{"id":89715,"date":"2025-09-12T15:56:05","date_gmt":"2025-09-12T15:56:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-africa\/all-news\/sa-rugby-mourns-bevin-fortuin-and-jan-boland-coetzee"},"modified":"2025-09-12T16:21:48","modified_gmt":"2025-09-12T16:21:48","slug":"sa-rugby-mourns-bevin-fortuin-and-jan-boland-coetzee","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-africa\/all-news\/sa-rugby-mourns-bevin-fortuin-and-jan-boland-coetzee","title":{"rendered":"SA rugby mourns Bevin Fortuin and Jan \u2018Boland\u2019 Coetzee"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"color: #ff6600\"><strong>Africa-Press &#8211; South-Africa. <\/strong><\/span>Springbok rugby is mourning the deaths of 1970s legend Jan \u201cBoland\u201d Coetzee and Springbok fullback Bevin Fortuin.<\/p>\n<p>Johannes Hermanus Hugo Coetzee, better known as \u201cJan Boland\u201d, died at the age of 80 on Friday morning after a short illness.<\/p>\n<p>Coetzee made his international debut against the British and Irish Lions in Cape Town in 1974 at the age of 29 and played in six Tests until 1976, when he started in all four Tests against the All Blacks on their tour of South Africa.<\/p>\n<p>Rated as one of the best fetchers of his time, Coetzee was a stalwart of Stellenbosch University and played in 127 matches for Western Province from 1967 to 1979. He also represented the Junior Springboks, SA XV, Gazelles and SA Universities.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTo lose a member of the South African rugby family is never easy and Jan Boland\u2019s passing is a sad day for us all,\u201d SA Rugby president Mark Alexander said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe was much more than a hard-working flanker and a legend of Western Province rugby, Jan Boland was a gentleman whose grace, humility and quiet strength left an indelible mark.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOff the pitch his life was rich and varied. After retiring from rugby, he became a successful winemaker and leaves behind a legacy of excellence in the wine industry.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>A Coetzee family statement read: \u201cIt is with heavy hearts we share the passing of Jan Boland Coetzee. Our father died early this morning at his Stellenbosch home after a brief illness.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThough Jan\u2019s health had been under pressure over the past few years, he demonstrated his characteristic determination until the end.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cJan, a West Coast native, was a pioneer: as a rugby player, for Maties, WP and the Springboks, but especially as a farmer and winemaker. First at Kanonkop in Stellenbosch after which he moved to Vriesenhof, a farm we called home for many years.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe was instrumental in establishing chardonnay and pinot noir varieties in South Africa. Jan was equally passionate about the work of the Landelike Stigting, which aims to better support agricultural workers. In 2019 he was honoured by his alma mater, Stellenbosch University, with an honorary doctorate \u2014 causing endless banter between him and his friends.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Fortuin died aged 46 on Thursday.<\/p>\n<p>The fullback played two Tests for the Springboks: against Ireland in Dublin in 2006 and against Australia in Sydney in 2007.<\/p>\n<p>Provincially he represented the SWD Eagles in 122 games between 2000 and 2010 and from 2005 to 2009 he played 79 times for the Cheetahs, including making 22 Super Rugby appearances.<\/p>\n<p>Fortuin also played for the Emerging Springboks, SA U-21s and the Southern Kings.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt is with deep sorrow and profound respect we mourn the passing of Bevin Fortuin, a man whose life embodied integrity, humility and unwavering dedication to the game of rugby and the communities it uplifted,\u201d Alexander said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBevin was more than a gifted player and coach; he was a mentor, a leader and a beacon of hope for many young athletes who saw in him the possibility of greatness grounded in grace. His contributions to South African rugby, on and off the field, were marked by quiet strength and a deep sense of purpose. He carried the jersey with pride and he wore his humanity even prouder.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>For More News And Analysis About <span style=\"color: #ff6600\">South-Africa<\/span> Follow <span style=\"color: #ff6600\">Africa-Press<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Africa-Press &#8211; South-Africa. Springbok rugby is mourning the deaths of 1970s legend Jan \u201cBoland\u201d Coetzee and Springbok fullback Bevin Fortuin. Johannes Hermanus Hugo Coetzee, better known as \u201cJan Boland\u201d, died at the age of 80 on Friday morning after a short illness. Coetzee made his international debut against the British and Irish Lions in Cape [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":89713,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,17],"tags":[275],"class_list":["post-89715","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-sport","tag-south-africa-2"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.1 (Yoast SEO v27.0) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>SA rugby mourns Bevin Fortuin and Jan \u2018Boland\u2019 Coetzee - South Africa<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Springbok rugby is mourning the deaths of 1970s legend Jan \u201cBoland\u201d Coetzee and Springbok fullback Bevin Fortuin. 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