Lukas Strachan
South African rugby union player
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Lukas Cornelius Strachan (12 September 1907 – 4 March 1985) was a South African rugby union international.[1]
12 September 1907
| Born | Lukas Cornelius Strachan 12 September 1907 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Died | 4 March 1985 (aged 77) Pretoria, South Africa | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 95 kg (209 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| School | Parys High School | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Career
Strachan was born in Parys, Orange River Colony, where he left school at the end of 1925. In September 1926 he joined the Police and in March 1927, began his training. From 1927 until 1945 he played for the Pretoria Police Club's 1st team, in a total of 432 matches and was their captain from 1932–1945.[2]
He made his provincial debut for Transvaal in 1928 and played for the union until 1938. He was also the captain of the Transvaal team for three years. He was one of the great campaigners that Northern Transvaal must become its own Union. In 1938 the Northern Transvaal Rugby Union was founded and he was also a member of the first Northern Transvaal team ever selected.
Strachan made his test match debut for the Springboks during the 1931–32 tour of Britain and Ireland, against England at Twickenham. In 1937 he toured with the Springboks to Australia and New Zealand and played in all five test matches. Strachan's last test series was against the British Isles during the 1938 tour. He also played 28 tour matches and scored six tries in the tour matches.[3]
After his playing days were over, he remained involved in rugby as a coach and selector. For several years he was the coach of Police and from 1946 to 1966, he served as selector of Northern Transvaal.[2]
Test history
| No. | Opponents | Results (SA 1st) | Position | Tries | Dates | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. |  England | 7–0 | Flank | 2 Jan 1932 | Twickenham, London | |
| 2. |  Scotland | 6–3 | Flank | 16 Jan 1932 | Murrayfield, Edinburgh | |
| 3. |  Australia | 9–5 | Flank | 26 Jun 1937 | Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney | |
| 4. | Australia | 26–17 | Flank | 17 Jul 1937 | Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney | |
| 5. |  New Zealand | 7–13 | Flank | 14 Aug 1937 | Athletic Park, Wellington | |
| 6. | New Zealand | 13–6 | Flank | 3 Sep 1937 | Lancaster Park, Christchurch | |
| 7. | New Zealand | 17–6 | Flank | 26 Sep 1937 | Eden Park, Auckland | |
| 8. |  British Isles | 26–12 | Number 8 | 6 Aug 1938 | Ellis Park Park, Johannesburg | |
| 9. | British Isles | 19–3 | Number 8 | 3 Sep 1938 | Crusaders Ground, Port Elizabeth | |
| 10. | British Isles | 16–21 | Number 8 | 10 Sep 1938 | Newlands, Cape Town |
See also
- List of South Africa national rugby union players – Springbok no. 224