenburg and 20 km from Saldanha Bay. ...
lagoon. Louw was flung from his boat and mauled by the propeller blade of another competitor. Only the fast action of his brother, Mark, and para-medics prevented him from bleeding to death, as the main artery in the arm had been punctured. Due to a three-hour operation, he recovered full use of his arm,
to the extent that he participated in the Yellow Pages celebrity car race at the
Kyalami
Kyalami Grand Prix Circuit (from ''Khaya lami'', ''My home'' in Zulu) is a motor racing circuit located in Midrand, Gauteng, South Africa, just north of Johannesburg. The circuit has been used for Grand Prix and Formula One races and has ho ...
racing circuit eight months later.
Louw was a passenger on a Cessna aircraft that crashed on landing on a game reserve runway in
Mpumalanga, South Africa, in 2005. Apart from whiplash, the five passengers were not badly injured, but the aircraft was heavily damaged.
During a gallbladder operation in 2009, surgeons detected aggressive
metastatic
Metastasis is a pathogenic agent's spread from an initial or primary site to a different or secondary site within the host's body; the term is typically used when referring to metastasis by a cancerous tumor. The newly pathological sites, then, ...
melanoma in Louw, and the
prognosis was that he had five months left to live.
Due to the advanced stage of the cancer, Louw was flown to
Houston
Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 i ...
,
Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...
on 16 October with the help of
magnate
Johann Rupert
Johann Peter Rupert (born 1 June 1950) is a South African billionaire businessman, who is the eldest son of business tycoon Anton Rupert and his wife Huberte. He is the chairman of the Swiss-based luxury-goods company Richemont and the South Af ...
. At the
MD Anderson Cancer Center
The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center (colloquially MD Anderson Cancer Center) is a comprehensive cancer center in Houston, Texas. It is the largest cancer center in the U.S. and one of the original three comprehensive cancer centers ...
, portions of his
duodenum and
liver
The liver is a major organ only found in vertebrates which performs many essential biological functions such as detoxification of the organism, and the synthesis of proteins and biochemicals necessary for digestion and growth. In humans, it ...
were removed in two operations, and he remained hospitalized for three months.
Two weeks after the diagnosis Louw, still in the United States, and former Springbok
Robbie Fleck urged crowds attending the
Currie Cup
The Currie Cup is South Africa's premier domestic rugby union competition, played each winter and spring (June to October), featuring teams representing either entire provinces or substantial regions within provinces. Although it is the premier ...
Final to wear pink to promote awareness of cancer. After his treatment Louw started using a mixture of herbs to improve his immune system, extolling the virtues of turmeric (Afrikaans, "borrie"), green tea, and black pepper in particular.
Although the cancer was in remission, Louw was required to undergo medical scans every three months, which in December 2011 uncovered a growth in his duodenum which had to be excised.
Since his medical diagnosis, Louw has been part of several campaigns to raise awareness of melanoma and cancer, as well as to raise funds for treatment of others. For example, in February 2010, he appeared with other members of the South African Rugby Legends organization at a fundraiser in Cape Town. He also worked with The South African Melanoma Advisory Board in this regard.
Business interests
Louw started a company for manufacturing and racing inflatable boats in 1988, which was registered as Robbiduck in October 1993.
In the 1991 Trans-Agulhas challenge race some 25 teams used the company's boats, with Mark Louw racing a catamaran design called Thunderduck.
After participating in an inflatable race in Australia in 1990 in one of his Robbiduck boats, Louw obtained an exclusive contract to export them to that country. A similar pattern followed in the United States and Australia. Robbiduck was exporting to California by 1991, and Robbiduck boats broke a world speed record in 1992 at
San Diego
San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United State ...
.
Louw moved his factory from its first location on Cape Town's
Waterfront in 1992, by which time the number of workers had increased from one to 25. Thunderducks were exported to California, leading the American Power Boat Association to create a new category in racing inflatables. Thunderduck Inflatables, Inc. was formed in 1996 in San Diego, California, to import Thunderducks to the United States. The company reportedly attracted contracts with
Navy Seal Team Command and US civilian companies.
In May 1994, Rob and Mark Louw obtained a court order for the
provisional liquidation
Provisional liquidation is a process which exists as part of the corporate insolvency laws of a number of common law jurisdictions whereby after the lodging of a petition for the winding-up of a company by the court, but before the court hears ...
of Adventure Sports Enterprises, the inflatable rubber boat company in which both had shares. The court heard that the company had suffered as a result of an economic recession, and that it owed Louw R225,000. Due to Louw's inability to manage Robbiduck after his Mykonos Cup accident, Mark reportedly took over the running of Robbiduck and started his own company, Mako Inflatables, in 1995.
Louw is currently the managing director of Robbi Thatch, a roof thatching business that he started in 198
In 2000 he became the Cape regional representative for MexSport, former All-Black
Murray Mexted
Murray Graham Mexted (born 5 September 1953) is a former New Zealand rugby union player who played 34 consecutive tests for the All Blacks from 1979 to 1985. He also played 38 non-test games including 7 as captain. During his time with the All B ...
's rugby agency.
See also
*
1980 British Lions tour to South Africa
In 1980 the British and Irish Lions rugby union team toured South Africa (including one game in Windhoek, South West Africa, the future Namibia). The tour was not a success for the Lions, as they lost the first three tests before salvaging some ...
*
1981 South Africa rugby union tour of New Zealand
*
List of South Africa national rugby union players
South Africa national rugby union team players hold several international records. Several players from the South Africa national rugby union team have joined the IRB and International Hall of Fame.
Individual records
Career
South Africa's '' ...
– Springbok no. 505
References
Further reading
* Claassen, Wynand & Dan Retief, "What Really Happened to Rob Louw", in ''More than Just Rugby'' (Durban: Rugby 15 International, 1995).
* Louw, Rob & John Cameron-Dow. ''Rob Louw: For the Love of Rugby'' (Johannesburg: Hans Strydom Publishers, 1987).
External links
* Rob Louw
Twitter account*
* Rob Louw, Springbok
YouTube Video* Rob Louw
{{DEFAULTSORT:Louw, Rob
1955 births
Living people
Afrikaner people
Alumni of Wynberg Boys' High School
Expatriate rugby league players in England
Expatriate rugby union players in Italy
Rugby league locks
Sportspeople from Cape Town
Rugby league players from the Western Cape
Rugby union flankers
Rugby union players from Cape Town
South Africa international rugby union players
South African expatriate rugby league players
South African expatriate rugby union players
South African expatriate sportspeople in England
South African expatriate sportspeople in Italy
South African Navy personnel
South African rugby league players
South African rugby union players
Stellenbosch University alumni
Wigan Warriors players