Dale vs Queen's at Rugby
We appropriately look back in time and discuss the origins of this fixture between these two great “Border” and South African schools. We also take a look at some of Dale College rugby history.
There is little doubt that the first influences of sport and the playing of Association Football (Soccer), Rugby, Cricket, Tennis and taking part in Athletics in King William’s Town was handed down through the presence and the influence of British Military Regiments garrisoned in King William’s Town and who were largely responsible for the formation of the local Rugby Clubs in particular and earlier “Clubs” of the era.. These influences would also have filtered down to the younger boys of the town and at the rudimentary school of the time.
The words, Dale College and rugby, are synonymous, and King William's Towns more than 153-year-old Dale College has made a significant contribution to the development of rugby on the “Border”. There was formal public school education in King William's Town and prior to the towns 153-year-old school being arbitrarily formalised and perceived to be established in 1861, though not officially named Dale College until September 1877.
In 1876 the game of rugby had an outspoken opponent in the person of The Rev. L S Brown, then Headmaster of the Diocesan Grammar School (1861) in Durban Street. This became Diocesan Hostel after Dale also ran the DGS as part of Dale College. The respected Vicar was quoted in the local Newspaper, The Kaffrarian Watchman, on June 28, 1876 as saying: "Rugby is a rough game, badly played in King William's Town. Soccer is a safer and less spiteful game." The Right Reverend's views were obviously never taken seriously by the King public.
The first recorded rugby match played by Dale College took place on the 31 July 1880 against the adult Ever Ready Rugby Club of King William’s Town. The match was played on the Cricket Ground between Past and Present Dale College and the Ever Ready Club team. The Collegians having won the toss, elected to defend the lower goal and the Ever Readies claiming the ball kicked off at 3.35 p.m. The match eventually ended in favour of the Ever Readies and was well contested by the Dale Collegians who, though playing with fourteen men, compelled the Ever Readies to touch the ball down twice in self-defence!
On Friday the 3 April 1891 a meeting was held by the Dale College Football Club to elect office-bearers for the coming season and to "fix" a committee.
Those elected to Office were: N Hodgson -Captain, G Tennant – Vice Captain, C Weir – Hon. Secretary and E Solomon.
Their goal was to formalise the playing of rugby at Dale College, to arrange fixtures against both adult teams of the town, and to establish contact with other regional rugby playing schools.
Their efforts were not in vain, as they firstly established contact with the Queenstown Public School (later to become Queen's College) in Queenstown.
Amid great excitement, an 1891 Dale College Rugby Football team left King William’s Town travelling by train for Queenstown to officially play a match against the Queenstown Public School.
On arrival in Queenstown, a member of their Football Club hospitably received the Dale team. The Dale College team had the run of the Masonic Hotel, where they were entertained at a dinner hosted by the Committee of the Queenstown Public High School. After a wonderful evening enjoyed by all the stage was set for the first official rugby game to be played at schoolboy level by Dale College.
This very important rugby match between these two great schools commenced shortly after 4.00 p.m. on the afternoon of the 30 August 1891. The result of this match was a resounding win for Dale College. The recorded score was 5 goals, 4 tries to 1 goal for the Public School – Queen's College.
History does not record, unfortunately, what played an important part in the preparations for this fine win away from home. Was it the wonderful dinner and refreshments interspersed with oratory of the highest order where the Dale team had the better of the opponents, or perhaps an early "to bed" night and curfew? We can always speculate but those of us who know the culture of both Dale College and Queen's College and based on schoolboy and Old Boy reminiscent tales will always speculate!
Thus began the history of Dale College rugby against Queen's College. This important rugby game is recorded as the first at schoolboy level for Dale College and established Queen's as Dale's oldest schoolboy rivals. This rivalry is still jealously guarded by all Dalians, Queenians and Old Boys of both schools.
Dale College and Queen's College have never had reason to ever consider any breaking-off of rugby playing relations against each other and regardless of any tensions on or off the playing fields. This is a testimony to the memory of all past pupils of both schools where winning is important but more importantly rugby has always been the winner. As we approach the 172nd game at First Team level we are mindful of the history of sporting and rugby contacts between Dale and Queen's and reaching this milestone is as important today as it was in 1891 before that first ever game in Queenstown.
After this first game in 1891 (won by Dale by 19 points to 3 points) the next game was played only in 1926 at home in King William's Town. Dale lost this game by 6 points to nil. The reason for the delay in resuming rugby between these two schools is, we are told, that soccer was established at Queen's as the main winter sport alongside cricket for summer. However, at Dale rugby continued to be played unofficially and against the rules of the Headmaster – Rev J G Sutton – at Dale. Association football replaced rugby as the official sport at Dale in 1892.
