Many Springboks In South African Ruqby Leaque Team

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30155, 12 June 1963, Page 13

Many Springboks In South African Ruqby Leaque Team

TYS.P. ACKERMANN, A. Skene, H. J. Van Zyl, C. M. Greenwood, I. N. Rens, H. J. M. Pelser, the names could well have been the foundation of a Springbok team, for all these players are former South African Rugby internationals. But, the list is the basis of the South African Rugby League team to tour Australia and New Zealand later this season.

Rugby League has grown in South Africa since its inception two years ago, when it was necessary to sign up Rugby players, as no League players were available. How these players have been affected by the change cannot be estimated, but speculation was similar in 1951 when a French team embarked on a tour of Australia and New Zealand. This tour really promoted League on the Continent for the first time. In a highlyexciting game New Zealand Scraped home, 16-15, at Carlaw Park, Auckland, in the only test played in this country. If the South African tour is only 75 per cent, as successful as this the game can do nothing but grow in that country. Rugby League could have been encouraged in South Africa as far back as 1911, if England had agreed to a tour by a coloured team in that year. Unfortunately the English League was then fostering the game in New Zealand and Australia and the tour was refused until South Africa had gained "a thoroughly proficient knowledge of the game.” The First World War then intervened and the idea was forgotten until recently.

The 1963 team announced recently will probably play 10 matches in Australia and four in New Zealand. It contains one of the strongest back lines in international football with F. Griffith (full back), van Zyl (wing), Greenwood, J. C V. Pieterse (centres), Skene (wing), Rens (flyhalf), F. Gericke (scrum half). These players were all prominent in South African Rugby. Griffiths has been called the best player never to represent South Africa; van Zyl was the

hero'of South Africa's 13-0 victory over the All Blacks' in 1960 when he scored two tries; Greenwood scored two tries against Ireland in his test debut; Pieterse represented Northern Universities against the 1960 All Blacks; Skene scored South Africa’s sole try in their 9-5 loss to France in 1958; Rens scored 16 points in the

two tests against the visiting Australians in 1953; and Gericke was vice-captain of the Junior Springbok team which toured the Argentine in 1959. Moreover, G. Coetser was one of the wings when the Orange Free State defeated the 1960 All Blacks. The forwards are more of an unknown quantity, apart from Ackermann and Pelser. Ackermann, who has been selected as captain,

toured this country with the Springboks in 1956 as a flanker. He also played against the touring French team in 1958. Pelser first represented South Africa in 1958. He played in all four tests against the All Blacks in 1960 and toured Britain in 1960-61. These two loose forwards could run riot among opposing inside backs. Three other forwards also played against the 1960 All Blacks. C. E. Bezuidenhout, an Army representative, was one of the props in -the Combined Services team which defeated New Zealand, 8-3. O. K Oosthuizen and J. H. Oberholzer were both in the Transvaal XV which lost to the All Blacks, 9-3. Oberholzer also represented South-west Africa against New Zealand. It was unfortunate that two other members of the 1956 Springbok team, K. T. van vollenhoven and W. Rosenburg, will not be making the trip, in company with more recent internationals, C. Nimb and D. Hopwood. Van Vollenhoven, who changed to League in 1957, scored 176 tries in his first three seasons of League in England. Nimb has since signed a contract with the English team, Hull. The South African goalkicker will be the full-back, Griffiths. He joined Wigan in 1958 and in his first season scored 397 points from 15 tries and 176 goals. He is now the captain-coach of the North Sydney club team in Australia and will join the team there.