Barends won two caps for Great Britain while at Bradford Northern in 1979, both against Australia,[1] and is the only South African-born player to have represented Great Britain.[2] He also represented the Other Nationalities team while at Bradford Northern and York.
Barends was recommended to Wakefield Trinity by the former Wakefield Trinity player from South Africa, Ivor Dorrington, and joined in 1970 for a signing-on fee of £1,000 (based on increases in average earnings, this would be approximately £24,2800 in 2016),[3] he scored 2-tries on his début against Blackpool Borough at Belle Vue, Wakefield.[4]
Personal life
As of 2015, Barends lives in South Elmsall in West Yorkshire, England.