Springbok no. 319 · Lock
Johan Claassen
Johannes Theodorus Claassen · W-Tvl
Test career
First test
6 Aug 1955, age 25 · Lock v Britain, Ellis Park, Johannesburg
Last test
25 Aug 1962, age 32 · Lock v Britain, Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein
Biography
Johan Claassen was a commanding lock and a fine line-out forward who played 28 Tests between 1955 and 1962. Born in Prince Albert on 23 September 1929, he played for Western Transvaal and made his debut against the 1955 British Isles side a few weeks after starring on a junior Springbok tour.
He captained South Africa nine times, including the 1962 series win over the British Isles, which he finished with a try in a 34–14 win in Bloemfontein. He scored another try against Scotland on the 1960–61 tour. He later coached the Springboks. He died on 6 January 2019.
Test history
28 tests · 9 as captain · 10 points| Date | Opponent | Venue | Position | Result | Province |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 06 Aug 1955 |  Britain | Ellis Park, Johannesburg | Lock | L 22–23 | W-Tvl |
| 20 Aug 1955 | Britain | Newlands, Cape Town | Lock | W 25–9 | W-Tvl |
| 03 Sep 1955 | Britain | Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria | Lock | L 6–9 | W-Tvl |
| 24 Sep 1955 | Britain | Crusaders (St George's Park), Port Elizabeth | Lock | W 22–8 | W-Tvl |
| 26 May 1956 |  Australia | Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney | Lock | W 9–0 | W-Tvl |
| 02 Jun 1956 | Australia | Brisbane Exhibition Ground, Brisbane | Lock | W 9–0 | W-Tvl |
| 14 Jul 1956 |  New Zealand | Carisbrook, Dunedin | Lock | L 6–10 | W-Tvl |
| 04 Aug 1956 | New Zealand | Athletic Park, Wellington | Lock | W 8–3 | W-Tvl |
| 18 Aug 1956 | New Zealand | Lancaster Park (Jade stadium), Christchurch | Lock | L 10–17 | W-Tvl |
| 01 Sep 1956 | New Zealand | Eden Park, Auckland | Lock | L 5–11 | W-Tvl |
| 26 Jul 1958 |  France | Newlands, Cape Town | Lock (C) | D 3–3 | W-Tvl |
| 16 Aug 1958 | France | Ellis Park, Johannesburg | Lock (C) | L 5–9 | W-Tvl |
| 30 Apr 1960 |  Scotland | Boet Erasmus, Port Elizabeth | Lock | W 18–10 | W-Tvl |
| 25 Jun 1960 | New Zealand | Ellis Park, Johannesburg | Lock | W 13–0 | W-Tvl |
| 23 Jul 1960 | New Zealand | Newlands, Cape Town | Lock | L 3–11 | W-Tvl |
| 13 Aug 1960 | New Zealand | Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein | Lock | D 11–11 | W-Tvl |
| 03 Dec 1960 |  Wales | Millennium Stadium (Cardiff Arms Park), Cardiff | Lock | W 3–0 | W-Tvl |
| 17 Dec 1960 |  Ireland | Aviva Stadium (Lansdowne Road), Dublin | Lock | W 8–3 | W-Tvl |
| 07 Jan 1961 |  England | Twickenham, London | Lock | W 5–0 | W-Tvl |
| 21 Jan 1961 | Scotland | Murrayfield, Edinburgh | Lock | W 12–5 | W-Tvl |
| 18 Feb 1961 | France | Stade Olympique, Colombes, Paris | Lock | D 0–0 | W-Tvl |
| 13 May 1961 | Ireland | Newlands, Cape Town | Lock (C) | W 24–8 | W-Tvl |
| 05 Aug 1961 | Australia | Ellis Park, Johannesburg | Lock (C) | W 28–3 | W-Tvl |
| 12 Aug 1961 | Australia | Boet Erasmus, Port Elizabeth | Lock (C) | W 23–11 | W-Tvl |
| 23 Jun 1962 | Britain | Ellis Park, Johannesburg | Lock (C) | D 3–3 | W-Tvl |
| 21 Jul 1962 | Britain | Kings Park, Durban | Lock (C) | W 3–0 | W-Tvl |
| 04 Aug 1962 | Britain | Newlands, Cape Town | Lock (C) | W 8–3 | W-Tvl |
| 25 Aug 1962 | Britain | Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein | Lock (C) | W 34–14 | W-Tvl |