{{short description|South African rugby union player (born 1969)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}} {{Infobox rugby biography | name = Jannie Claassens | image = | caption = | birth_name = Johannes Petrus Claassens | birth_place = [[Welkom]], Free State | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1969|06|30|df=y}} | death_date = | death_place = | currentclub = | position = | height = 1.89m | weight = 95kg | province1 = {{rut|Northern Transvaal}} | provinceyears1 = 1990–1998 | provinceapps1 = 102 | provincepoints1 = 58 | repteam1 = [[South Africa national rugby union team|South Africa]] | repyears1 = 1994 | repcaps1 = | reppoints1 = | repupdate = | repsevensyears1 = 1993, 1996 | repsevensteam1 = {{nrut7|South Africa}} | repsevenscomp1 = 4 | school = Zeerust High School, [[Zeerust]], [[North West (South African province)|North West]] }} '''Johannes Petrus "Jannie" Claassens''' (born 30 June 1969) is a South African former [[rugby union]] player.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Bankfin Annual 1997|last=Van Rooyen|first=Quintus|publisher=SA Rugby Writers' Society|year=1997|isbn=0620209607|location=Montana Park|pages=113}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.espnscrum.com/southafrica/rugby/player/11804.html|title=Jannie Claassens|website=ESPN scrum|access-date=2020-12-28}}</ref>
==Playing career== As a schoolboy Claassens represented {{rut|Stellaland}} at the 1988 [[Craven Week]] tournament. He made his provincial debut for {{rut|Northern Transvaal}} in 1990 and played 102 matches for the union. During 1992, Claassens was selected for the [[World XV]] that [[NZRFU Centenary Matches|tour New Zealand]] to mark the centenary of the [[New Zealand Rugby|New Zealand Rugby Union]].<ref>{{Cite book|title=Bankfin Annual 1993|last=Van Rooyen|first=Quintus|publisher=SA Rugby Writers' Society|year=1993|isbn=0620172940|location=Verwoerdburg|pages=83}}</ref>
In 1994 he toured with the [[1994 South Africa rugby union tour of New Zealand|Springboks to New Zealand]] and to [[1994 South Africa rugby union tour of Britain and Ireland|Britain and Ireland]]. Claassens did not play in any test matches but played in eight tour matches, scoring three tries for the Springboks. In 1993 and in 1996, he represented [[South Africa national rugby sevens team|South Africa]] in sevens.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Bankfin Annual 1997|last=Van Rooyen|first=Quintus|publisher=SA Rugby Writers' Society|year=1997|isbn=0620209607|location=Montana Park|pages=96}}</ref>
==Accolades== Claassens was voted as one of the five South Africa Young Players of the Year for 1990, along with [[Andrew Aitken (rugby union)|Andrew Aitken]], Bernard Fourie, [[Ian MacDonald (rugby union)|Ian MacDonald]] and [[Theo Jansen van Rensburg]].<ref>{{Cite book|title=Bankfin Annual 1993|last=Van Rooyen|first=Quintus|publisher=SA Rugby Writers' Society|year=1993|isbn=0620172940|location=Verwoerdburg|pages=14}}</ref>
==See also== *[[List of South Africa national rugby union players#List|List of South Africa national rugby union players]] – Springbok no. '''611''' *[[List of South Africa national rugby sevens players]]
==References== {{reflist}}
{{1993 South Africa Rugby World Cup Sevens squad}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Claassens, Jannie}} [[Category:1969 births]] [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:South African rugby union players]] [[Category:South Africa international rugby union players]] [[Category:Bulls (rugby union) players]] [[Category:South Africa international rugby sevens players]] [[Category:Rugby union players from Welkom]] [[Category:Rugby union centres]] [[Category:20th-century South African sportsmen]]