Thys_Burger
Thys Burger
South African rugby union footballer
Matthys Boshoff 'Thys' Burger (born 3 Augustus 1954 in Pietersburg, Limpopo, South Africa) is a former South African rugby union player.[1]
| Birth name | Matthys Boshoff Burger | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Date of birth | (1954-11-10) 10 November 1954 (age 69) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Pietersburg, South Africa | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.95 m (6 ft 5 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 97 kg (214 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| School | Helpmekaar, Johannesburg | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Children | Philip Burger | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Burger played for Northern Transvaal and made his provincial debut in 1976. Burger's first test for the Springboks was on 14 June 1980 in the second test against the touring British Lions team at the Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein, when he replaced Rob Louw late in the second half. He also toured with the Springboks to South America, where he made his first start in a test, as eighthman during the test in Montevideo. He scored his first test try in this match.
Burger was part of the squad that toured to New Zealand and the United States in 1981. He played in the test against the USA, once again as a replacement, this time for Theuns Stofberg and he also scored his second test try in this match.[2]
Test history
| No. | Opposition | Result (SA 1st) | Position | Tries | Date | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. |  British Lions | 26–19 | Replacement | 14 June 1980 | Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein | |
| 2. |  South American Jaguars | 22–13 | Number 8 | 1 | 18 October 1980 | Wanderers Club, Montevideo |
| 3. |  United States | 38–7 | Replacement | 1 | 20 September 1981 | Owl Creek Polo ground, Glenville, New York |
Burger is the father of Philip Burger, a former professional rugby player and South African sevens (Blitzboks) player.
- List of South Africa national rugby union players – Springbok no. 511
- "Thys Burger". ESPN scrum. Retrieved 1 October 2019.
- Jooste, Graham K. (1995). South African rugby test players 1949-1995. Johannesburg: Penguin. pp. 101, 104 & 112. ISBN 0140250174. OCLC 36916860.