PO Nel
Full names: Pieter Albertus Ryno Otto
Date of birth: 17 Apr 1877
Place of birth: Greytown
School: Paul Roos Gymnasium
Springbok no: 72
Debut test province: Transvaal
Date of death: 23 Jul 1928 (Age 51)

Test summary: Tests: 3 Tries: 0
First Test: 29 Aug 1903 Age:26 Forward against Britain at Wanderers (Old Wanderers), Johannesburg
Last Test: 12 Sep 1903 Age:26 Forward against Britain at Newlands, Cape Town
Test history:
DateAgePositionOpponentResultScoreVenueProv
29 Aug 190326ForwardBritainDraw: 10-10 Wanderers (Old Wanderers), JohannesburgTvl
05 Sep 190326ForwardBritainDraw: 0-0 Kimberley Athletic Club Ground, KimberleyTvl
12 Sep 190326ForwardBritainWin: 8-0 Newlands, Cape TownTvl

P.O. Nel : Doc Craven

He came from Greytown, Natal, and played for Stellenbosch and in the 1903 Springbok team against the British Isles.

Mr Markotter told me he should have been in the 1906/7 touring side as well and he could never understand how P. O. was ever overlooked for that team. If he had gone on that tour, he would have become one of South Africa's all-time rugby legends, Mr Mark assured me.

Nel was a Stellenbosch captain and from here went to the Transvaal. Unhappily, being a mining engineer, he developed miner's phthisis, a dreaded disease in those days.

A likeable person and it is important when one can say that of someone; that he is a likeable man. A man who was of the world but not part of the world. That was P. O. Nel, a stalwart if ever there was one.