Tjol Lategan

Marthinus Theunis "Tjol" Lategan (29 September 1925 – 8 March 2015) was a South African rugby union centre. Along with Ryk van Schoor he formed one of the great post-war centre partnerships in rugby. Lategan played club rugby for University of Stellenbosch and provincial rugby for Western Province. He was capped for South Africa eleven times between 1949 and 1953 first representing the team against the 1949 touring New Zealand side. He was later selected for the 1951–52 South Africa rugby tour of Great Britain, Ireland and France. The touring team is seen as one of the greatest South African teams, winning 30 of the 31 matches, including all five internationals.

Personal history Lategan was born in Stellenbosch in 1925 and educated at Stellenbosch Boys' High School before matriculating to Stellenbosch University where he studied accountancy. He was universally known as "Tjol", a family nickname. He was the last surviving member of the 1949 Springboks who beat the New Zealand 'All Blacks' in all four Tests of their tour of South Africa,

Rugby career

1949 New Zealand tour of South Africa Lategan was originally not selected for the Springboks, when the New Zealand 'All Blacks' arrived in South Africa for their 1949 tour. Playing his club rugby for Stellenbosch University, he had been dropped to the university's second team when New Zealand faced Western Province, for which Lategan was also not required. South Africa won 12–6, Lategan scoring his first international points in the game when he scored a try. The final two games of the tour, in Durban and the Port Elizabeth, saw Lategan collect his third and fourth caps in two further Springbok victories. The All Blacks had lost all four Tests.

1951 tour of Britain When South Africa undertook their Fourth Tour of Britain in 1951, Lategan was selected to travel. The tour took in 31 games, five of which were international matches. Due to injuries to van Schoor and Sinclair, Lategan played in 20 games of the tour, Though Lategan later stated that he '...always felt like playing,' and was able to avoid injury. Lategan returned to action to face London Counties on 10 November, partnered with Fry. Lategan scored his first points of the tour during the game with a try in the 59th minute when he gathered a dropped Scotland pass to run fifty yards, beating Burrell, and scoring under the posts.

Lategan's next match was against Ulster on 1 December, and followed this with the tour's second Test, against Ireland at Lansdowne Road a week later. South Africa won 17–5, setting up a big encounter with Wales a fortnight later. Lategan played in the next match, a bruising encounter against Munster, but was then rested against Swansea, before being called back into the squad for the third Test, the match with Wales. There were some concerns about a slight ankle injury Lategan was carrying after the Munster game, but he was selected anyway. This was South Africa's only try of the game, and the Springboks won by a narrow 6–3 margin.

Lategan was rested for the next two matches, but was again called in for the Test match against England, the final international before South Africa travelled to France. England were beaten 8–3. Lategan played in three of the final matches held in Britain, Western Counties, South of Scotland, in which he scored his second try of the tour, and the encounter with the Barbarians.

1953 Australia tour of South Africa Latagen played in the first two Tests against the touring Australia team of 1953. The first game, played at Johannesburg saw South Africa win 25–3, where Lategan was joined at centre by his old teammate van Schoor. The next Test, played on 5 September, saw Lategan part of a losing international side for the first, and only, time. South Africa were beaten at Cape Town by a narrow 14–18 scoreline. The loss was blamed on the Springboks desire to please the crowd by switching away from their normal kicking game, to one based on running with the ball. Whether Lategan would have been replaced, like several other members of the team is unknown as he badly injured his arm before the third Test, which kept him out of rugby for a year. Although Lategan continued to play rugby switching from Western Province to Boland during the 1953/54 season, he never represented South Africa at international level again.