Breaking: Former Springbok captain Dawie de Villiers dies aged 81

Elon Musk reaches agreement to buy Twitter for €41 billion

Elon Musk reaches agreement to buy Twitter for €41 billion.

The legendary former captain and scrumhalf for the Springboks, Dawie de Villiers dies aged 81.

His family said in a statement that he died at his home in Stellenbosch on Saturday April 23rd after losing a battle with cancer.

The statement said: “Dawie has been systematically deteriorating over the last few months, but we were privileged to be able to provide him with the assistance of professional help at home.”

De Villiers played scrumhalf for South Africa between 1962 and 1970, featuring in 25 test matches and earning the respect of players from all over the world including New Zealand, France and the UK.  

Captain for 22 of the 25 tests, he had a very successful career racking up 15 wins, with six losses and four draws.

Just 1.71 metres tall and weighing 73 kgs, he was a dangerous scrumhalf with a great pass, pace, agility and an eye for a gap. In his final test he captained the Springboks to a 3-1 series victory over the All Blacks with a 20-17 win at Ellis Park.

At provincial level, De Villiers played for Boland, Western Province and Transvaal (now Lions) before moving into politics. De Villiers was also an ordained minister in the Dutch Reformed Church.

He also was also South African Ambassador to the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1980 before returning as a minister in various government departments.

Former Springbok Dawie De Villiers was married to Suzaan Mangold and had three daughters and a son.


Thank you for taking the time to read this article, do remember to come back and check The Euro Weekly News website for all your up-to-date local and international news stories and remember, you can also follow us on Facebook and Instagram.

Author badge placeholder
Written by

Peter McLaren-Kennedy

Originally from South Africa, Peter is based on the Costa Blanca and is a web reporter for the Euro Weekly News covering international and Spanish national news. Got a news story you want to share? Then get in touch at editorial@euroweeklynews.com.

Comments