Hendrik Scholz Vosloo Muller

Muller made his international debut for the Springboks on 16 July 1949, in the starting line-up in the first a four matches against the touring All Blacks. The South Africans won the first test, 15–11, which was played at Newlands. The Springboks' winning ways continued at Ellis Park, when they won the second test 12–6. South Africa made it 3 games to nil with a 9–3 win in Durban. The series was tied up as a four to nil whitewash of the All Blacks, as the Springboks won the fourth encounter 11–8 in Port Elizabeth.

In 1951 Muller skippered South Africa at Murrayfield in Edinburgh, which saw the Springboks run away 44–0 winners, with Muller scoring one try. After defeating Scotland, the Springboks had the tough task of playing the other three home nations, as well as France on the rest of the tour. The Springboks made it two from two at Lansdowne Road, defeating Ireland 17–5. Muller guided the team to a closer victory in the subsequent match against Wales in Cardiff, which saw the Springboks keep the clean winning record on tour 3–0, winning the game 6–3, a South African drop-goal proving the difference between the two sides.

The tour had now entered early January, and the next assignment for the Springboks was to face the English at Twickenham. The Springboks came a step closer to getting a grand slam, defeating England 8–3, with Muller adding five of South Africa's nine points, with a conversion and penalty goal. Having defeated all four home nations, the final task to achieving a grand slam was to defeat the French in Paris. The Springboks ran in six tries to defeat France 25–3, Muller scoring one of the tries, as well as adding a conversion, and thus, South Africa completing a grand slam tour of Europe.

Muller captained the side against the Wallabies for a four test series in South Africa in 1953. Muller scored a try in the opening exchange at Elils Park, which saw the home side win 25–3. The Wallabies hit back in Cape Town, taking the second test 18–14. However South Africa won the next test, 18–8 in Durban. In Muller's final match for the Springboks, played in Port Elizabeth, South Africa won 22–9. Muller would go on to coach the Springboks in 1965. In 2001, he was inducted into the International Rugby Hall of Fame.

Hennie Muller
Full names: Hendrik Scholtz Vosloo
Date of birth: 26 Mar 1922
Place of birth: Witbank
School: Marthinus Wessels
Springbok no: 277
Debut test province: Transvaal
Physical: 1.8m, 82.6kg
Date of death: 26 Apr 1977 (Age 55)

Test summary: Tests: 13 Tries: 3
First Test: 16 Jul 1949 Age:27 Eighthman against New Zealand at Newlands, Cape Town
Last Test: 26 Sep 1953 Age:31 Eighthman against Australia at Crusaders (St George's Park), Port Elizabeth

Test history:
Date Age Position Opponent Result Score Venue Prov
16 Jul 1949 27 Eighthman New Zealand Win: 15-11 Newlands, Cape Town Tvl
13 Aug 1949 27 Eighthman New Zealand Win: 12-6 Ellispark, Johannesburg Tvl
03 Sep 1949 27 Eighthman New Zealand Win: 9-3 Kingsmead, Durban Tvl
17 Sep 1949 27 Eighthman New Zealand Win: 11-8 Crusaders (St George's Park), Port Elizabeth Tvl
24 Nov 1951 29 Eighthman (C) Scotland Win: 44-0 1 try Murrayfield, Edinburgh Tvl
08 Dec 1951 29 Eighthman (C) Ireland Win: 17-5 Aviva Stadium (Lansdowne Road), Dublin Tvl
22 Dec 1951 29 Eighthman (C) Wales Win: 6-3 Millenium Stadium (Cardiff Arms Park), Cardiff Tvl
05 Jan 1952 29 Eighthman (C) England Win: 8-3 1 conversion, 1 penalty Twickenham, London Tvl
16 Feb 1952 29 Eighthman (C) France Win: 25-3 1 try, 1 conversion Stade Olympique, Colombes, Paris Tvl
22 Aug 1953 31 Eighthman (C) Australia Win: 25-3 1 try Ellispark, Johannesburg Tvl
05 Sep 1953 31 Eighthman (C) Australia Lose: 14-18 Newlands, Cape Town Tvl
19 Sep 1953 31 Eighthman (C) Australia Win: 18-8 Kingsmead, Durban Tvl
26 Sep 1953 31 Eighthman (C) Australia Win: 22-9 Crusaders (St George's Park), Port Elizabeth Tvl

Springbok profile: Hennie Muller
Springbok profile: Hennie Muller
Hendrik Scholtz Vosloo Muller was born March, 26th, 1922 in Witbank, South Africa. His International career was from 1949-53 in which he played 13 tests, of which 9 was a captain.

Hennie Muller introduced a new style of play for a number 8 forward in the immediate postwar years. The clue comes in his nickname, "Windhond" or greyhound. When he first entered test rugby in 1949 he was arguably the fastest back row forward in living memory. His speed was already legendary and he put it to good use. Against the All Black of 1949, Muller was so destructive at eighthman, that there were calls for the laws to be changed. He would stood off from the lineouts, where the All Blacks had the upper hand, and mowed down their flyhalf, Kearney, time and again, so that their backs hardly saw clean ball. He was an excellent and intelligent footballer, could run, handled like a back and kicked with either foot.

