A man for all seasons
Born in the Lichtenburg area on a farm called Biesiesvlei, proud Pukke Alumni James Younger Stoffberg grew up in an area where the summer heat can reach over 30 degrees.
Rugby coaching took him to Russia where he coached the national team in sub-zero temperatures... even as low as -38°C.
The very British first names, James Younger, were inherited from a Scottish great grandfather. Stoffberg attended a typical South African farm school at Witpoort and then went to secondary school in Potchefstroom, Potchefstroom Gimnasium.
His rugby-playing career started in this school where he was the only Standard Nine (Grade 11) player in the first team that won the Administrator's Cup in 1968.
He captained the first team the following year and then went the Air Force Gymnasium where he was selected for the Defence Force Under-20 and the Northern Transvaal Under-20 teams as eighthman.
He then returned to Potchefstroom and started his studies, specialising in physical education. He captained the then Western Transvaal U20 team and went on to play for the senior provincial team for eight years as captain.
From 1974 to '79 he was the coach and captain of the Potchefstroom University's first team. He taught for one year only before he was appointed as Rugby Manager and coach at the Sports Bureau of the university, a position he held untill 1990. Under his coaching the university won the senior provincial league 11 out of 12 seasons.
In September 2003 he was appointed as Director of Sport at the Potchefstroom University and he was elected as President of the Leopards Rugby Union.
It is difficult to get Stoffberg to single out highlights in his career.
He mentions a personal highlight as scoring the first try for Western Transvaal against Willie John McBride's 1974 British Lions. He remembers the winning of the national students rugby competition, the Ted Sceales trophy in 1973. He has fond memories of the 1977 Intervarsity when the Potchefstroom University beat a star-studded Free State University during the annual intervasity. Stoffberg scored two tries in that match.
Stoffberg is currently the vice-President of SA Rugby and a very proud Pukke Alumni.
By Piet de Jager
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