Gert Coetzer ( – 10 November 2018), also known by the

nickname A nickname, in some circumstances also known as a sobriquet, or informally a "moniker", is an informal substitute for the proper name of a person, place, or thing, used to express affection, playfulness, contempt, or a particular character trait ...

of "Oupa" (meaning "Old Man" in

Afrikaans Afrikaans is a West Germanic languages, West Germanic language spoken in South Africa, Namibia and to a lesser extent Botswana, Zambia, Zimbabwe and also Argentina where there is a group in Sarmiento, Chubut, Sarmiento that speaks the Pat ...

), was a South African

rugby union Rugby union football, commonly known simply as rugby union in English-speaking countries and rugby 15/XV in non-English-speaking world, Anglophone Europe, or often just rugby, is a Contact sport#Terminology, close-contact team sport that orig ...

and professional

rugby league Rugby league football, commonly known as rugby league in English-speaking countries and rugby 13/XIII in non-Anglophone Europe, is a contact sport, full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular Rugby league playin ...

footballer who played in the 1950s and 1960s. He played representative level rugby union (RU) for

Orange Free State The Orange Free State ( ; ) was an independent Boer-ruled sovereign republic under British suzerainty in Southern Africa during the second half of the 19th century, which ceased to exist after it was defeated and surrendered to the British Em ...

(now represented by the

Free State Cheetahs The Free State Cheetahs (), formerly known as Orange Free State (), currently named the Toyota Free State Cheetahs due to sponsorship reasons, are a South African rugby union team that participates in the annual Currie Cup tournament. They are ...

), and at club level for Bloemfontein Railway Institute RFC (in

Bloemfontein Bloemfontein ( ; ), also known as Bloem, is the capital and the largest city of the Free State (province), Free State province in South Africa. It is often, and has been traditionally, referred to as the country's "judicial capital", alongsi ...

, South Africa), as a

wing A wing is a type of fin that produces both Lift (force), lift and drag while moving through air. Wings are defined by two shape characteristics, an airfoil section and a planform (aeronautics), planform. Wing efficiency is expressed as lift-to-d ...

, and representative level rugby league (RL) for

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

(non- Test matches), Other Nationalities and Commonwealth XIII, and at club level for Johannesburg Celtic (in

Johannesburg Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu language, Zulu and Xhosa language, Xhosa: eGoli ) (colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, Jo'burg or "The City of Gold") is the most populous city in South Africa. With 5,538,596 people in the City of Johannesburg alon ...

, South Africa), Bloemfontein Aquilae (in

, South Africa), and

Wakefield Trinity Wakefield Trinity is a professional rugby league club in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, England. The club play their home fixtures at the DIY Kitchen Stadium, Belle Vue (Wakefield), Belle Vue and currently compete in the Super League, the top tier o ...

, as a or .

Background

Gert Coetzer was born in

, South Africa, he worked as a waterworks superintendent in

Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ) is an area of Northern England which was History of Yorkshire, historically a county. Despite no longer being used for administration, Yorkshire retains a strong regional identity. The county was named after its county town, the ...

, he bred and showed

German Shepherd The German Shepherd, also known in Britain as an Alsatian, is a German Dog breed, breed of working dog of medium to large size. The breed was developed by Max von Stephanitz using various Old German herding dogs, traditional German herding dog ...

s , including the champion; "Vanda" , he died aged 79 in South Africa, and his funeral service took place at Nederduitse Gereformeerde Gemeente (

Dutch Reformed Church The Dutch Reformed Church (, , abbreviated NHK ) was the largest Christian denomination in the Netherlands from the onset of the Protestant Reformation in the 16th century until 1930. It was the traditional denomination of the Dutch royal famil ...

) in Doornpoort, North East

Pretoria Pretoria ( ; ) is the Capital of South Africa, administrative capital of South Africa, serving as the seat of the Executive (government), executive branch of government, and as the host to all foreign embassies to the country. Pretoria strad ...

, South Africa on Wednesday 14 November 2018.

