Springbok Rugby History, Chapter 1

THE SECOND TOUR TO SOUTH AFRICA
BY AN INTERNATIONAL TEAM
South African Team, First Test
The British Isles - 1896
BACK: C.G. van Renen, F.H. Guthrie, J. J.Wessels, P.J. Meyer, B.H. Heatlie, F.W. Douglass, M. Bredenkamp. SEATED: E.
Olver, H.C. Gorton, D.Lyons, F.T.D. Aston (Captain), P. Scott, J.H. Anderson, H.R. Kemsley (Referee). FRONT: P.S. Twentyman-Jones,
F.R. Myburgh.
Johnny Hammond, captain of the team, was vicecaptain
of Maclagan’s team. P. F. Hancock was
also a member of the two teams. Scotland and Wales
were not represented in the team. Eleven of the players
were students, but this time Dublin University was well
represented. The S.A. manager was W. M. Bissett who
had played for S.A. in 1891 and this time also acted as
referee at East London, against Cape Colony and South
Africa in the second international match. Alf Richards
who captained S.A. in the last international match in
1891, this time refereed the last international match, the
first international match ever won by us. Several British
players acted as referees. W. J. Carey returned to S.A. after
the tour and became Bishop of Bloemfontein, and R. C.
(Cuth) Mullins was actually a South African who qualified
at Guy’s Hospital and later returned to Grahamstown
where he practised for many years.
It was Carey, himself an old Babarian, who gave the
famous motto to the Baa-Baas, viz.: “Rugby is a game for
gentlemen of all classes, but never for a poor sportsman
in any class.” He was an Oxford Blue and was responsible
for the good display of his alma mater when he returned
there in 1908 and taught them the same basic principals
of forward play.
FIRST TEST
4 Tests
(4) South Africa, Thursday, July 30, 1896
Crusader Ground, Port Elizabeth
South Africa 0, British Isles 8
Spectators 7 500
Referee: H.R. Kemsley
Tries: Carey, Bulger. Conv. Byrne
It is a strange coincidence that the first international
match in 1896, just like the first in 1891, took place at
Port Elizabeth, and also on the 30th July, which happened
to be a Thursday in both cases!The last in both years
took place at Newlands on a Saturday and on the 5th
September.
The writer of one of the articles consulted was not at all
complimentary in his remarks concerning the display
of the South African forwards in the first international
match. They are described as “worthless”, one of them
being “worse than useless” ! They did not “have a ghost
of a show” and the visitors “were never really pressed”.
“It was sickening to watch players with a big name as
well as a big body loafing round the scrums”!
The result of the poor display by the South African
forwards was that the backs got very few chances and
had to defend more than was good for them. Particularly
the two half-backs, Myburgh and Guthrie, had to fall on
the ball time after time. This they did so successfully that
the Britons could not put up a big score against them.
After the Britons had been mostly on the attack, mainly
as a result of good play by Mackie, Myburgh brought
temporary relief when he broke cleanly from a scrum
and when he was confronted by a Briton he passed to
Springbok Rugby History - 1891 - 1996 1903 ©Published by Johan Jooste - Oubokrugby - 2021
1903
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