Rugby

Commissioned by the South African Rugby Union and private patrons, this series explores athletic dynamism through sculptural form. Working in resin and resin-bronze composites, Lossgott captured the physical intensity and cultural resonance of rugby.

“I like the swiftness and agility of passing balls.” Kurt Lossgott on the Absa Rugby Player of the Year trophy, in conversation with Eugenie du Preez, The Citizen, 8 November 2000

Rugby Player in Flight

Airborne rugby figure, limbs extended mid-leap.

Rugby Player in Flight depicts an athlete suspended in a decisive leap — arms angled inward, clutching the ball. Made from resin mixed with bronze powder, the figure's surface is subtly textured. Lossgott emphasises muscular tension and aerodynamic posture, translating the kinetic energy of sport into static form. Cast around 1988, this work commemorated South Africa's rugby passion and embodied national pride.

also known as Rugby Player (Standing) — catalogue title

Stonehewn Rugby Player

Raw, chiselled resin figure evoking carved stone.

Stonehewn Rugby Player reinterprets the classic player form with a carved texture in polyester resin. Standing 80 cm tall, the figure's surface is deliberately rough, like hewn stone, accentuating muscle definitions and cloth folds. The chiselled aesthetic connects athletic prowess to geological permanence, suggesting sport's enduring drama. The work's unfinished edges reference both the process of sculpting and the raw physicality of rugby.

Tackle

Two players locked in a tackle, dynamic tension.

Tackle is a compact relief in resin showing two figures entwined in a tackle. Bent torsos and interlocked limbs convey struggle, teamwork, and kinetic energy. Lossgott reduces anatomy to essential forms — muscle arcs and clothing creases — creating a snapshot of communal effort. The small scale emphasises close contact, transforming the brutality of sport into sculptural poetry.

Touchdown

Single figure diving forward, ball pressed to the ground in the scoring act.

Touchdown captures the moment of the score — a single figure stretched flat above the turf, arms forward, the ball pressed down. Surface modelling holds muscle and motion at the instant of impact. Cast in resin-bronze composite with copper patina, the work isolates the apex of effort from the rest of the game.

Breakthrough

Figure breaking through the line, free arm raised.

A player breaking through the defence, the free arm raised to fend off a tackle. The body angled in mid-collision, weight committed forward. Cast in resin.

Runner

Solo player running with the ball at full stride.

A solo player running with the ball, leaning into the stride. The same compressed athletic axis Kurt returned to throughout the rugby series, in a different cast and surface from Rugby Player in Flight.

Where to next

The South African Rugby Union commissioned these for the Absa Rugby Player of the Year and other awards. Sport was not Kurt's usual ground — but the metaphysical sculptor knew what to do with a body mid-leap. The same hand made the Flying Owl with Child at the Johannesburg Zoo and the four-metre Madiba and Child at the Nelson Mandela Academic Hospital in Umtata.

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