The 1906–07 South Africa tour of Europe was a collection of friendly rugby union games undertaken by the South Africa national team against the four British Home Nation teams. The tour also took in several matches against British and Irish club, county and invitational teams before finally travelling to France to play the national team.
This was the inaugural South Africa tour and is recognised as the event that coined the phrase Springboks as a nickname for the South African team. The sports-themed South African novelty song "The Springboks' Waltz" was released in 1906 to commemorate the tour.
The 1906 Springboks were "the first national team to utilize the 3–4–1 formation".
The tour was extremely successful for the South Africans which helped garner respect from the Northern Hemisphere teams and established South Africa as a formidable rugby playing country. In the tests played the team would only lose to Scotland and drew against England. The South African defeat of Wales was a shock to many critics and ended the international careers of some of the greatest Welsh players of the time. Out of 29 matches played, South Africa won 26, lost two and drew one.
Touring party
Management Manager: Cecil Carden Captain: Paul Roos
Full backs Arthur Burmeister (Western Province) Steve Joubert (Western Province) Arthur Marsberg (Griqualand West)
Three-quarters Sydney de Melker (Griqualand West) HA de Villiers (Western Province) Jack Hirsch (Eastern Province) Japie Krige (Western Province) Japie le Roux (Western Province) Bob Loubser (Western Province) Andrew Morkel (Transvaal) Anton Stegmann (Western Province)
Half backs Harold 'Paddy' Carolin (Western Province) Uncle Dobbin (Griqualand West) Dirk Jackson (Western Province)
Forwards Daniel Brink (Western Province) Douglas Brookes (Border) Adam Francis Burdett (Western Province) William Burger (Border) Henry Daneel (Western Province) Pietie le Roux (Western Province) Dietlof Maré (Western Province) Rajah Martheze (Griqualand West) William Millar (Western Province) Douglas Morkel (Transvaal) William Morkel (Transvaal) William Allan Neill (Border) Klondyke Raaff (Griqualand West) Hubert Reid (Transvaal) Paul Roos (Western Province)
Match summary Complete list of matches played by the Springboks in Europe:The History of South African Rugby on Rugby Football History website rugbyfootballhistory.com, 2007. Retrieved 22 December 2021.
Test matches
# Date Opponents City Venue Score1 26 Sep East Midlands Northampton 37–02 29 Sep Midland Counties Leicester 29–0 3 3 Oct Kent RU Blackheath Rectory Field 21–04 6 Oct Durham RU Hartlepool 22–4 5 10 Oct Northumberland RU Newcastle St James' Park 44–0 6 13 Oct Yorkshire RU Leeds Headingley Stadium 34–0 7 17 Oct Devon RU Devonport 22–68 20 Oct Somerset RU Taunton 14–09 24 Oct Middlesex RU Richmond 9–0 10 27 Oct Newport RFC Newport Rodney Parade 8–0 11 31 Oct Glamorgan County Cardiff Arms Park 6–3 12 3 Nov Gloucestershire RU Gloucester Town Club 23–0 13 7 Nov Oxford University Oxford 24–3 14 10 Nov Cambridge University Cambridge 29–0 15 13 Nov The South Hawick Mansfield Park 32–5 16 17 Nov Glasgow Hampden Park 0–6 17 20 Nov The North Aberdeen Pittodrie Stadium 35–3 18 24 Nov Belfast Balmoral Showground 15–12 19 27 Nov Dublin University Dublin Lansdowne Road 28–3 20 1 Dec Swansea St. Helen's 11–0 21 8 Dec London Crystal Palace 3–3 22 12 Dec Lancashire RU Manchester Fallowfield Stadium 11–8 23 15 Dec Cumberland Carlisle Devonshire Park 21–0 24 19 Dec Surrey RU Richmond 20–0 25 22 Dec Cornwall Redruth 9–3 26 26 Dec Monmouthshire Newport Rodney Parade 17–0 27 29 Dec Llanelli RFC Llanelli Stradey Park 16–3 28 1 Jan 1907 Cardiff Cardiff Arms Park 0–17 29 3 Jan 1907 Paris Parc des Princes 55–6
Balance Pl W D L Ps Pc 29 26 1 2 595 141
Match details Devon
Team detailsDevon: F Lillicrapp (Albion), AJR Roberts (Exeter), J. Schulz (R.N. College, Dartmouth), De Smidt (Plymouth), F Scott (Bristol), R Jago (Albion), J Peters (Plymouth), W Mills (Albion), SG Williams, (Albion), J Cummings (Albion), EW Roberts (R.N. College, Dartmouth), TS Kelly (London Harlequins), GD Roberts (Exeter), Dix (R.N. College, Dartmouth), G Farr, (Torquay) South Africa: AF Marsberg, JD Krige, JA Loubser, FJ Dobbin, P Roos (capt.), WA Burger, PA le Roux, DJ Brink, WC Martheze, JWE Raaff, WS Morkel, JG Hirsch, A Stegmann, HW Carolin, DF Morkel
The South African match against Devon is noted for events that occurred before the game began. On the day Devon fielded England international James Peters, the first black player to be capped for his country. On learning they would be facing a black player, the South Africans refused to take to the field. The South African High Commissioner, who was in the crowd, approached the Springboks and successfully persuaded them to play.
