Jaap Bekker
Full names: Hendrik Petrus Jordaan
Date of birth: 11 Feb 1925
Place of birth: Dordrecht
School: Dordrecht
Springbok no: 298
Springbok debut province: Northern Transvaal
Physical: 1.83m, 103.0kg
Date of death: 6 Aug 1999 (Age 74)
Test summary: Tests: 15 Tries: 1
First Test: 5 Jan 1952 Age 26 - Tight-head Prop against England at Twickenham, London
Last Test: 1 Sep 1956 Age 31 - Tight-head Prop against New Zealand at Eden Park, Auckland
Tours Scotland, Ireland, Wales, England & France 1951-52 Australia & New Zealand 1956
Test history:
DateAgePositionOpponentVenueResultScoreProvince
05 Jan 1952 26Tight-head Prop England Twickenham, London Win: 8-3  N-Tvl
16 Feb 1952 27Tight-head Prop France Stade Olympique, Colombes, Paris Win: 25-3  N-Tvl
22 Aug 1953 28Tight-head Prop Australia Ellispark, Johannesburg Win: 25-3  N-Tvl
05 Sep 1953 28Tight-head Prop Australia Newlands, Cape Town Lose: 14-18  N-Tvl
19 Sep 1953 28Tight-head Prop Australia Kingsmead, Durban Win: 18-81 try N-Tvl
26 Sep 1953 28Tight-head Prop Australia Crusaders (St George's Park), Port Elizabeth Win: 22-9  N-Tvl
20 Aug 1955 30Tight-head Prop Britain Newlands, Cape Town Win: 25-9  N-Tvl
03 Sep 1955 30Tight-head Prop Britain Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria Lose: 6-9  N-Tvl
24 Sep 1955 30Tight-head Prop Britain Crusaders (St George's Park), Port Elizabeth Win: 22-8  N-Tvl
26 May 1956 31Tight-head Prop Australia Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney Win: 9-0  N-Tvl
02 Jun 1956 31Tight-head Prop Australia Brisbane Exhibition Ground, Brisbane Win: 9-0  N-Tvl
14 Jul 1956 31Tight-head Prop New Zealand Carisbrook, Dunedin Lose: 6-10  N-Tvl
04 Aug 1956 31Tight-head Prop New Zealand Athletic Park, Wellington Win: 8-3  N-Tvl
18 Aug 1956 31Tight-head Prop New Zealand Lancaster Park (Jade stadium), Christchurch Lose: 10-17  N-Tvl
01 Sep 1956 31Tight-head Prop New Zealand Eden Park, Auckland Lose: 5-11  N-Tvl

Jaap the strong - the man of iron.

A kind and gentle person but don't challenge him.

During the 1951/52 tour I was introduced to an English player who insisted that the Wallabies who had toured the U.K. the previous season were better than Kenyon's Springboks.

I said: "On what grounds do you say that?"

"I know, because I played against them" he replied.

I asked him whether he would be playing against the Springboks the next day and it turned out that he would be at loosehead against Jaap Bekker.

Back in the hotel I told Jaap about the big mouth he would be playing against, and rather mischievously on my part, I asked him to show this fellow the stuff a Springbok frontranker is made of.

Jaap replied: "Ons sal maar sien, Dokkie." ("Let's wait and see, Doc.")

During the game I became increasingly sorry for that poor chap. He eventually took so much punishment that he changed over to the tighthead position, but Jaap followed him. More than once he was still on the ground after the scrum had broken up and the ball was in the hands of the wing.

I had asked him to look me up after the match but at the cocktail party afterwards he avoided me. Eventually I cornered him.

"I don't want to talk to you now", he said. "I opened my big mouth yesterday and I'm very sorry I did. What I went through today I brought upon myself. I spoke out of turn and I apologise. You are a much better side than the Wallabies."

That was Jaap Bekker. One of the strongest Springboks of all time. I'm glad I wasn't a prop who had to play against him.