Balie Swart
Full names: Izak Stephanus de Villiers
Date of birth: 18 May 1964
Place of birth: Malmesbury
School: Paarl Gimnasium
Springbok no: 595
Springbok debut province: Lions
Physical: 1.85m, 109.8kg
Current age: 60
Test summary: Tests: 16 Tries: 0
First Test: 31 Jul 1993 Age 29 - Tight-head Prop against Australia at Sydney Football Stadium (Aussie stadium), Sydney
Last Test: 3 Aug 1996 Age 32 - Tight-head Prop against Australia at Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein
Tours Australia 1993 Argentina 1993 New Zealand 1994 Scotland & Wales 1994 IRB Rugby World Cup - South Africa 1995
Test history:
DateAgePositionOpponentVenueResultScoreProvince
31 Jul 1993 29Tight-head Prop Australia Sydney Football Stadium (Aussie stadium), Sydney Win: 19-12  Lions
14 Aug 1993 29Loose-head Prop Australia Ballymore, Brisbane Lose: 20-28  Lions
21 Aug 1993 29Loose-head Prop Australia Sydney Football Stadium (Aussie stadium), Sydney Lose: 12-19  Lions
06 Nov 1993 29Tight-head Prop Argentina Ferrocarril-Oeste Stadium, Buenos Aires Win: 29-26  Lions
04 Jun 1994 30Loose-head Prop England Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria Lose: 15-32  Lions
11 Jun 1994 30Loose-head Prop England Newlands, Cape Town Win: 27-9  Lions
09 Jul 1994 30Loose-head Prop New Zealand Carisbrook, Dunedin Lose: 14-22  Lions
06 Aug 1994 30Loose-head Prop New Zealand Eden Park, Auckland Draw: 18-18  Lions
15 Oct 1994 30Reserve Argentina Ellispark, Johannesburg Win: 46-26  Lions
13 Apr 1995 30Tight-head Prop Samoa Ellispark, Johannesburg Win: 60-8  Lions
25 May 1995 31Tight-head Prop Australia Newlands, Cape Town Win: 27-18  Lions
10 Jun 1995 31Tight-head Prop Samoa Ellispark, Johannesburg Win: 42-14  Lions
17 Jun 1995 31Tight-head Prop France Kingspark, Durban Win: 19-15  Lions
24 Jun 1995 31Tight-head Prop New Zealand Ellispark, Johannesburg Win: 15-12  Lions
02 Sep 1995 31Loose-head Prop Wales Ellispark, Johannesburg Win: 40-11  Lions
03 Aug 1996 32Tight-head Prop Australia Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein Win: 25-19  Lions

Swart is regarded as one of the best scrummaging props in South African rugby history. He was primary a tighthead but could also shift to loosehead with relative ease. His power coupled with his technical prowess made him a dominant force in the all-important set piece and made for solid, front foot ball for the backs.

Balie was the rock of the 1995 World Cup winning Springbok front row and played in all four of South Africa’s most gruelling games – the opening clash against the Wallabies, the quarter-final match against Samoa, the nail biting semi-final against France and the historic 15-12 win over the All Blacks in the final.

Swart’s international career spanned from 1993-1996 during which he played in 16 Tests. He made his Springbok debut against Australia in Sydney on July 31, 1993 and also played his final Test against the men from down under with South Africa winning both encounters. He continued playing provincial rugby for Transvaal (Lions) until 1999.

After his playing career, he went into coaching and returned to the Springbok fold as forwards coach. He was recently assigned as a referee selector for the 2010 season by SA Rugby to assist coaches and referees in the proper application of scrum law.

Records/Honours:

  • Member of the World Cup winning Springbok squad, 1995