Newport
Team detailsNewport: Dai Boots, Reg Plummer, WH Gunstone, S Adams, WR Thomas, Walter Martin, Tommy Vile, Charlie Pritchard capt., Edwin Thomas Maynard, Jehoida Hodges, William Dowell, Ernie Jenkins, H Davies, Harry Wetter, George Boots South Africa: AF Marsberg, JD Krige, JS le Roux, FJ Dobbin, P Roos (capt.), WA Burger, PA le Roux, DJ Brink, AC Stegmann, JWE Raaff, HA de Villiers, DC Jackson, D Brooks, DS Mare, DF Morkel
Glamorgan
Team detailsGlamorgan: Bert Winfield (Cardiff), Hopkin Maddock (London Welsh), Billy Trew (Swansea), Rhys Gabe (Cardiff), Teddy Morgan (London Welsh) (capt.), H Toft (Swansea), Dicky Owen (Swansea), John Alf Brown (Cardiff), G Northmore (Cardiff), Billy O'Neill (Cardiff), Dai Jones (Aberdare), Jack Williams (London Welsh), Will Joseph (Cardiff), H Hunt (Cardiff), Dick Thomas (Mountain Ash) South Africa: AF Marsberg, JA Loubser, JD Krige, FJ Dobbin, P Roos (capt.), WA Burger, DJ Brink, AC Stegmann, JWE Raaff, HA de Villiers, D Brooks, HW Carolin, DF Morkel, WS Morkel, WA Millar
Scotland
Team details Scotland: JG Scoular, KG MacLeod, T Sloan, MW Walter, ABHL Purves, LL Greig capt., P Munro, HG Monteith, IC Geddes, JC MacCallum, David Bedell-Sivright, GM Frew, LM Spiers, WP Scott, WH Thomson South Africa: AFW Marsberg, AC Stegmann, HA de Villiers, JD Kriege, JA Loubser, HW Carolin capt., FJ Dobbin, WAG Burger, HJ Daneel, DJ Brink, D Brooks, JWE Raaff, AF Burdett, WS Morkel, DS Maré
Ireland
Team detailsIreland GJ Henebrey, HB Thrift, Bertie Gotto, James Cecil Parke, Basil Maclear, TTH Robinson, ED Caddell, A Tedford, CE Allen capt., Harold Sugars, George Hamlet, M White, G McIldowie, HG Wilson, JJ Coffey South Africa: SJ Joubert, AC Stegmann, JH Hirsh, JD Krige, JA Loubser, DC Jackson, HW Carolin, WAG Burger, HJ Daneel, AF Burdett, PJ Roos capt., WC Martheze, DFT Morkel, WS Morkel, PA Le Roux
Wales
Team detailsWales: John Dyke (Penarth), Teddy Morgan (London Welsh), Gwyn Nicholls (Cardiff) capt., Rhys Gabe (Cardiff), Johnnie Williams (Cardiff), Percy Bush (Cardiff), Dicky Owen (Swansea), Will Joseph (Swansea), George Travers, (Pill Harriers), Dai Jones (Treherbert), Arthur Harding (London Welsh), Jack Jenkins (London Welsh), Jack Williams (London Welsh), Charlie Pritchard (Newport), Dick Thomas, (Mountain Ash) South Africa: AF Marsberg, S Joubert, HA de Villiers, JD Krige, JA Loubser, DC Jackson, FJ Dobbin, P Roos capt., WA Burger, HJ Daneel, PA le Roux, DJ Brink, WC Martheze, JWE Raaff, WS Morkel
Before the game hopes were high that the Welsh would be able to see off the South African threat.Parry-Jones (1999), p. 188. As one commentator wrote, "There was nothing in the South African's play to forbid Welsh hopes of repeating their success of last season...",Parry-Jones (1999), p. 180. harking back to Wales' famous victory over the All Blacks. When a Glamorgan XV team, which contained many Welsh caps that were to face South Africa, could only manage a drew against Gloucester, it caused some people to re-think the team's chances of winning. This caused an outcry for Welsh star, Gwyn Nicholls, to come out of international retirement to face South Africa. Even the South African players' voiced their disappointment at not facing Nicholls on the pitch.Parry-Jones (1999), p. 181. When Billy Trew withdrew from the Glamorgan XV against Monmouthshire on 22 November, Nicholls was the surprise replacement, and a few days later Nicholls told the Daily Mirror that he intended to "have a shot at the Springboks"Parry-Jones (1999), p. 186.
