Big SA debt to England

Of overseas rugby teams England possibly score lowest in the popularity stakes in South Africa and yet South African rugby owes England a huge debt of gratitude.

First of all the game is English and came to South Africa from England. At a time when there was no soccer and Rugby Football was played only at Rugby School an Englishmen, the Rev. George Ogilvie, go South Africans at the Cape playing a form of football, his form of football, for then football was played especially at schools and each school had its own way of playing. In 1861 Ogilvie brought his form of football, related to the game played at Winchester, his old school, to his school in Cape Town, the Diocesan College, called Bishops, and the game caught on quickly.

In 1871 England led the way in forming a national body to govern the game. They decided on using the way of playing football at Rugby School and so it became the Rugby Football Union – as the governing body in England is still known.

That year England played the first Test match – against Scotland in Edinburgh.

In the late 1870s Joey Milton, later Sir William Milton, an England international, came to the Cape and he did much to persuade the people to switch from Gog's Game to the Rugby game. His sons Cecil and Jumbo played for England.

The game spread throughout South Africa, much of it through schools or English regiments. Till unions were formed – Western Province, Griqualand West, Eastern Province, Transvaal, Natal,  Border and Orange Free State & Basutoland. Then in 1889 the South African Rugby Board was formed, and it looked for international contact.

The brothers Alf and Joe Richards were strong movers in getting this contact, Eastern Cape born but educated at the Leyds School in Cambridge. Organising the first tour was very England based. The negotiations were with England, Cecil John Rhodes, who was English, guaranteed the finances and the team which came called itself the English Touring Team. It was not England but a team organised by England and really an Anglo-Scottish affair, as the 1896 team would be an Anglo-Irish affair, as the 2012 team could be described as an Anglo-Commonwealth affair. Those early teams, called the English Touring Team, paved the way for the team we now call the Lions.

South Africa's first-ever Test was against this English Touring Team was in Port Elizabeth. The first captain was HH Castens, born in the Eastern Cape but educated at Rugby School in England. The first referee was John Griffin, an Englishman.

When South Africa wanted to play overseas the negotiations were with England. England organised the tour. and for the first time South Africa played individual countries.

England gave the world the game and its laws. There was an international Rugby Board made up of the four Home Unions. Scotland, Ireland and Wales had two votes each, England six after being reluctant to join in and yield its lawmaking power. England represented the Dominions – Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. In 1948 the Dominions were each allowed one seat and then were given a second in 1958. France was admitted in 1978 and the IRB expanded from the 1990s onwards.

South Africa first played England at Crystal Palace as no other venue was big enough. The ground was sold out. In 1910 England started using Twickenham and in 1913 South Africa became the first team to beat England there. South Africa won at Twickenham on four successive tours. The first time England beat South Africa at Twickenham was on the demo tour of 1969-70. England won 11-9 when some critical decisions were much disputed in days before the TMO.

Short tour started in the 1970s. England went off to New Zealand and won and then, in 1972, came to South Africa and, although they had come last in the Five Nations, they won at Ellis Park That team played against 'nonwhite' teams for the first time. They beat the SA rugby Football Federation team, the Proteas, 11-6 at Athlone stadium in Cape Town, and the SA African Rugby Board team 36-3 at Wolfson Stadium in Port Elizabeth. Playing for the {Proteas was a young flyhalf who became the first black Springbok – Errol Tobias of Caledon. He was a veteran when he played against the next England team. He was the flyhalf in the two Tests that year and the England coach, Jim Greenwood said of him: "He is not coloured. He is pure gold."

Much of the spirit of rugby came to South Africa from England. That included a fierce adherence to the amateur principle and the tradition of fulfilling fixtures despite opposition. Like the rest of the rugby world England abandoned the amateur principle and was enthusiastic in its embrace of professionalism, even embracing the World Cup though initially reluctant to do so.     

South Africa vs England Down the Years

1906:  draw 3-3 at Crystal Palace, London

1913: South Africa won 9-3 at Twickenham, London

1932: South Africa won 7-0 at Twickenham, London

1952: South Africa won 8-3 at Twickenham, London

1961: South Africa won 5-0 at Twickenham, London 

1969:  England won 11-8 at Twickenham, London

1972: England won 18-9 at Ellis Park, Johannesburg 

1984: South Africa won 33-15 at Boet Erasmus, Port Elizabeth 

1984: South Africa won 35-9 at Ellis Park, Johannesburg

1992: England won 33-16 at Twickenham, London

1994: England won 32-15 at Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria

1994: South Africa won 27-9 at Newlands, Cape Town

1995: South Africa won 24-14 at Twickenham, London

1997: South Africa won 29-11 at Twickenham, London

1998: South Africa won 18-0 at Newlands, Cape Town 

1998: England won 13-7 at Twickenham, London

1999: South Africa won 44-21 at Stade de France, Paris

2000: England won 27-22 at Vodacom Park, Bloemfontein

2000: England won 25-17 at Twickenham, London 

2000: South Africa won 18-13 at Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria

2001: England won 29-9 at Twickenham, London

2002: England won 53-3 at Twickenham, London

2003: England won 25-6 at Subiaco Oval, Perth, Australia

2004: England won 32-16 at Twickenham, London

2006: South Africa won 25-14 at Twickenham, London

2006: England won 23-21 at Twickenham, London

2007: South Africa won 55-22 at Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria

2007: South Africa won 15-6 at Stade de France, Paris

2007: South Africa won 36-0 at Stade de France, Paris

2007: South Africa won 58-10 at Vodacom Park, Bloemfontein

2008: South Africa won 42-6 at Twickenham, London

2010: South Africa won 21-11 at Twickenham, London

Many Englishmen played for South Africa and then many South Africans played for England, as Brad Barritt and Mouritz Botha are to do on this tour and Matt Stevens would have done but for injury. Many of the South Africans were Rhodes Scholars.

Born in England and played for South Africa: Frank Guthrie, Wilfred Trenery, Thomas Chignell, Ferdie Aston (captain) whose names were really Fitzmaurice Thomas Drake, Ernest Oliver, Henry Gorton, Alf Larard whose name was really Arthur, the man who scored the try that gave South Africa its first Test win ever, John Andrew, Thomas Etlinger, Geoff Gray, Alan Menter, Nick Mallett and Steve Atherton. The last four left England when young. (13 in all)

Born in South Africa and played for England: Jumbo Milton, Cecil Milton, John Hopley, Reg Hands, Jannie Krige, Stan Harris, Frank Mellish who played for England and South Africa in the same calendar year, Tim Francis, HD Freakes, Brian Black, Tuppy Owen-Smith (captain) who played cricket for South Africa, Syd Newman, Ossie Newton Thompson, Clive van Ryneveld who captained South Africa at cricket, Murray Hofmeyr, Harry Small, Nick Labuschagne, Tug Wilson, Mike Catt, Fraser Waters, Steve White-Cooper, Michael Horak, Geoff Appleford, Stuart Abbott, Matt Stevens, Nick Abendanon, Hendre Fourie, Mouritz Botha and Brad Barrett.  (30 in all)

By Paul Dobson