He captained South Africa in 9 tests and his Springbok side of 1951/52 were a team on a mission. They would go on to complete a clean sweep of victories over the four Home Unions and France, but no single display would match their destruction of Scotland in the first international of the tour on November 24, under his leadership. In a game that has gone down in South African folklore as the "Murrafield Massacre", Muller crossed for one of the nine tries that were scored in a vintage display of powerhouse rugby. Offensive in defence and relentlessly slick in attack, the visitors ran out 44-0 winners, a score-line that was almost unheard of in its day. Muller's performance was a master-class of back row play, with the intensity you would expect from a man who admitted that he stopped talking to his wife three days before a test because he was thinking about what he was going to do during the match. Before crying tears of joy in the changing room after the game, Muller was chaired off the field by his humbled but gracious opponents.

In 1953, Hennie was captain against the Wallabies of John Solomon, and the Springboks won the first test easily by 25-3 at Ellispark. Hennie scored one of the Springboks' five tries, taking a pass after a break by Ryk van Schoor. The Springboks went on to beat the Wallabies, 3-1 in the test series and that also signalled the end of a rugby career of a Springbok legend, Hennie Muller. When he looks back at his rugby career with memories of great games, his personal favorite was not a test but a club game between E.R.P.M. and Diggers in 1949. There were many famous tries, but at the top of the list is Chum Ochse's try against Cardiff in 1951-52.

Hennie also concludes in his book "Tot Siens To Test Rugby" that most Springoks that became great players during their time, had put in hard extra hours long after the official practice was over. "In my own case I used to do most traing after dark. The light fails by 6 o'clock on the Reef, and at Boksburg we had no floodlighting. To build up stamina I used to carry on running long after most of the players had left the ground".

Having played against New Zealand, Australia, the four British Home Unions and France in a period of five years, Hennie picked his best side that he played against during that time:
15. Bob Scott (NZ)
14. Peter Henderson (NZ)
11. Eddie Stapleton (Australia)
13. Bleddyn Williams (Wales)
12. Ron Elvidge (NZ)
10. Cliff Morgan (Wales)
9. Rex Willis (Wales)
1. Johnny Simpson (NZ)
2. Has Catley (NZ)
3. Kevin Skinner (NZ)
4. Roy John (Wales)
5. Lauchie Grant (NZ)
6. Des O'Brien (Ireland)
7. Don White (England)
8. Brian Johnson (Australia)

Hennie Muller : Doc Craven
Hennie was a wonderful player. I believe he was one of the best ever to play for South Africa in any position. He was so exceptionally fast, there was no-one faster than Hennie around a rugby field.

He had a very serious operation on his knee just before the 1949 All Blacks were due to arrive. I remember his doctor phoned me and told me about the operation. He warned that he doubted that Hennie would play again and that we should make other plans. I appreciated that phone call but Muller certainly played again, and magnificently.

I don't know whether that injury affected his speed at all, if it did then heaven knows he must have been greased lightning before. During the 1951/52 tour after Basil Kenyon was hurt and Hennie had to take over, we selected two teams - one for a dry ground and one if the ground was wet - a radically changed one.

We had experienced a wonderful preparation prior to the Scottish test. Hennie, Fonnie du Toit and I went to Murrayfield before the match and sat looking at the turf. Hennie suddenly turned to me and said: "Doc, we'll beat Scotland by double figures."

I warned: "Hennie, don't talk out of turn. This is a test; this is no ordinary match."

He said: "Doc, this is turf - this is like Newlands at its best. Scotland will never be able to hold us on this ground."

And of course, we went on to beat them 44-0. I'll never forget Hennie's joy in the dressing room after the match; he threw his arms around me and cried. He was a very emotional man, never afraid to show his feelings.

The Wallabies in '53 were beaten comfortably in the first test but we lost the second. We were trying to play their type of game and Hennie had tears in his eyes when he said: "Dokkie, what must we do? To have lost against this team is impossible."

I said: "Hennie, forget about trying to play the Wallabies at their game, lets play our own game, the type of rugby we played on the 51/52 tour, with the forwards laying the foundation and the backs rounding off the moves." We went on to beat them in the last two tests and there was Hennie again crying in the dressing-room, this time from pure joy. I've seldom seen people cry for joy but Hennie could.

He was a man's man, always up to pranks on the '51/52 tour. We used to "borsel" players on the suspicion that they had done something wrong. Coming back from Ireland on a rough sea to England, all the pyjamas went suddenly missing - everyone's.

I had seen Hennie and "Cowboy" Saunders looking slyly at each other and I immediately said: "Hennie and Cowboy". And my suspicion turned out to be well founded.

You could hear Hennie's laugh miles away - that high-pitched laugh of his was unmistakeable. A great player and a most lovable man. A tragedy that he was to die so young.

