PB, these are the kinds of posts from you that I love to read...
Also now that Doc Craven has been mentioned, I should mention that my father named me after him...
Boet you got a great name and
Oom Grant Lee is the fortunate G&G one to have met Doc Craven. He and myself can write long essays about the game of rugby.
His player detail
Danie Craven
Full names: Daniël
Hartman
Date of birth: 11 Oct 1910
Place of birth: Lindley, South Africa
School: Lindley
Debut test province: Western Province
Physical: 1.78m, 79.83kg
Date of death: 4 Jan 1993 (Age 82)
Test summary: Tests: 16 Tries: 3
First Test: 5 Dec 1931 Age:21 Scrumhalf against Wales at St. Helens, Swansea
Last Test: 10 Sep 1938 Age:27 Scrumhalf against Britain at Newlands, Cape Town
Test history:
Date Age Position Opponent Result Score Venue Prov
05 Dec 1931 21
Scrumhalf Wales Win: 8-3 St. Helens, Swansea WP
19 Dec 1931 21 Scrumhalf Ireland Win: 8-3 Aviva Stadium (Lansdowne Road), Dublin WP
16 Jan 1932 21 Scrumhalf Scotland Win: 6-3 1 try Murrayfield, Edinburgh WP
08 Jul 1933 22 Scrumhalf Australia Win: 17-3 1 try Newlands, Cape Town WP
22 Jul 1933 22 Scrumhalf Australia Lose: 6-21 Kingsmead, Durban WP
12 Aug 1933 22 Scrumhalf Australia Win: 12-3 Ellispark, Johannesburg WP
26 Aug 1933 22
Inside Centre Australia Win: 11-0 1 try Crusaders (St George's Park), Port Elizabeth WP
02 Sep 1933 22 Scrumhalf Australia Lose: 4-15 Springbokpark, Bloemfontein WP
26 Jun 1937 26
Flyhalf Australia Win: 9-5 Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney EP
17 Jul 1937 26
Eighthman Australia Win: 26-17 Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney EP
14 Aug 1937 26 Flyhalf (C) New Zealand Lose: 7-13 Athletic Park, Wellington EP
04 Sep 1937 26 Scrumhalf New Zealand Win: 13-6 AMI Stadium (Lancaster Park), Christchurch EP
25 Sep 1937 26 Scrumhalf New Zealand Win: 17-6 Eden Park, Auckland EP
06 Aug 1938 27 Scrumhalf (C) Britain Win: 26-12 Ellispark, Johannesburg N-Tvl
03 Sep 1938 27 Scrumhalf (C) Britain Win: 19-3 Crusaders (St George's Park), Port Elizabeth N-Tvl
10 Sep 1938 27 Scrumhalf (C) Britain Lose: 16-21 Newlands, Cape Town N-Tvl
2007 IRB Hall of Fame Inductee: Dr Danie Craven by IRB Hall of Fame Danie Craven LTR Hall of Fame - Danie Craven by Lardus van der Merwe
2007 IRB Hall of Fame Inductee: Dr Danie Craven by IRB Hall of Fame
IRB Hall of Fame - Induction No 3 - Dr. Daniel Hartman Craven (1910-1993), South Africa
Personal Details
Born: October 11, 1910, Steeton' Farm, Lindley, Orange Free State, South Africa
Died: January 4th, 1993, at Stellenbosch
Family: He was the third of seven children, six boys and one girl, his sister Myra, the youngest of the seven. (His paternal grandfather was hailing from Steeton in Yorkshire - hence the name of the farm “Steeton” - name he later on gave it to his house in Stellenbosch).
He married Beyera Hayward of Steytlerville (daughter of George Hayward MP (Moana Pasifika)) in 1938. They had three sons George, Daniel and James Craven and a daughter Joan married Roux – a mathematician at Stellenbosch University. His second wife was Merle Vermeulen.
Education - Lindley High School, Stellenbosch University, 3 PhDs in Psychology, Physical education and Social Anthropology plus an Honorary Doctorate.
Nickname – ‘Mr Rugby’
Sports: He was a fine track and field athlete, played cricket, tennis and represented Stellenbosch University at rugby (captain), swimming (captain), water polo and baseball. He played a lot of soccer at school and for the SA Army in 1939.
One of his younger brothers Marius played scrum-half for Eastern Province.
Professional career
Teacher at St Andrew's College, Grahamstown
Director of PE at the Military College in Pretoria then commander of the PTB
Physical Training Brigade 1938-1948 (with one year interruption 1947)
Lector at Stellenbosch Union Education Department Stellenbosch University 1947
The first professor of Physical Education (now Sports Science) at Stellenbosch University 1949-1975
Director of Sport and Recreation at Stellenbosch University (1976-1981)
Director of Sport Institute at Stellenbosch University (1982-1984)
Academic Degrees
BA in Social Sciences and Social Anthropology 1931-32
Master of Arts (cum laude) Ethnology 1933
Doctorate (PhD) in Ethnology University of Stellenbosch 1935
Psychology II and III 1960-1961
Honours in psychology, (cum laude) 1962
Master’s degree in Psychology 1964
Doctorate (PhD) in Psychology University of Pretoria 1973
Doctorate (PhD) in Physical Education University of Stellenbosch 1978
Doctorate in Literature and Philosophy, honoris causa, University of Stellenbosch
Rugby Career
Main position - Scrum half, hailed as one of the greatest dive-passers of all-time - also capped as centre, fly half and No 8. He played once as a full-back in a non-test match in Australia.
