| Personal information | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Adriaan Jacobus van Heerden | |||||
| Nickname | Attie | |||||
| Born | 10 March 1898 Boshof, Free State Province, South Africa |
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| Died | 14 October 1965 (aged 67) Pretoria, Gauteng Province, South Africa |
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| Playing information | ||||||
| Weight | 13 st 3 lb (83.9 kg; 185.0 lb) | |||||
| Rugby union | ||||||
| Position | Wing | |||||
| Club | ||||||
| Years | Team | Pld | T | G | FG | P |
| ≥1916–≤1920 | Stellenbosch University | |||||
| 1919 | Western Province | |||||
| 1920–≤13/10/1923 | Transvaal | |||||
| Total | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Representative | ||||||
| Years | Team | Pld | T | G | FG | P |
| 1921–1921 | South Africa | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Rugby league | ||||||
| Position | Wing | |||||
| Club | ||||||
| Years | Team | Pld | T | G | FG | P |
| 13/10/1923–29/01/1927 | Wigan | 127 | 107 | 0 | 0 | 321 |
| ≥29/01/1927–≥29/01/1927 | Leigh | |||||
| Total | 127 | 107 | 0 | 0 | 321 | |
| Representative | ||||||
| Years | Team | Pld | T | G | FG | P |
| ≥13/10/1923–≤29/01/1927 | Other Nationalities | ≤2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| Source: scrum.com | ||||||
Adriaan "Attie" Jacobus van Heerden (born in Boshof, Free State, South Africa, 10 March 1898 - died in Pretoria, Gauteng, South Africa, 14 October 1965) was a South African Olympian 400 metre hurdler, rugby union and professional rugby league footballer of the 1920s who at representative level played rugby union (RU) for South Africa (Springboks), at provincial level for Western Province, and Transvaal, and at university level for Stellenbosch University, playing at Wing, i.e. number 11 or 14, and at representative level played rugby league (RL) for Other Nationalities, and at club level for Wigan, and Leigh, playing at Wing, i.e. number 3 or 4. Attie van Heerden played for Wigan in the same era as fellow South African Afrikaner David Booysen.
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Attie van Heerden participated in the 400 metre hurdles in the 1920 Summer Olympics in Antwerp, Belgium. He was eliminated at Round One, Heat Two as he did not finish. Attie van Heerden's personal best for the 400 metre hurdles was 57.9 seconds set in 1920.[1]
Attie van Heerden was crowned as the South African champion in the 120 yard hurdles (16.0 seconds), as well as in the 440 yard hurdles (58.2 seconds) at the South African Championships held in Johannesburg in 1920.
Attie van Heerden is the only rugby Springbok to have participated at the Olympic Games.
Attie van Heerden won caps for South Africa (RU) while at Transvaal in 1921 against New Zealand (2 matches),[2] and won cap(s) for Other Nationalities while at Wigan in 1923/6 against England.
Attie van Heerden did not participate in the Currie Cup Tournament of 1920, held at Bloemfontein and Kimberley, due to his participation at the 1920 Olympic Games in Antwerp, Belgium. However, he was still selected for the Springbok rugby team for the 1921 tour to Australia and New Zealand.
Attie van Heerden scored the first ever try in a South Africa versus New Zealand international rugby union match. He scored five tries in the first official match of the 1921 tour, against New South Wales, this was a Springbok record until 1956, when it was improved by Roy Dryburgh, who scored six tries. He scored 42 points, from 14 tries, and was the top try scorer on the 1921 tour.
Attie van Heerden played in Wigan’s 22-10 defeat to Batley in the 1923-24 Rugby Football League Championship final, and scored a try in the 22-10 victory over Warrington in the 1925-26 Rugby Football League Championship final at Knowsley Road, St. Helens during May 1926.[3]
Attie van Heerden played Wing, and scored a try in Wigan’s 21-4 victory over Oldham in the 1923-24 Challenge Cup final at Athletic Grounds, Rochdale on the 12th April 1924.[3]
Attie van Heerden's try was scored between the posts behind a police horse that was on the field of play attempting to keep the 41,831 crowd at bay.
Attie van Heerden played in Wigan’s 1925-26 Lancashire League victory.[3]
Attie van Heerden was a pupil at Paarl Gimnasium school in Paarl, Western Cape Province, South Africa.[4]
Attie van Heerden was the brother of Wigan Wing of the 1920s Nicholas Van Heerden.
Following his retirement from rugby, Attie van Heerden returned to South Africa, and worked as a security guard for Iscor.