Brewis represented Northern Transvaal at regional level and is recognised as one of the great South African rugby players of the 1940s and early 1950s.
[2] After the game, Brewis left the celebrations to attend his wedding, and initially the parson of the Dutch Reformed Church refused to marry the couple due to the late hour.
All 15 players of the South Africa team were uncapped, and Brewis was selected at fly-half partnered with scrum-half Ballie Wahl.
[6] South Africa rugby legend, Hennie Muller, who made his name during the New Zealand tour, stated that the Springbok team was 'plainly worried' before the game and there were concerns as 'Hansie Brewis and Ballie Wahl, hardly new each other'.
[6] Brewis was reselected for the second Test against the All Blacks, but his half back partner was switched from Wahl to Fonnie du Toit.
[10] "J. D. (Hannes) Brewis was the rugby brains of the party and is now established as the best strategist the game has known in South Africa since Bennie Osler".
[5] In 1951, South Africa undertook their Fourth Tour of Great Britain, taking in matches against the four Home Nation teams and later, France.
Brewis scored in the first three internationals, all South Africa wins, with dropped goals against Scotland,[12] Ireland[13] and Wales.
The South Africans beat England 8–3 to secure a Grand Slam of wins, but Brewis picked up an injury which ruled him out of the next four games.