1931-32 South Africa rugby union tour

The 1931-32 South Africa tour of Britain and Ireland was a collection of friendly rugby union games undertaken by the South Africa national rugby union team against the four British Home Nation teams. The tour also took in several matches against British and Irish club, county and invitational teams. This was the fourth South Africa tour and the third tour of the Northern Hemisphere.

The tour was extremely successful for the South Africans, as the team only lost a single match. In the tests played the team beat all four home nations. The only team to beat the Springboks was the invitational East Midlands county team. The final tour record saw 26 matches played, with South Africa winning 23, losing one and drawing two.

Criticism of playing style

Although very successful on the pitch, the touring South Africans were unloved by their hosts and the press back home. Bennie Osler, the South African captain, introduced a style of play which centered around a continual kicking game; either into touch in an attempt to support his large pack or diagonally across the pitch for his wings to chase. This was seen by many critics of the time as 10-man tactics, with the backs taken out of the match, and thus the entertainment brought by previous South African tours removed.

Welsh journalist 'Old Stager' stated "The Africans, by adherence to ten-man rugby, are winning their matches, but are not capturing the hearts and the imagination of rugby followers...". O.L. Owen in his "History of the RFU" concurred with these thoughts, "The least spectacular and, so far as back play was concerned, the most disappointing of the South African touring sides..."

Results

Touring party

Management

*Manager: T.B. Pienaar
*Captain: Bennie Osler

Full Backs

*G.H. Brand (Western Province)
*J.C. Tindall (Western Province)

Three quarters

*B.G. Gray (Western Province)
*J.A. van Niekerk (Western Province)
*F.D. Venter (Transvaal)
*F.W. Waring (Western Province)
*J.C. van der Westhuizen (Western Province)
*J.H. van der Westhuizen (Western Province)
*J. White (Border)
*M Zimerman (Western Province)

Half Backs

*Danie Craven (Western Province)
*M.G. Francis (Orange Free State)
*Bennie Osler (Western Province)
*P. de Villiers (Western Province)

Forwards

*W.F. Bergh (South West Districts)
*J.N. Bierman (Transvaal)
*G.M. Daneel (Transvaal)
*J.B. Dold (Eastern Province)
*H.M. Forrest (Transvaal)
*V. Geere (Transvaal)
*H.G. Kipling (Griqualand West)
*M.M. Louw (Western Province)
*S.C. Louw (Western Province)
*J.A.J. McDonald (Western Province)
*A.J. van der Merwe (Western Province)
*P.J. Mostert (Western Province)
*P.J. Nel (Natal)
*L.C. Strachan (Transvaal)
*S.R. du Toit (Western Province)

The matches

Wales

rugbybox
date = December 5, 1931
home = flagicon|WAL Wales
score = 3 – 8
away = ru|RSA|1928
homescore = Try: Davies
awayscore = Try: Daneel Bergh
Con: Osler
stadium = St Helens
attendance = 70,000
referee = E. Holmes flagicon|ENG (England)

Wales: Jack Bassett (Penarth) (capt.), Jack Morley (Newport), Claude Davey (Swansea), Frank Williams (Cardiff), Ronnie Boon (Cardiff), Dicky Ralph (Newport), Wick Powell (London Welsh), Tom Day (Swansea), Lonza Bowdler, (Cross Keys), Archie Skym (Cardiff), Ned Jenkins (Aberavon), Tom Arthur (Neath), Arthur Lemon (Neath), Watcyn Thomas (Swansea), Will Davies (Swansea)

South Africa: GH Brand, M Zimerman, BG Gray, J White, FD Ventor, DH Craven, PJ Mostert, BL Osler (capt.), HG Kipling, MM Louw, AJ van der Marwe, WF Bergh, PJ Nel, GM Daneel, JAJ McDonald----

Ireland

rugbybox
date = December 19, 1931
home = ru|IRE
score = 3 – 8
away = ru|RSA|1928
homescore = Pen: McMahon
awayscore = Try: Waring
Zimerman
Con: Osler
stadium = Landsdowne Road
attendance = 35,000
referee = ----

England

rugbybox
date = January 2, 1932
home = flagicon|ENG England
score = 0 – 7
away = ru|RSA|1928
homescore =
awayscore = Try: Bergh
Drop: Brand
stadium = Twickenham
attendance = 70,000
referee = ----

cotland

rugbybox
date = January 16, 1932
home = flagicon|SCO Scotland
score = 3 – 6
away = ru|RSA|1928
homescore = Try: Lind
awayscore = Try: Osler
Craven
stadium = Murrayfield
attendance = 65,000
referee =

Bibliography

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References