In spite of his exceptional achievements Gysie was something of a disappointment to me.

Whether at fullback or flyhalf, he was equally brilliant, with fullback nevertheless his best position.

He was the best. He certainly had the most potential, but I think he suffered because in the Free State, they brought him into the University fold. Whether he belonged there or not, I don't know, but I sensed he was not too happy there, associating with professors, doctors and other academics. I don't believe he quite fitted into the mould.

You find the same thing with the coloured players, for them to perform most effectively you have to play two of them in the same team; one player on his own doesn't work. I don't think that Gysie was given that cohesion between the workplace and the rugby field.

It was a great pity that he did not always produce his best, for when he did, there was no-one to touch him.

I don't believe he ever realised his full potential - all that he was capable of. I found the same thing on tours as well when a certain player would not be playing to his full potential. If you approached him the reason would often become clear; his wife hadn't written to him, or there was some other domestic problem.

Gysie, as brilliant as he was, had the potential to have been even better. He will nevertheless always be remembered for the way he ran the 1980 British Lions into the ground, and for the magnificent try he scored against them in the second test at Bloemfontein before his home crowd.