Jock van Niekerk

Jasper Albertus van Niekerk (1 June 1907 – 19 April 1983) was a South African international rugby union player.

Jock van Niekerk

Full name	Jasper Albertus van Niekerk
Date of birth	(1907-06-01)1 June 1907
Place of birth	Constantia, Cape Town, South Africa
Date of death	19 April 1983(1983-04-19) (aged 75)
Place of death	Observatory, Cape Town, South Africa
Height	5 ft 10+1⁄2 in (1.79 m)
Weight	175 lb (79 kg)
Rugby union career
Position(s) Wing Provincial / State sides Years Team Apps (Points) Western Province () International career Years Team Apps (Points) 1928 South Africa 1 (0)

Biography

Born in Constantia, van Niekerk was educated at Wynberg Boys' High School and South African College Schools in his native Cape Town. He played rugby as a wing-three quarter and was a speedy player with a deceptive swerve.^[1] A member of the Villager club, van Niekerk was a Western Province representative.^[2]

Van Niekerk was capped once for the Springboks, appearing against the touring 1928 All Blacks at Cape Town. He also made the 1931–32 tour of Britain, but only played three minutes of a match against Midland Counties before succumbing to a tour ending knee injury, having earlier damaged his cartilage in a practice session.^[3][4]

Retiring after the England tour, van Niekerk served with the South African Medical Corps as an ambulance driver in World War II. It took him five attempts to enlist before being passed fit for active service, on account of his bad knee.^[5]