Mannetjies Gericke, once a Springbok scrumhalf ,died on Friday in the Wilgeheuwel Hospital in Roodepoort. He was 77.

Gericke had trouble with his knee – old rugby injuries – and was unable to walk when he went into hospital for a knee replacement on September 2010. He suffered greatly after the operation and did little more than a month afterwards.

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In the photograph of the Springboks side in 1960, his only Test, he was unable to kneel because he had so injured his knee.

Born in Kimberley, Gericke was the first Old Boy of Hoërskool Diamantveld to become a Springbok, a scrumhalf in the days of Richard Lockyear, Tommy Gentles, Dawie de Villiers, Nelie Smith and Piet Uys. He joined the railways after school and played for Griqualand West, including the match against the 1953 Wallabies. Later he moved to the Transvaal and a job at the South African Breweries, for whom he was a representative. He played for Western Transvaal and, 34 times between 1956 and 1961, 34 times for Transvaal. He scored two tries on debut against Orange Free State. He played for the Junior Springboks against the 1955 Lions when a Griqua player and was then the vice-captain of the Junior Springboks on their South American tour in 1959.

He had three uncles who played for Griqualand West, one of them for the Junior Springboks in 1932 who toured South America.

In 1960 Mannetjies played his only Test, the early one of the year against Scotland in Port Elizabeth in 1960 when the Springboks won 18-10.

Gericke also played provincial baseball and cricket and then when there were attempts to establish rugby league in South Africa in the early 1960s he went off to play rugby league and went on the ill-fated tour to Australia.

In later years he coached the Transvaal Rooibokke and Roodepoort. His widow Wilna said he “lived for the game”.

Frederick Wilhelm Gericke,  as his name really was, was born on 8 June 1933. He died on 22 October 2010, survived by Wilna, his wife of 24 years, his daughter Doris Brown, his sons  Fred (Frederick Wilhelm), Butch (Lucas) and Fanie (Stephanus), eight grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.