Influences: The legendary
A.F.Markotter was his mentor at Stellenbosch. He once said: "
Remember Craven. I only shout at people I like."
Clubs: Stellenbosch University, Albany (Grahamstown), Garrison (Pretoria), He played one match for Steytlerville.
Provinces: Western Province, Eastern Province, Northern Transvaal.
National Selector 1938-1949
Coaching: Stellenbosch University, South Africa 1949-1956. With Craven as coach the Springboks played 23 tests, winning 17.
He became President of the South African Rugby Board in
1956 and stayed in the chair until 1992, when he became co-president, with Ebrahim Patel, of the newly formed SARFU.
He became a member of the IRB council in 1957 and chaired it in 1962, 1973 and 1979.
Craven was the coach of the 1950-51 Springboks
Rugby Statistics
International debut - 5 December 1931 (aged 21 yrs 55 days) v Wales at Swansea. By that time he had not yet played provincial rugby.
Final test - 10 September 1938 (as captain) v Lions at Cape Town.
International appearances -28 appearances of which 16 tests (four as captain) with 12 wins and four losses 1931-1938.
Other tour matches for the Springboks 22.
He played in five positions: scrumhalf, flyhalf, centre and No.8 in test matches and at fullback in a provincial tour match (against Queensland)
After his appointment as national coach in 1949, the Springboks won 10 matches in a row (undefeated until 1953), including a 4-0 whitewash of the visiting New Zealand.
Rugby Highlights
Craven skippered South Africa in the first test against New Zealand at Wellington in 1937 and in all three tests against the 1938 Lions. He won the toss in the latter three tests with a 'lucky' gold ten-shilling piece given to him by the Mayor of Johannesburg.
“Who were the best touring side to leave New Zealand?" they used to ask tongue in cheek in New Zealand. The reply is edifying “
The 1937 Springboks”.
When Second World War broke out, Craven was only 27 and his playing career was over. The next test SA played was 11 year later, with Craven as coach and selector.
South Africa lost only one match during the
1931-32 tour when Craven was a
player. Similarly the Springboks lost only one match during their
1951-52 tour when he was
coach.
In 1988, he defied the SA government and travelled to Harare to meet leaders of the ANC (
which was a criminal offence at the time) and brokered an agreement to form a single rugby association fielding an integrated team for overseas tournaments. This first step paved the way for the formation of the unified body, SARFU in 1992 with Craven as one of its co-presidents,
until his death the following year, having served for an unbroken 37 years at the helm of the sport.He was instrumental in launching the first non-racial rugby competition in South African sport, called the
Craven week, in 1964, involving school children of all races and creeds, a truly visionary concept in the apartheid ridden South Africa.
The title of his autobiography was 'Ek Speel vir Suid-Afrika.' He wrote several books, including 'Danie Craven on Rugby', 'Springbok Story 1949-53'.
What he said
"I have never heard such a speech as Bennie Osler's before my debut against Wales. Silently we listened to every word. Every word gives us more strength and courage. We will live! We will die for South Africa!"
"We must do more than play open rugby in the sense that the term means merely feeding the wings. The ball must come back to the inside backs and forwards in driving, penetrative movements. We will need close support all the time and backing up must be one of our constant objectives. If we play rugby in this manner, it will not matter what the results are,” his speech to the team before the 1951-52 tour when he coached the Springboks.
What they said about him
Hennie Muller: "Danie's biggest asset in his relationship with players, perhaps, is the fact that he understands them so well - their foibles, fears, hopes, their innermost thoughts. He is able to put himself in the player's boots."
Joan Roux (his daughter, on his induction in the IRB Hall of Fame) : "Mesdames Messieurs, I thank you for this most incredible award. My father was an amazing man. He had integrity. He knew the game. He was innovative. He was a raconteur. He was a coach. He was often impatient with journalists and referees! But he could inspire. Above all he loved the game of rugby. He said it brought people together. It brought and brings our nation together. We need the game of rugby. It gives us hope for the future. Thank You."
Info from:
http://www.genslin.us/bokke/
Myself drive every friday to collect my Matie daughter and sunday to take her back to Stellenbosch. She is a boarder at Harmonie, next to Wilgenhof (Bek Fluitjies). That was Doc's home for many a year and my daughter get de moer in for me because I shout the name "Bek Fluitjies" out loud when I past them and had to drive for my life. Wilgenhofs boarders hate that name and tear and veer the others if they catch them. Old traditions will never die. Die Bek Fluitjies were banne from the Matie Jool weekend after their vlot burn out a few years back in the streets of Stellenbosch.
