Ray Mordt: The unstoppable Bok

When Ray Mordt started playing rugby for the Rhodesian Under-20 side in the ’70s, he approached the flyhalf of the senior side (and later a Springbok), Ian Robertson, and asked him for help in improving his game.

Robertson agreed to mentor the brash young right wing “but said the first lesson I had to learn was to never miss training sessions”.

“He said he’d watched me play and believed I had power, strength, speed, dedication and determination, but lacked discipline.

“I get cold shivers when I think about the amount of work he and I put in. He was older than me and my mentor but we became as close as brothers.

“His special words to me – and I still often use them when coaching schools today – were: ‘What I can give you is only 10% of your game. The rest comes from YOU. I can’t play the game for you’.”

It’s not often one gets the chance to spend time with a legend of the game, but we sit down at his latest business venture – he’s secured a multi-year lease at Cape Town’s historic Roundhouse and opened two restaurants on the property – and 30 minutes becomes an hour, then two.

Ray Mordt. Picture: Jim Freeman

Mordt, now in his early 60s but still trim and incredibly muscular (“I go to gym every day and weigh much the same as I did when I was playing 30 years ago”) happily admits that he was a “naughty bugger” as a young man.

He was called up for national service in 1974 and, as soon as he was demobilised, “headed for the police grounds to start training with my friends”.

“I was told after three weeks that I was not welcome at the club because I had too many assault charges against me.”

Nothing serious, he adds, blue eyes twinkling, “just rawls in hotels and pubs when the boys came out of the bush”.

Mordt did his service in the Rhodesian Light Infantry, an elite unit, and people challenged their tough-guy status once the beers began to flow.

He was drafted into the Springboks in 1980 aged 23. He played 25 games (18 Tests) for the Boks between his debut and end of his international career four years later, scoring 12 tries.

Ray Mordt of the Springboks scoring a try in the Third Test against the All Blacks in Auckland, New Zealand. Picture: Wessel Oosthuizen/Gallo Images

“It was the apartheid era and the Springboks didn’t play anywhere near as many Tests as we could have, but I was fortunate to play in a backline that people still talk about today.

“Many people say we were as good a backline as world rugby has ever seen.

“There was Divan Serfontein behind the scrum, Naas at number 10 and the centres were either Colin Beck or the Du Plessis brothers – Michael and Willie – in partnership with Danie Gerber. Other players included Gysie Pienaar, Johan Heunis, Gerrie Germishuys and Carel du Plessis.

“Our forwards were also incredible and I was further privileged to play under some of the finest leaders South Africa has ever seen … people like Morne du Plessis and Wynand Claassen, who took us to New Zealand in 1981.”

Mordt is certain these players would be as much of a force in the modern game as they were at the time.

“They were great not only because they were phenomenally skilful, but because they thrived on pressure.”

Mordt said he never did much in the line of gym, preferring to go running. “What a backline player needs more than anything is speed. I think too many players today bulk up to the extent that they sacrifice pace and footwork for power.”

For recovery time, he’d go for a decent run the day after gruelling matches. Mordt was a strong runner who could swerve and jink at pace. He also developed a tactical kicking game that allowed him to dink the ball over defenders when it looked as if he was running out of space.

Ray Mordt of Transvaal playing rugby in South Africa. Picture: Wessel Oosthuizen/Gallo Images

“I never liked swerving away from the cover defence because that meant losing momentum. I preferred to cut inside and keep the ball alive. Other than that, I’d run over or through them.”

That technique often left him bruised and in great pain – something he recalls with humour and seeming fondness.

While he will be remembered for scoring three tries but still ended up on the losing side in the final Test of the controversial 1981 series against New Zealand, my favourite memory comes from when he had moved from Transvaal to Northern Transvaal a few years later.

Playing against his former teammates at Ellis Park, he collected the ball in his own half and then charged down the touchline, shrugging off tackle after tackle until he dotted down in the corner. Straight and to the point; that’s Ray Mordt.

The father of three daughters scattered around the world and South Africa, and divorced seven years ago after many years of marriage, Mordt admits he is lonely. He’s been a team player all his life and it’s not easy to suddenly fly solo.

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