On the day of the match, South Africa were without some of their star players, including lead try scorer Stegmann, who had suffered a leg strain in the Belfast encounter. However, captain and talisman Paul Roos was back in the squad though sporting a heavy pad on his injured shoulder. The weather on the day was dry and the hard pitch suited the visitors. After an aggressive but blunt opening from the hosts, the South Africans found their pace and quickly took advantage. By half time the tourist were 6–0 ahead with tries from Joubert and Loubser. Gwyn Nicholls had a particularly poor game, wasting a panicked kick from Marsberg in the first half and throughout the game he and Gabe were so tightly marked that they were ineffective. In the second half it was a Nicholls error that handed the Springboks their third try when he caught a high ball safely, only to release it into open play. 'Klondyke' Raaff dribbled the ball away and scored a try that Joubert duly converted. The final result was 11–0 to the visitors; the majority of Welsh crowd were silenced by such a terrible result, though enough good-will was shown to carry captain Roos, and the constantly impressive Marsberg from the pitch.
After the games there were many ramifications for the Welsh team. The papers stated that the weakness shown by the forwards, and too many old players in the pack, were the reasons for the poor Welsh display. The Welsh Rugby Union reacted to the press comments by dropping many of the players from international rugby. Those players that would never again represent their country included, Dai Jones, Will Joseph, Gwyn Nicholls and Jack Williams; just one year after the legendary game against the All Blacks.
England
Team detailsEngland: John Birkett, Arnold Alcock, John Jackett, Freddie Brooks, Cecil Shaw, Robert Dibble, William Mills, Harry Shewring, Thomas Simpson, Basil Hill, Vincent Cartwright, Thomas Kelly, John Green, Adrian Stoop, Raphael Jago South Africa: SJ Joubert, AFW Marsberg, HA de Villiers, SC de Melker, JA Loubser, DC Jackson, FJ Dobbin, WA Millar, HJ Daneel, DJ Brink, PJ Roos capt., JWE Raaff, DFT Morkel, WS Morkel, PA Le Roux
Monmouthshire
Team detailsMonmouthshire: Jack Roberts (Blaina), Llew Llewellyn (Pill Harriers), John Hart Evans (Pontypool), Jack P. Jones (Pontypool), Billy Bowen (Abertillery), James Jones (Pontypool), Dai Beynon (Pontypool), Ernie Williams (Pontnewydd), George Travers (capt.) (Pill Harriers), Jake Blackmore (Abertillery), Jim Webb (Abertillery), Rees Thomas (Pontypool), Jack Foley (Brynmawr), Jack Jones (Cwmbran), Jack Jenkins (London Welsh)
Llanelli
Team detailsLlanelli: G. Thomas, Willie Arnold, Rhys Gabe, G. Rowe, W. Thomas, H. Thomas, D. Lloyd, J. Auckland, Harry Vaughan Watkins, H. Cole, G. Dobbs, J. Watts, Nathaniel Walters capt., W. Cole, T. Evans South Africa AFW Marsberg, JA Loubser, JG Hirsch, HA de Villiers, AC Stegmann, DC Jackson, FJ Dobbin, PJ Roos capt., WAG Burger, WA Millar DJ Brink, D Brooks, HJ Danell, DFT Morkel, JWE Raaff
The Springboks had a magnificent reception from a crowd of 15,000. The South Africans started on an attack, but the Llanelli forwards soon rallied, resulting in a try that placed the Welshmen ahead. For the remainder of the first half the Springboks persistently pressed, eventually succeeding in piercing the Welsh defence, resulting in a converted try.