1910 British Lions tour to South Africa

Last updated

1910 British Lions tour
to South Africa
British isles rugby team 1910.jpg
Official photo of the British Isles team
Date11 June – 6 September
Coach(es) Walter E. Rees
Flag of England.svg William Cail
Tour captain(s) Saint Patrick's Saltire.svg Tommy Smyth
Test series winnersSouth Africa Flag 1910-1912.svg  South Africa (2–1)
Top test point scorer(s) Flag of England.svg Jack Spoors (9)
1910 British Lions tour to South Africa
Summary
PWDL
Total
24 130308
Test match
03010002
Opponent
PWDL
South Africa Flag 1910-1912.svg  South Africa
3 1 0 2

The 1910 British Isles tour to South Africa was the eighth tour by a British Isles rugby union team and the fourth to South Africa. It is retrospectively classed as one of the British Lions tours, as the Lions naming convention was not adopted until 1950. As well as South Africa, the tour included a game in Bulawayo in Rhodesia, now Zimbabwe.

Contents

Led by Ireland's Tommy Smyth and managed by Walter E. Rees and W Cail the tour took in 24 matches. Of the 24 games, 21 were against club or invitational teams and three were test matches against the South African national team. The British Isles team lost two and won one test match against the Springboks.

Seven players from Newport RFC were selected for the tour which was for a time the record for players selected from one club for a British Lions Tour.

The Lions jerseys switched from red to blue, with white shorts and red socks. This combination would remain until 1950. [1]

Kit left arm.svg
Kit body collarwhite.png
Kit body.svg
Kit right arm.svg
Kit shorts.svg
Kit socks whitetop.png
Kit socks long.svg
Team kit

Touring party

NamePositionClubCountry
Test

Test

Test
Tests
played [3]
Non-tests
played [3]
Stanley Williams Full Back Newport Flag of England.svg EnglandGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svg313
Mel Baker Three-Quarter Newport Flag of Wales (1807-1953).svg Wales Green check.svg111
Reg Plummer Three-Quarter Newport Flag of Wales (1807-1953).svg Wales 012
Maurice Edward Neale Three-Quarter Bristol Flag of England.svg EnglandGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svg311
Alexander Foster Three-Quarter City of Derry Saint Patrick's Saltire.svg IrelandGreen check.svgGreen check.svg215
C.G. Timms Three-Quarter Edinburgh University Flag of Scotland.svg Scotland [note 1] 011
Jack Jones [note 2] Three-Quarter Newport Flag of Wales (1807-1953).svg Wales Green check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svg317
Jack Spoors Three-Quarter Bristol Flag of England.svg EnglandGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svg316
Kenneth Berridge Wood Three-Quarter Leicester Flag of England.svg EnglandGreen check.svgGreen check.svg1
Noel Forbes Humphreys Half back Tynedale Flag of Wales (1807-1953).svg Wales [note 3] 05
Arthur Norman McClinton Half back North of Ireland Saint Patrick's Saltire.svg Ireland08
G.A.M. Isherwood Half back Cheshire and Sale Flag of England.svg England [note 3] Green check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svg316
Eric Milroy Half back Watsonians Flag of Scotland.svg Scotland 04
Tommy Smyth (captain) Forward Newport Saint Patrick's Saltire.svg IrelandGreen check.svgGreen check.svg216
William Tyrrell Forward Queen's University Saint Patrick's Saltire.svg Ireland010
Dyne Fenton Smith Forward Richmond Flag of England.svg EnglandGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svg320
Phil Waller Forward Newport Flag of Wales (1807-1953).svg Wales Green check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svg3
James Reid-Kerr Forward Greenock Wanderers Flag of Scotland.svg Scotland 00
R.C. Stevenson Forward St Andrews University RFC Flag of Scotland.svg Scotland Green check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svg312
L.M. Speirs [note 4] Forward Watsonians Flag of Scotland.svg Scotland 00
E. O'D Crean Forward Liverpool Flag of England.svg England [note 3] 04
Harry Jarman Forward Newport Flag of Wales (1807-1953).svg Wales Green check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svg314
O.J.S. Piper Forward Cork Constitution Saint Patrick's Saltire.svg IrelandGreen check.svg115
William Albert Robertson Forward Edinburgh University Flag of Scotland.svg Scotland 010
Charles Pillman Forward Blackheath Flag of England.svg EnglandGreen check.svgGreen check.svg214
William Joseph Ashby Forward Queen's College Saint Patrick's Saltire.svg Ireland02
F.G. Handford Forward Kersal Flag of England.svg EnglandGreen check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svg315
Tom Richards Forward Bristol Flag of Australia (converted).svg AustraliaGreen check.svgGreen check.svg210
Jim Webb Forward Abertillery Flag of Wales (1807-1953).svg Wales Green check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svg37
Notes
  1. Timms was never capped for Scotland.
  2. Jones had also been on the 1908 tour of Australia and New Zealand.
  3. 1 2 3 Uncapped
  4. Speirs played no games nor did he appear in the official photograph of the tour, but he is listed as having been selected.

Results

Complete list of matches played by the British Isles in South Africa: [2] [4]

  Test matches

DateOpponentLocationResultScore
111 June South Western Districts Mossel Bay Won14–4
215 JuneWestern Province (County) Cape Town Won11–3
318 JuneWestern Province (College) Cape Town Won9–3
422 JuneWestern Province (Town) Cape Town Drew11–11
525 June Western Province Cape Town Won5–3
629 June Griqualand West Kimberley Lost0–8
72 July Transvaal Johannesburg Lost8–27
85 JulyPretoria Pretoria Won17–0
97 JulyTransvaal (County) Johannesburg Won45–4
109 July Transvaal Johannesburg Lost6–13
1113 July Natal Pietermaritzburg Won18–16
1216 July Natal Durban Won19–13
1320 JulyOrange River County Bloemfontein Won12–9
1423 July Griqualand West Kimberley Lost3–9
1527 July Cape Colony Kimberley Lost0–19
1630 July Southern Rhodesia Bulawayo Won24–11
176 AugustSouth Africa Flag 1910-1912.svg  South Africa Wanderers Ground, Johannesburg Lost10–14
1810 AugustNorth Eastern Districts Burgersdorp Drew8–8
1913 August Border East London Won30–10
2017 August Border King Williams Town Drew13–13
2120 August Eastern Province Port Elizabeth Won14–6
2227 AugustSouth Africa Flag 1910-1912.svg  South Africa Crusaders Ground, Port Elizabeth Won8–3
233 SeptemberSouth Africa Flag 1910-1912.svg  South Africa Newlands, Cape Town Lost5–21
246 September Western Province Cape Town Lost0–8
Balance
PlWDLPsPc
241338290236

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