Morné du Plessis
But in an interview Du Plessis pointed to Vereeniging as his place of birth, and this is confirmed in his profile on the Springboks' official site,[8] and on the South African government's national orders.
Playing at lock, Felix made his debut for South Africa on 16 July 1949 at Newlands Stadium, Cape Town against the touring All Blacks, led by Fred Allen.
His team – which included Springbok greats Tjol Lategan, Hannes Brewis, Okey Geffin, and Hennie Muller – swept the series 3 – 0.
[13] Felix worked as a representative for South African Breweries, then relocated to Vereeniging to manage Iscor's sport and recreation department.
Morné recalls his father as a gentle and retiring person, who only started watching his son play rugby once he was at Stellenbosch.
While he was not chosen for the Free State Craven Week side,[16] he was included in the 1966 South African Schools XI as a seam bowler.
The test team included Joggie Jansen, Syd Nomis, Frik du Preez, Jan Ellis, and Piet Greyling.
[2][23] Noted for being outspoken by Craven, Du Plessis was soon in trouble with South Africa's rugby administration for wearing denim trousers with his Springbok blazer.
[24] His liberal views, in which he was influenced by Frederik van Zyl Slabbert, and his subsequent support for the Progressive Federal Party, also ran afoul of the conservative politics of rugby administrators.
In the 1975 Springbok trials prior to the French tour, Du Plessis punched Kleintjie Grobler, knocking out the man that a journalist later described as "pesky" and an "enforcer".
[26] But probably the most notable incident involved Naas Botha, whom Du Plessis injured with a bone-crunching late tackle in the 1977 Currie Cup semifinal between Province and Northern Transvaal.
Along the way they smashed the hapless South Western Districts 97–0 at the Van Riebeeck Ground, with J. J. Williams scoring 6 tries, and Alan Old converting 15 times.
The series was noted for the selectors' use of 33 players in an attempt to stem the British tide – only three men played in all four tests, namely Hannes Marais, Jan Ellis and right wing, Chris Pope.
[31] Du Plessis's sudden decision to stop playing rugby before the 1981 tour to New Zealand was motivated by a combination of mental fatigue and the death of his Western Province teammate, full-back Chris Burger in a Currie Cup match.
Playing under Du Plessis' leadership against Free State at Bloemfontein in 1980, 28-year-old Burger died after incurring a neck injury, sustained either while being tackled by two players or during the subsequent loose scrum.
[13] In 2007 Du Plessis was awarded the Order of Ikhamanga in Silver from the South African Government for "excellent achievement in rugby...and promoting the use of sport for social change".
[41] Initially involved with the Stade de France company in developing and managing Cape Town Stadium for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, Sail withdrew from the project in 2010.
Du Plessis, then the Executive Chair of the Sail de Stade Operating Company, explained that the creation of the stadium did not make financial sense for the group's shareholders.