Hennie Muller : Chris Schoeman
Hennie Muller wasn't called 'Windhond' (Greyhound) for nothing. Being arguably the fastest international No. 8 of any era, his tremendous pace not only enabled him to outrun the opposition to score tries usually reserved for pacy backs, but also made him one hell of a nuisance for opposing backlines, sweeping right from the scrumhalf all the way down to the wing to stifle the whole lot. The famous All Black Bob Scott described him as 'alert as a hawk'.

Hennie was no big forward, but he was fearless and ruthless, and strong and hard from years of working on an Eastern Free State farm and on the mines of the Rand. During his first three years for the E.R.P.M. Rugby Club, he played on the wing before moving to loose forward, eventually settling down at No. 8.

From 1943 to 1951 Hennie played 61 games for Transvaal, scoring 21 tries. He made his Springbok debut in the 1949 series against the touring All Blacks and, apart from Okey Geffin's boot, had a huge impact on the Springboks' 4-0 whitewash of New Zealand.

When Springbok captain Basil Kenyon suffered a career-ending eye injury on the 1951/52 Springbok tour of the UK and France, Muller took over as captain, and what a splendid job he did, leading the Boks to a Grand Slam in the Tests, including the 44-0 annihilation of the poor Scots. The following year he led South Africa to a 3-1 series victory over Australia, but on the advice of Doc Craven - a physical expert - called it a day after the series. Of Muller, Craven said: '[He] was a wonderful player. I believe he was one of the best ever to play for South Africa in any position. He was so exceptionally fast, there was no one faster than Hennie around a rugby field.'
Hennie Muller
Nicknamed Windhond, Hennie Muller was the fastest forward ever to wear a Springbok jersey. He could tackle with ferocity and was a master of the basics of game. Craven turned him into a one-man demolition squad to seek and destroy the All Blacks. The instant the ball left the scrum or the lineout, Muller would swoop on the flyhalf and if he should manage to get the ball to the centres, Muller's exceptional pace would enable him to arrive virtually simultaneously with the ball.

His defensive-offensive function soon expanded as it became clear that the All Blacks were developing a complex about him. He was often used as a decoy and once Ryk van Schoor had been added to the line-up, Muller had the additional pleasure of picking up a loose ball dropped from the limp fingers of an All Blacks centre who had just been flattened.

Twickenham Wall of Fame : Dai Llewellyn
In a country that has produced many of world rugby’s greatest stars, Hennie Muller perhaps shines the brightest. He was a lightning quick member of a South African side that was utterly dominant on the world stage. Amongst his 13 international caps were included 4 separate victories against the All-Blacks, 3 against Australia and more against all the major European national sides of the day.
Hennie Muller : Eddie Grieb & Stuart Farmer
Hendrik Scholtz Vosloo (Hennie) Muller hit the international scene in 1949 like a bomb. The two New Zealand scrumhalves Bill Conrad and Larry Savage were both split-seconds too slow in serving the flyhalf Jim Kearney. This opened the way for the Springboks, guided by their coach and national selector Danie Craven, to use Hennie Muller to nullify all their opponent' efforts to mount constructive attacks. There is no doubt that at his peak Hennie Muller was one of the fastest forwards ever to wear the Springbok jersey In addition he could tackle with frightening ferocity and he was a complete master of all the basics of the game. He was also always superbly fit, and if ever a player had the 'killer instinct', it was the lean, almost gaunt Springbok so aptly named 'Die Windhond' ('The Greyhound') by Craven. Craven turned him into a one-man demolition squad to seek and destroy the All Black halves and three-quarrters. The instant the ball left the scrum or the lineout, Muller would swoop down on the flyhalf, and if he should by some miracle manage to get the ball to the centres, Muller's exceptional pace would enable him to arrive virtually simultaneously with the ball.

'I would unhesitatingly say that Hennie Muller was the greatest loose-forward I have ever seen' wrote Bob Scott, the greatest fullback of his time, in his biography: 'He was the complete footballer and he, more than anybody, determined the results of the tests.'

The Springboks won all tour their tests against New Zealand in 1949.

In 1951 Hennie Muller was chosen as vice-captain of the tour to the United kingdom and France. When the tour captain, Basil Kenyon, sustained an eye injury early on the tour and had to undergo an operation, Muller took over as captain in all five winning tests on tour. In 1953 Muller captained South Africa in all four tests against the touring Wallaby side. South Africa won three of the four tests, losing only the second test 14-18 at Newlands, Muller's only loss in 13 test matches that he played in.

SI Springbok TOP 100 - Hennie Muller #33 : sport24.co.za
Nicknamed “Windhond” legend has it that Hennie Muller was the fastest forward ever to wear a Bok jersey. His defensive ferocity and exceptional pace often disrupted the linking play between the opposition’s forwards and backs. He captained the Boks in nine tests (winning eight) and his exploits on the rugby pitch ensured his place in the International Rugby Hall of Fame.