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| Birth name | Benjamin Robert Duff | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Date of birth | 16 October 1867 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Swellendam, Cape Colony | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of death | 25 June 1943 (aged 75) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of death | Pretoria, South Africa | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| School | South African College High School [1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Notable relative(s) | Colin Duff (brother) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Benjamin Robert Duff (16 October 1867 – 25 June 1943) was a South African rugby union international. [2] He also played a first-class cricket match with Western Province.
Duff, born in Swellendam, had a brother Colin who represented Rhodesia at cricket and rugby. He married Isabel Watkinson.
Duff's cricket match was against Natal during the 1889/90 South African cricket season. Although he batted with the tail, at number 10 in both innings, Duff wasn't called on to bowl once in the match. He scored one and eight not out, dismissed by Test player Gus Kempis in the first dig. Western Province's wicket-keeper for this game, Alfred Richards, was also a rugby union international and the duo appeared together in a Test with the South African national rugby union team. [3]
In 1891, Duff played three rugby union Test matches in a home series against the British Isles. These were the first ever official Tests that South Africa played and due to the order in which players' names were listed on team sheets for a match at the time, Duff has the distinction of being the first Springbok. [4] He played his games as a full-back and represented Western Province at provincial rugby. [5]
| No. | Opponents | Results(SA 1st) | Position | Tries | Date | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. |  British Isles | 0–4 | Fullback | 30 Jul 1891 | Crusaders Ground, Port Elizabeth | |
| 2. | British Isles | 0–3 | Fullback | 29 Aug 1891 | Eclectic Cricket Ground, Kimberley | |
| 3. | British Isles | 0–4 | Fullback | 5 Sep 1891 | Newlands, Cape Town |
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