During 1906 group of Std 4 boys held a meeting in their classroom after school on a Saturday morning. The purpose of the meeting was to endeavour to start rugby for the amusement of the small boys who had nothing to do on Saturday mornings. Humble beginnings to what are Derby Day Rugby fixtures!
Looking back, it is amusing and even somewhat ludicrous, to reflect that before rugby finally found its place at Dale College it was not only frowned upon but also "banned" for a brief time in favour of “Association Football” (soccer) which was given the official blessing of the school's third Headmaster, the Reverend J G (Bob) Sutton (1890 -1912). Dalians defying the ban became "rugby rebels" and sometimes paid painfully for their preference for the oval ball through canings administered by the Headmaster. In spite of many canings administered by the Headmaster and the confiscation of rugby balls, the game of rugby continued to be played.
Persistence paid off, and the Headmaster finally relented to give Dale College rugby his official blessing and recognition in 1910 provided that soccer was still played!
Up to 1909 the rugby team of Dale College played under the name of the Shamrocks in a bid to offset the influence of soccer and to camouflage the playing of the game of rugby at Dale. The winds of change were certainly blowing. The Cape Mercury issue of 14 June 1909 reported that Shamrocks First XV beat Albert’s First XV 15-13. The same newspaper reported the Juvenile Log standings on 7 July 1909. First, Second and Third team standing was headed by Stars Rugby Club with Shamrocks holding second place in each division. Not bad for a school where rugby was “officially” banned but still managing to field three open aged sides!
Finally, in 1910, The Dale College Rugby Football Club was founded and the Shamrocks became the Dale College Rugby Team. Association football – soccer – was permitted to be played alongside Rugby and was not discontinued until about 1917.
By 1911, Dalians who had played rugby in the Shamrocks’ navy and black jersey, with its green band and shamrock-leaf breast badge, could proudly and officially wear the school’s black jersey banded by narrow red hoops and having the Dale badge. The distinctive Dale colours have remained the same ever since. The 1910 College magazine records as follows: “This season the ‘Shamrocks’ of last year play under the auspices of the Dale College Games Club”
It was only in 1923 that new sports fields further up the road and on the outskirts of the town were completed. The completion and levelling of the fields was thanks to the hard labour of the Dalians of that era! The Sports Pavilion still in use today was opened by Senator Franz Ginsberg on the 15 November 1930.
There have been many close games of rugby between Dale and Queen's throughout their rugby playing history and perhaps it is fitting to recall a drawn game between these two sides, the score being 14-14 at the final whistle. This game against Queen's was played at the Victoria Grounds in King William's Town in 1964. Those students of schoolboy rugby and Dale rugby in particular will recognise that this side was one of Dale's unbeaten rugby First team. The coach was legendary Headmaster, Russell Walter Searle. The nail biting, chain-smoking tension of it all was just about unbearable for supporters and scholars of both schools. A winner of six games in a row, Charlie Pope’s team, was down 3-14 before the three try fight-back brought Dale back from the brink of defeat. Failure by Pope to convert the last gasp touchdown under the posts by scrum half Mickey Crossman denied Dale College of one of its greatest victories against Queen's College but left it with perhaps its greatest draw.
The highest score that has been recorded for a match between Dale and Queen's at a Dale reunion is the 64 points to 0 point’s victory scored by Dale at an Old Dalian Reunion celebration in King William's Town in 1927. (The late Mr LLF Wood was the Dale linesman!) In this game Dale scored 47 points against Queen's in the second half. Rugby between these two great schools always provides the enthusiast with a hard fought rugby game in which no prisoners are taken. An extraordinary season was 1938 when Dale and Queen's met each other three times during the season with Dale winning all three games, 6-3 and 13-8 at home and the Queenstown encounter 9-5.
The spirit in which Dale and Queen's play their rugby and the continued rivalry is a tribute to all those great schoolboy rugby players who have represented both Dale and Queen's First Rugby teams since playing of that first game in 1891 right up to and including 2014.
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No rugby game between Dale and Queen's College can ever have a predicted outcome. Both schools play the game of rugby with a passion that is reserved for only the best. Every game between these great schools promises to be another epic rugby battle between two sides that will do the game of rugby proud.
The comparative tale of the tape reads:
It is fitting to look back to the end of the 1964 season and then forward to the end of the 2013 season for the Tale of the Tape and for the benefit of the Dale Class of 1964.
It is human nature to make comparisons! It is also fitting to look back 50 years as many of the Dale 1964 unbeaten side will be at Reunion 2014. No doubt many will be making comments and also comparisons
To Year Played Won Lost Drawn Points -Dale Points-Queen's
1964 75 31 31 13 516 480 (6.8 points to 6,4 points average in favour of Dale)
2013 171 75 80 16 1686 1625 (9.8 points to 9.5 points average in favour of Dale)
It all reflects and to show that over the years there has been very little given between the overall margins for these two great and competitive schools.
