No one who played against De Wet Ras, will ever forget his place-kicking abilities. Kicks of up to 65 metres were well within his range. This Kovsies old boy played just two Tests for the Springboks, but formidable players like Gerald Bosch and Naas Botha kept him out of the national team.
However, Bosch and Botha could not prevent Ras from establishing a number of records:
The most points for Free State in a career: 1,704 in 141 games.The SA record for the highest number of conversions in a first-class game: 20 against Eastern Free State in 1977.1,210 Currie Cup career points.De Wet played 96 Currie Cup games for the Free State and was probably the first Free State player to move to Natal where he played 10 Currie Cup games. His relocation to Natal started a whole outflow of players moving to the coast; Henry Honiball, Ollie le Roux, Ruan Pienaar – to name just a few.
Wouter Johannes de Wet Ras played his first Test against the All Blacks in Durban in 1976 and his last – ironically, also in Durban – against the South Americans in 1980.
He is the half-brother of the well-known rugby promoter Willem Strauss.
Although De Wet Ras has moved to the United Arab Emirates, he is still a keen Shimla supporter and follows the FNB Varsity Cup presented by Steinhoff International with keen interest.
De Wet’s teenage son is a student at Grey College and is a promising rugby player.