Former "African" Springbok captain Welile James "Bomza" Nkohla died in Livingstone Hospital, Port Elizabeth, on Sunday morning after a long battle with cancer, aged 71.
Nkohla, who played No8 for the Oriental Rugby Club ("The Blues", established in 1894) and Eastern Province, was a veteran of the Partons and Zonk Cup competitions of the SA African Rugby Football Board.
He made his provincial debut at 21 and his debut as an African Springbok and the captain of the side against the SA Coloured Rugby Football Board National XV in May 1968. His team won 8-5.This was followed by six more Tests up to 1969.
TACTICAL
In a later Test he scored a try in the African Springboks' 22-9 victory over the Coloured Springboks.
He contributed to Phildon Kona's try during the May 1969 Test match with a well-placed tactical kick that allowed the speedy winger to dot-down behind the goal line.
In 1973, Oriental - by all accounts the second-oldest African rugby club in Port Elizabeth - together with eight others broke away from the SA African Board to establish the Kwa-Zakhele Rugby Union (Kwaru), which subsequently joined the nonracial SA Rugby Union.
As a member of Kwaru, he joined the SA Cup Competition in which he led the team with distinction.
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