In 1955 the British Lions rugby union team toured Southern and Eastern Africa. The Lions drew the test series against , each team winning two of the four matches. They won the first test by a single point and the third by three points and lost the second and fourth matches by wider margins. As well as South Africa, the tour included a match against South West Africa (later to become ), two games against Rhodesia (later to become Zimbabwe) and one versus East Africa.
Overall the tourists played twenty-five matches winning nineteen, losing five and drawing one. The Lions lost their opening fixture against Western Transvaal and were also beaten by Eastern Province and Border later in the tour. They drew with Eastern Transvaal.
It was the Lions' second tour after World War II and the first to South Africa after that war.
The touring party was captained by Robin Thompson of Ireland. The manager was Jack A. E. Siggins and the assistant manager was D. E. Davies.
Jack Siggins had the honour of being invited, by the Rugby Football Union of East Africa (RFUEA), officially to open the newly constructed RFUEA Ground at Ngong Road in Nairobi just prior to the Lions last match of that tour against East Africa.
Squad
Management Manager: J. A. E. Siggins () Assistant Manager: D. E. Davies
Backs Doug Baker (Old Merchant Taylors and ) Jeff Butterfield (Northampton and ) Angus Cameron (Glasgow HSFP and ) Phil Davies (Harlequins and ) Gareth Griffiths (Cardiff and ) Dickie Jeeps (Northampton) Trevor Lloyd (Maesteg and ) Cliff Morgan (Cardiff and ) Haydn Morris (Cardiff and ) Tony O'Reilly (Old Belvedere and ) Cecil Pedlow (Queen's University RFC and ) Pat Quinn (New Brighton and ) Arthur Smith (Cambridge University and ) Frank Sykes (Northampton and ) Alun Thomas (Llanelli and ) Johnny Williams (Old Millhillians and )
Forwards Tom Elliot (Gala and ) Jim Greenwood (Dunfermline and ) Reg Higgins (Liverpool and ) Hugh McLeod (Hawick and ) Bryn Meredith (Newport and ) Courtney Meredith (Neath and ) Ernie Michie (Aberdeen University and ) Tom Reid (Garryowen and ) Russell Robins (Pontypridd and ) Robin Roe (Lansdowne and ) Clem Thomas (Swansea and ) Robin Thompson (Instonians and ) (Captain) Rhys Williams (Llanelli and ) Billy Williams (Swansea and ) Dyson Wilson (Metropolitan Police and )
Dickie Jeeps later played for England but was uncapped at the time of the 1955 tour.
The Idi Amin myth There is a frequently repeated urban legendCain, Nick & Growden, Greg "Chapter 21: Ten Peculiar Facts about Rugby" in Rugby Union for Dummies (2nd Edition), p294 (pub: John Wiley and Sons, Chichester, England) Cotton, Fran (Ed.) (1984) The Book of Rugby Disasters & Bizarre Records. Compiled by Chris Rhys. London. Century Publishing. that Idi Amin (later to become the infamous military dictator of Uganda) was selected as a replacement by East Africa for their match against the 1955 British Lions. The story is entirely unfounded, he does not appear on the team photograph or on the official team listCampbell, M. & Cohen, E.J. (1960) Rugby Football in East Africa 1909–1959. Published by the Rugby Football Union of East Africa and replacements were not allowed in international rugby until 13 years after this event is supposed to have taken place.
Results Scores and results list Lions' points tally first. Opposing Team For Against Date Venue StatusWestern Transvaal6922 June 1955Olen Park, PotchefstroomTour matchGiqualand West241425 June 1955De Beers Stadium, KimberleyTour matchNorthern Universities32629 June 1955Ellis Park, JohannesburgTour matchOrange Free State3132 July 1955Loubser Park, KroonstadTour matchSouth West Africa905 July 1955Mable Volk Stadium, WindhoekTour matchWestern Province1139 July 1955Newlands, Cape TownTour matchSouth West Districts22313 July 1955Recreation Ground, GeorgeTour matchEastern Province02016 July 1955Crusaders Ground, Port ElizabethTour matchNorth Eastern district34620 July 1955Aliwal NorthTour matchTransvaal361323 July 1955Ellis Park, JohannesburgTour matchRhodesia271427 July 1955Rokhana Ground, KitweTour matchRhodesia161230 July 1955Police Ground, SalisburyTour matchSouth Africa23226 August 1955Ellis Park, JohannesburgTest MatchCentral University211410 August 1955Kingsmead, DurbanTour matchBoland11013 August 1955WellingtonTour matchWestern province Universities201716 August 1955Newlands, Cape TownTour matchSouth Africa92520 August 1955Newlands, Cape TownTest Match Eastern Transvaal171724 August 1955PAM Brink, SpringsTour matchNorthern Transvaal141127 August 1955Loftus Versfeld, PretoriaTour matchSouth Africa963 September 1955Loftus Versfeld, PretoriaTest Match11810 September 1955Kingsmead, DurbanTour matchJunior Springboks151214 September 1955Free State Stadium, BloemfonteinTour matchBorder121417 September 1955East LondonTour matchSouth Africa82224 September 1955Crusaders Ground, Port ElizabethTest MatchEast Africa391227 September 1955Ngong Road Ground, NairobiTour match
The matches First South Africa Test
South Africa: Jack van der Schyff, Theuns Briers, Tom van Vollenhoven, Des Sinclair, Sias Swart, Clive Ulyate, Tommy Gentles, Chris Koch, Colin Kroon, Amos du Plooy, Salty du Rand, Johan Claassen, Stephen Fry, Basie van Wyk, Daan Retief
British & Irish Lions: Angus Cameron, Tony O'Reilly, Jeff Butterfield, Phil Davies, Tony O'Reilly, Cliff Morgan, Dickie Jeeps, Billy Williams, Bryn Meredith, Courtenay Meredith, Rhys Williams, Robin Thompson, Reg Higgins, Jim Greenwood, Russell Robins
Second South Africa Test
South Africa: Roy Dryburgh (WP), Tom van Vollenhoven (N-Tvl), Des Sinclair (Tvl), Wilf Rosenberg (Tvl), Theuns Briers (WP), Clive Ulyate (Tvl), Tommy Gentles (WP), Chris Koch (Boland), Bertus van der Merwe (Boland), Jaap Bekker (N-Tvl), Stephen Fry (C) (WP), Salty du Rand (N-Tvl), Johan Claassen (W-Tvl), Dawie Ackermann (WP), Daan Retief (N-Tvl)
British & Irish Lions: Angus Cameron, Tony O'Reilly, Jeff Butterfield, Phil Davies, Gareth Griffith, Cliff Morgan, Dickie Jeeps, Tom Reid, Jim Greenwood, Russell Robins, Robin Thompson, Rhys Williams, Courtenay Meredith, Bryn Meredith, Billy Williams
Third South Africa Test
Fourth South Africa Test
Bibliography
Notes