Playing career

International honours

Gert Coetzer took part in a trial match for the

(RU) (commonly known as the Springboks), he represented Other Nationalities (RL) while at Wakefield Trinity, he played on the in the 2–19 defeat by St. Helens at Knowsley Road, St. Helens on Wednesday 27 January 1965, to mark the switching-on of new

floodlight A floodlight is a broad-beamed, high-intensity artificial light. It can provide functional area lighting for travel-ways, parking, entrances, work areas, and sporting venues to enable visibility adequate for safe task performance, ornament ...

s, represented Commonwealth XIII (RL) while at Wakefield Trinity in 1965 against New Zealand at Crystal Palace National Recreation Centre,

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

on Wednesday 18 August 1965, and was selected for the

(RL) squad to play in the 1963 tour of Australia. Unfortunately, he sustained a dislocated shoulder during the second tour match, against Monaro south of

Canberra Canberra ( ; ) is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the Federation of Australia, federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's list of cities in Australia, largest in ...

, and took no further part in the tour, and as

(RL) played no further internationals in this era, there were no further opportunities to win international caps.

Championship final appearances

Gert Coetzer played on the , and scored two tries in

's 21–9 victory over St. Helens in the

Championship 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 sys ...

Final replay during the 1966–67 season at Station Road, Swinton on Wednesday 10 May 1967, and played on the in the 17–10 victory over

Hull Kingston Rovers Hull Kingston Rovers (often abbreviated to Hull KR) are a professional rugby league club based in Kingston upon Hull, Yorkshire, England. The club play home games at Craven Park, Hull, Craven Park and compete in Super League, the top tier of B ...

in the

Final during the 1967-68 season at

Headingley Headingley is a suburb of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, approximately two miles out of the city centre, to the north west along the A660 road. Headingley is the location of the Beckett Park campus of Leeds Beckett University and Headingley ...

Leeds Leeds is a city in West Yorkshire, England. It is the largest settlement in Yorkshire and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds Metropolitan Borough, which is the second most populous district in the United Kingdom. It is built aro ...

on Saturday 4 May 1968.Hoole, Les (2004). ''Wakefield Trinity RLFC - FIFTY GREAT GAMES''. Breedon Books.

Challenge Cup Final appearances

Gert Coetzer played on the , and scored two tries in

's 25–10 victory over

Wigan Wigan ( ) is a town in Greater Manchester, England. The town is midway between the two cities of Manchester, to the south-east, and Liverpool, to the south-west. It is the largest settlement in the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan and is its ad ...

in the 1962–63 Challenge Cup Final during the 1962–63 season at

Wembley Stadium Wembley Stadium, currently branded as Wembley Stadium connected by EE Limited, EE for sponsorship reasons, is an association football stadium in Wembley, London. It opened in 2007 on the site of the Wembley Stadium (1923), original Wembley Sta ...

on Saturday 11 May 1963, in front of a crowd of 84,492, and played at in the 10–11 defeat by

in the 1967–68 Challenge Cup "Watersplash" Final during the 1967–68 season at

on Saturday 11 May 1968, in front of a crowd of 87,100.

County Cup Final appearances

Gert Coetzer played on the in

's 18–2 victory over

in the 1964–65 Yorkshire Cup Final during the 1964–65 season at Fartown Ground,

Huddersfield Huddersfield is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees in West Yorkshire, England. It is the administrative centre and largest settlement in the Kirklees district. The town is in the foothills of the Pennines. The River Holme's confl ...

on Saturday 31 October 1964.

Club career

Gert Coetzer transferred from rugby union to rugby league with

during February 1963, he made his debut for

during March 1963, and he played his last match for Wakefield Trinity during the 1967–68 season.

Genealogical information

Gert Coetzer was married to Laurika (

née The birth name is the name of the person given upon their birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name or to the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a births registe ...

Viljoen). They had children; Derek Coetzer (birth registered during first ¼ in

Dewsbury Dewsbury is a market town in the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees in West Yorkshire, England. It lies on the River Calder, West Yorkshire, River Calder and on an arm of the Calder and Hebble Navigation waterway. It is to the west of Wakefield, ...

district).

References

External links

rugbyleagueproject.orgFree State Rugby Saddened By The Loss Of An Ex Free State PlayerRugby League Final 1963Rugby Cup Final 1968Search for "Gert Coetzer" at britishnewspaperarchive.co.ukSearch for "Oupa Coetzer" at britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk
{{DEFAULTSORT:Coetzer, Gert 1930s births 2018 deaths 20th-century South African sportsmen Other Nationalities rugby league team players Rugby league centres Rugby league players from Free State Rugby league wingers Rugby union players from Bloemfontein Rugby union wings South African expatriate rugby league players in England South African expatriate rugby league players South African rugby league players South African rugby union players Sportspeople from Bloemfontein Wakefield Trinity players White South African people Year of birth missing