Wednesday 18 November 2015 14:12, UK
Former South Africa centre John Gainsford, hailed as a "superstar of his generation", has died at the age of 77 following a long battle with cancer.
The midfielder earned 33 Test caps for the Springboks and scored eight tries during an international career that spanned between 1960 and 1967.
He played in 71 matches for South Africa including tour games, and was the most-capped Bok centre until his record was overtaken by Japie Mulder in 2001.
Gainsford scored two tries during the 1962 British Lions tour that contributed to the Boks' 3-0 series victory.
He started his career with the Villagers Rugby Club in Cape Town. He was picked for the first team at the age of 17 and two years later was selected to represent Western Province. The following season he represented the Junior Springboks in Argentina.
Later that year, he made his Springbok debut in a Test series against New Zealand and soon after he proved to be the star player in the Springboks' five-Test tour of Europe.
After retiring from the game, Gainsford became a member of the Western Province Rugby Union executive.
"I would like to extend my sincere condolences to the Gainsford family for their loss," said SARU President Oregan Hoskins in a statement.
"John was a superstar of his generation and he will go down in history as one of the greatest Springboks to have played the sport.
"He believed that rugby was played to be won, and demonstrated this on the field with his line breaks, raw pace and power. I met him on many occasions. He was a great man."
