Ockie Oosthuizen

Ockert Wessel "Ockie" Oosthuizen (1 April 1955 – 3 December 2019 ) was a South African rugby player. He was capped nine times, scoring one try.

Rugby career Oosterhuizen was born in Johannesburg. He first played for Western Transvaal (now known as the Leopards) as a 20-year-old in 1975, and later moved on to provincial giants Northern Transvaal (Blue Bulls) winning the Currie Cup in 1981 and Transvaal (Golden Lions). He made his international debut against Ireland in 1981 and was part of the ill-fated 1981 South Africa rugby union tour of New Zealand.

Oosthuizen quit rugby in 1985, as he was unhappy with the rugby administration at the time. Along with former Transvaal centre Dries Maritz, he tried to negotiate better financial advantages for their fellow players, which inevitably led to numerous clashes with the powers that be. He later had to appear in front of disciplinary committee after allegations of receiving payment for playing from the Rand Afrikaanse Universiteit (Rand Afrikaans University, now the University of Johannesburg). Although he won the case after an appeal, he was never selected for Transvaal again. He then briefly served as chairman of the now-defunct Randburg RFC, before getting fed up with the politics of the game.

Test history

No. Opposition Result (SA 1st) Position Tries Date Venue 1. 23–15 Reserve 30 May 1981 Newlands, Cape Town 2. Ireland 12–10 Tighthead prop 6 June 1981 Kings Park Stadium, Durban 3. 24–12 Loosehead prop 29 August 1981 Athletic Park, Wellington 4. New Zealand 22–25 Loosehead prop 12 September 1981 Eden Park, Auckland 5. 38–7 Loosehead prop 20 September 1981 Owl Creek Polo ground, Glenville, New York 6. 24px South American Jaguars 50–18 Loosehead prop 1 27 March 1982 Loftus Versveld, Pretoria 7. 24px South American Jaguars 12–21 Loosehead prop 3 April 1982 Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein 8. 33–15 Loosehead prop 2 June 1984 Boet Erasmus, Port Elizabeth 9. England 35–9 Loosehead prop 9 June 1984 Ellis Park Stadium, Johannesburg

Life after rugby After his retirement from playing, he went into business and became chairman of a company specializing in financial services. In the early 1990s, he got involved in efforts to restart rugby league in South Africa.