Bob Loubser
Full names: Johannes Albertus
Date of birth: 6 Aug 1884
Place of birth: Durbanville
Schools: Paul Roos Gymnasium Noorder Paarl
Springbok no: 85
Springbok debut province: Western Province
Physical: 1.73m, 76.2kg
Date of death: 7 Dec 1962 (Age 78)
Test summary: Tests: 7 Tries: 3
First Test: 12 Sep 1903 Age 19 - Left Wing against Britain at Newlands, Cape Town
Last Test: 3 Sep 1910 Age 26 - Left Wing against Britain at Newlands, Cape Town
Tours Scotland, Ireland, Wales & England 1906-07
Test history:
DateAgePositionOpponentVenueResultScoreProvince
12 Sep 1903 19Left Wing Britain Newlands, Cape Town Win: 8-0  WP
17 Nov 1906 22Right Wing Scotland Hampden Park, Glasgow Lose: 0-6  WP
24 Nov 1906 22Right Wing Ireland Ravenhill Grounds, Belfast Win: 15-122 tries WP
01 Dec 1906 22Right Wing Wales St. Helens, Swansea Win: 11-01 try WP
08 Dec 1906 22Right Wing England Crystal Palace, London Draw: 3-3  WP
06 Aug 1910 25Left Wing Britain Wanderers (Old Wanderers), Johannesburg Win: 14-10  WP
03 Sep 1910 26Left Wing Britain Newlands, Cape Town Win: 21-5  WP

Bob told me that, like Paul Roos, he had made a fool of himself when he decided to stand for Parliament and won the Stellenbosch seat.

He confided that he had ended up a very disillusioned man and that he should have stuck to rugby. "Rugby", he said, "offered two of the greatest experiences in life - comradeship and integrity. Neither of these qualities could be found in the world of politics."

The main thing I remember about Bob is when he told me, modest man that he was: "I was never as good a wing as people thought I was. I was fast and when I saw that there was a man in front of me and I couldn't beat him with a swerve or sidestep, I kicked the ball over his head. With my speed, often helped by a mistake from my opposite number, I would gather the ball myself and then I was away."

He told me Japie Krige was a typical artist and a very difficult person to play with. He was one of the privileged few who could combine with the little centre.

Purely by chance a college friend of his, Dietlof Maré, happened to hear Mr Markotter say: "Bring me someone who has speed and speed only, because I need someone on the wing who can stay with Japie Krige."

Dietlof told Mr Mark that he thought he had the man for him. The next day Maré brought along Bob Loubser who was at that stage mainly an athlete.

Thereafter whenever Japie got the ball all he said was: "Kom Bob" ("Come on, Bob") and most of the players could not stay up with him because it was impossible to know which way Japie would twist or turn next.

All Loubser did was to run along the touch line keeping an eye on Krige. He knew with unfailing certainty that he would eventually link up with him again.

I often recall the days when I used to visit Mr Mark at his home as a first or second year student - the house I live in today. Mr Mark would ask the promising first year students to his house and present would be Paul Roos, many of the other greats of yesteryear and quite often Bob Loubser.

One of the purposes for these visits to Mr Mark was to recall the greatness of the legends of yesterday and to instil in us youngsters an appreciation of the legends of the game.

There was a tradition at Stellenbosch that each year the third team played against an Old Crocks side. One year we had a very promising wing in the third team, and Bob Loubser at the age of 52 was opposing him. On one occasion when Bob received the ball from a full line movement, the third team wing attempted to tackle him, with disastrous results.

Bob ran right over him and the young winger, much to his dismay and our regret landed up in hospital.

But that was Bob Loubser: a man whose greatness extended well beyond his playing years but who was ever modest and self-effacing.