Dale will pull back again to level pegging and as cycles dictate.
The bonds of sportsmanship and jealous rivalry on the sports fields must be preserved at all costs. No matter the result on the day we wish both teams and their coaches good fortune and that sportsmanship and rugby will also be the ultimate winners.
Results Down the Years
1891: Dale won by 5 goals and 1 try to 1 goal
1926: Queen's won 6-0
1927: Dale won 64-0 and 50-5
1928: Dale won 5-0 and Queen's won 6-3
1929: Draw 8-8 and Dale won 3-0
1930: Queen's won 10-3
1931: Dale won 8-3 and a Draw 0-0
1932: Queen's won 8-0 and 3-0
1933: Draw 3-3 and Dale won 4-3
1934: Dale won 21-8 and a Draw 3-3
1935: Queen's won 12-10 and 6-3
1936: Queen's won 3-0 and 17-5
1937: Queen's won 10-0 and 14-3
1938: Dale won 6-3 and 9-5 and 13-8
1939: Queen's won 6-9 and Dale won 6-3
1940: Queen's won 11-0
1941: Queen's won 16-3 and 9-6
1942: Dale won 3-0 and Queen's won 9-0
1943: Dale won 9-5 and Queen's won 17-5
1944: Queen's won 20-8 and 12-0
1945: Queen's won 15-6 and a Draw 6-6
1946: Dale won 3-0 and 6-3
1947: Queen's won 19-0
1948: Draw 3-3 and Queen's won 6-3
1949: Dale won 17-3 and Queen's won 17-0
1950: Draw 3-3 and Queen's won 9-3
1951: Draw 13-13 and Queen's won 8-3
1952: Draw 3-3 and 3-3
1953: Queen's won 11-6 and Dale won 3-0
1954: Draw 3-3 and Queen's won 16-3
1955: Dale won 11-3
1956: A Draw 6-6 and Queen's won 9-5
1957: Dale won 8-3 and a Draw 6-6
1958: Dale won 19-0 and Queen's won 8-5
1959: Dale won 6-3 and Queen's won 9-8
1960: Dale won 6-0 and 3-0
1961: Queen's won 9-3 and 8-3
1962: Dale won 6-3 and Queen's won 3-0
1963: Dale won 13-3 and 6-3
1964: Draw 14-14 and Dale won 6-3
1965: Dale won 19-11 and 9-0
1966: Queen's won 12-3 and a Draw 8-8
1967: Dale won 3-0 and Queen's won 6-3
1968: Dale won 11-0 and Queen's won 9-8
1969: Draw 6-6 and Queen's won 14-10
1970: Queen's won 12-11 and 20-3
1971: Dale won 17-9 and Queen's won 9-6
1972: Dale won 11-9 and Queen's won 4-3
1973: Queen's won 8-6 and 8-3
1974: Queen's won 10-3 and 13-12
1975: Dale won 21-8 and Queen's won 12-11
1976: Dale won 24-0 and 12-8
1977: Dale won 16-15 and Queen's won 10-7
1978: Dale won 12-10 and Queen's won 18-7
1979: Queen's won 8-4 and 25-0
1980: Queen's won 17-6 and 27-3
1981: Queen's won 7-6 and Dale won 27-3
1982: Queen's won 25-22 and 22-6
1983: Queen's won 9-3 and 18-6
1984: Queen's won 16-6 and 24-3
1985: Queen's won 9-3 and a Draw 12-12
1986: Queen's won 15-13 and 18-7
1987: Dale won 3-0 and 10-6
1988: Queen's won 12-8 and 13-9
1989: Queen's won 3-0 and 16-3
1990: Dale won 33-0 and 22-13
1991: Queen's won 21-7 and 10-3
1992: Queen's won 3-0 and Dale won 21-8
1993: Dale won 12-6 and 15-9
1994: Dale won 19-9 and 18-9
1995: Dale won 22-5 and 20-6
1996: Dale won 15-6 and Queen's won 18-9
1997: Queen's won 16-12 and 31-21
1998: Dale won 8-6 and Queen's won 13-10
1999: Dale won 26-9 and 18-3
2000: Dale won 20-0 and 29-8
2001: Queen's won 27-21 and 15-7
2002: Dale won 13-0 and Queen's won 18-7
2003: Dale won 25-14 and 31-17
2004: Dale won 13-0 and 29-13
2005: Queen's won 17-6 and 23-13
2006: Queen's won 23-13 and 20-10
2007: Queen's won 30-15 and 16-3
2008: Queen's won 19-15
2009: Queen’s won 17-15
2010: Dale won 21-8 and Queen's won 27-18
2011: Dale won 7-3 and 38-31
2012: Dale won 21-18; Queen's won 28-0
2013: Queen's won 23-10 and 6-0
