Former St Helens and South Africa dual code great Tom van Vollenhoven dies
Sunday 22 October 2017 13:31, UK
St Helens legend and former South Africa rugby union international winger Tom van Vollenhoven has passed away at the age of 82.
Van Vollenhoven made a try-scoring debut for St Helens against Leeds at Knowsley Road, on October 26, 1957, in front of 23,000 fans. He then went on to make a further 407 appearances for the club, touching down 392 times.
Within his first four years at the club van Vollenhoven helped to take St Helens to Lancashire Cup, League Championship and Challenge Cup victories. The St Helens club had capitalised on the 'Vollenhoven effect' by building a new Main Stand, with demand for season tickets at an all-time high.
'The Flying Springbok' topped the try charts in three successive seasons between 1958 and 1961, scoring a massive 62 tries in the 1958-59 campaign alone.
He scored a hat-trick as St Helens beat Hunslet 44-22 in the 1959 Championship final at Odsal and marked Saints' 12-6 Challenge Cup final victory over Wigan in 1961 with a touchdown.
He played at Wembley again against Wigan in the 1966 Challenge Cup final when Saints went on to win 21-2, before marking his final derby game against Wigan with a hat-trick, at Knowsley Road in 1968.
Van Vollenhoven played his final game on May 3, 1968, when he was invited to play for a Great Britain team who were playing their final preparatory match against Halifax at Thrum Hall before going to the World Cup in Australia. He brought the curtain down on a stellar career scoring one last hat-trick.
In 2000 ahead of the World Cup, Tom van Vollenhoven was inducted into the Rugby League Hall of Fame and remains the only South African representative.
On Friday 10, 2012, van Vollenhoven delivered the match ball as St Helens played their first Super League fixture at Langtree Park, walking through a guard of honour of Saints' past players and receiving a standing ovation from the St Helens faithful.
"Everyone at the club and in the town of St Helens would like to express our sincere condolences to Tom's wife Leone and to his family," St Helens Chairman Eamonn McManus said.
"Tom was one of St Helens' and rugby league's greatest ever players: a true great amongst greats. He lit up the game during its great era in the 1950s and 60s. There may be possible debate over who was St Helens' best ever player but there is no doubt over who is our most loved and revered player: it is Tom van Vollenhoven."
