Jan Boland Coetzee dies

Jan Boland Coetzee (1945-2025). Image: SA Rugby.

Jan “Boland” Coetzee, former Springbok flanker and celebrated winemaker, died this morning after a brief illness at the age of 80.

Born on 20 January 1945 in Porterville, Coetzee enrolled at Stellenbosch University in 1963 to study winemaking while also playing club rugby. He made his provincial debut for Western Province in 1967, going on to play 127 matches and score 37 tries. He earned his first cap for the Springboks against the British & Irish Lions in Cape Town in 1974 and played a total of six Tests, including all four against the All Blacks on their 1976 South Africa tour.

In wine, Coetzee joined Kanonkop in 1968, overseeing its first wines bottled under  own label in 1973. He later purchased Vriesenhof in 1980, where he famously helped import Chardonnay clandestinely to bypass bureaucratic restrictions.