Ray Mordt

Ray Mordt

Personal information
Full name	Raymond Herman Mordt
Born	(1957-02-15) 15 February 1957 Ceres, South Africa
Playing information
Height	5 ft 11 in (180 cm)
Weight	196 lb (89 kg)
Rugby union
Position	Wing
Club
Years	Team	Pld	T	G	FG	P
1980–80	Rhodesia
1981–83	Transvaal
1984–85	Northern Transvaal
	Total	0	0	0	0	0
Representative
Years	Team	Pld	T	G	FG	P
1980–84	South Africa	18	12			48
Rugby league
Position	Wing
Club
Years	Team	Pld	T	G	FG	P
1986–87	Wigan	25	16	0	0	4
Coaching information
Club
Years	Team	Gms	W	D	L	W%
	Transvaal

Raymond Herman "Ray" Mordt (born 15 February 1957 in Ceres, South Africa) is a South African rugby footballer who represented his country in rugby union before moving to English professional rugby league club, Wigan, with whom he won the Championship during the 1986-87 season. He is the uncle of England Sevens player Nils Mordt.

Playing career

Rugby union

Mordt grew up and started playing rugby in Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe). He returned to South Africa and went to King Edward VII School. He played Wing for the Springboks where he captained the team 3 times (twice as a substitute) from 1980 until 1984. He made his debut against the South American Jaguars on 26 April 1980 at the Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg. South Africa won the game 24–9. As a player, he may be best known for scoring 3 tries against the All Blacks in the famous "flour bomb" Test at Eden Park in Auckland, New Zealand on 12 September 1981. South Africa lost the game 25–22. Ray Mordt played a total of 18 tests (plus 7 tour games) for the Springboks, scoring 12 tries for a total of 48 points.

Mordt played Currie Cup rugby for Zimbabwe, Transvaal and Northern Transvaal and scored 35 career tries. As a coach Mordt has won the Currie Cup in 1994, coaching Transvaal.

During his rugby union playing career Mordt was nominated for the SA Rugby Young Player of the Year in 1978 and SA Rugby Player of the Year in 1981, 1983 and 1984.

Rugby league

Mordt joined English rugby league club Wigan, making his début for them on the Wing on Sunday 5 January 1986 against Swinton. he scored his first try for Wigan in the 44-6 victory over Hull at Central Park, Wigan on Sunday 2 March 1986, he played Right-Wing, i.e. number 2, in Wigan's 11-8 victory over Hull Kingston Rovers in the 1985–86 John Player Special Trophy final at Elland Road, Leeds on Saturday 11 January 1986, and was also part of the Championship-winning team during the 1986–87 season, he scored his last try for Wigan in the 54-2 victory over Oldham at Central Park, Wigan on Wednesday 8 April 1987, he played his last match for Wigan in the 24-6 victory over Oldham at Watersheddings, Oldham on Monday 20 April 1987, before retiring due to injury.

Coaching career

After his active career Mordt has been engaged as a coach for the Springboks and other teams. In 1994 The International Rugby Board barred Mordt from joining South Africa's tour of Wales, Scotland and Ireland as a fitness instructor because of his time spent playing rugby league.

Ray Mordt was also a crucial cog in the 1995 Rugby World Cup-winning coaching set-up of Kitch Christie.