HO de Villiers

Sad news to report. Springbok fullback great Henry Oswald ‘HO’ de Villiers has tragically died. He was 76. Photo: Twitter @jorseb

Springbok legend HO de Villiers undergoes brain tumour surgery

Springbok great Henry Oswald ‘HO’ de Villiers underwent surgery to remove a brain tumour on Friday.

HO de Villiers

Sad news to report. Springbok fullback great Henry Oswald ‘HO’ de Villiers has tragically died. He was 76. Photo: Twitter @jorseb

Springbok great Henry OswaldHO’ de Villiers underwent surgery to remove a brain tumour on Friday.

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The former Springbok fullback, who will turn 76 next Wednesday, 10 March, played 14 Tests for his country.

HO de Villiers was born in Johannesburg and schooled Dale College.

After school he moved to the Western Province to do his military training and in 1965 he joined the UCT RFC and was soon selected for the Ikeys first team.

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He made his senior provincial debut for Western Province that same year.

He made his Springbok debut against France at Kings Park in Durban in 1967, scoring 11 points in the match.

His final Test came in 1970 against Wales at Cardiff Arms Park.

He also played in 15 tour matches and scored 54 points.

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HO de Villiers’ great friend and fellow UCT, Villager FC and WP player Anton Chait took to social media to wish him a successful operation and speedy recovery – as does The South African website.