Jeremy Nel

Jeremy John Nel (21 September 1934 – 25 June 2023) was a South African rugby union player.^[1]

Jeremy Nel

Nel in New Zealand in 1956
Birth name	Jeremy John Nel
Date of birth	(1934-09-21)21 September 1934
Place of birth	Louis Trichardt, Transvaal
Date of death	25 June 2023(2023-06-25) (aged 88)
Height	1.86 m (6 ft 1 in)
Weight	86 kg (190 lb)
School	Potchefstroom High School for Boys
University	Stellenbosch University
Rugby union career
Position(s) Centre, Flyhalf Provincial / State sides Years Team Apps (Points) 1952 Western Transvaal () 1953 Eastern Province () 1955–1956 Western Province () 1957 Boland () 1958 Transvaal () 1962–1963 Free State () International career Years Team Apps (Points) 1956–1958 South Africa 8 (3)

Playing career

Nel matriculated in Potchefstroom and while he was still at school and at the age of seventeen, he made his senior provincial debut for Western Transvaal. After school he went to Rhodes University where he spend a year and played for Eastern Province. After his year at Rhodes he moved to Stellenbosch University and in 1955 was selected for Western Province. Nel also played provincial rugby for Boland, Transvaal and the Free State, thus for six provincial teams, which was a record for the time.^[2]

Nel toured with the Springboks to Australia and New Zealand in 1956. He played in all six test matches during the tour with his debut against Australia at the Sydney Cricket Ground, scoring a try on debut. In 1958 he played two test matches against France.^[3] Nel played eight test matches and fifteen tour matches for the Springboks, scoring one test try and also twenty nine points in tour matches, including 8 tries.^[4] Nel died on June 25, 2023 at the age of 88.^[5]

Test history

No.	Opponents	Results (SA 1st)	Position	Tries	Dates	Venue
1.	Australia	9–0	Centre	1	26 May 1956	Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney
2.	Australia	9–0	Centre		2 Jun 1956	Brisbane Exhibition Ground, Brisbane
3.	New Zealand	6–10	Centre		14 Jul 1956	Carisbrook, Dunedin
4.	New Zealand	8–3	Centre		4 Aug 1956	Athletic Park, Wellington
5.	New Zealand	10–17	Centre		18 Aug 1956	Lancaster Park, Christchurch
6.	New Zealand	5–11	Centre		1 Sep 1956	Eden Park, Auckland
7.	France	3–3	Centre		26 Jul 1958	Newlands, Cape Town
8.	France	5–9	Flyhalf		16 Aug 1958	Ellis Park, Johannesburg

See also

• List of South Africa national rugby union players – Springbok no. 329