THE FARMER-CAPTAIN

Waikato Times, Volume 121, Issue 20230, 26 June 1937, Page 22 (Supplement)

THE FARMER-CAPTAIN

SPRINGBOKS’ LEADER,

PHILIP NEL’S FINE RECORD. GREAT LOVE FOR RUGBY. When the Ulysses drifted eastward over the horizon of the Indian Ocean on May 17, the 1937 Springboks embarked on the most glamorous adventure in the last decade, of South African sport (writes Louis Duffus in The Johannesburg Star). As the'Durban Bluff slipped behind the boat, Philip Jacobus Nel, a descendant of French Huguenots with the blue eyes and fair hair of an Anglo-Saxon; a man of quiet taot and iron resolution, with a sterling character fashioned from a life spent on the land; and a Rugby player who epitomises all the rugged dauntless qualities of tho great Springbok forwards of the past, formally took over the duties of captain. I do not know whether Nel has the French strain of sentiment In his character, but there Is a wealth of romance surrounding the rugged life of the Springboks’ farmer-captain. The obstacles he overcame to keep playing Rugby, the trials and triumphs of his farming life, his profound influence on the village Rugby of Greytown, and his widespread popularity, demonstrated when a host of neighbours offered to work -his farm while ne was away, make an arresting story. His football record is familiar in vrirH C h Untry * He was educated at “ 2 G ?}} eee and for 1 r 75 ,le Stl 1 a sohoolboy, at the ? , 17 - has Played for Natal on no fewer than 65 ooeaslons. He 193? 39 S'* Wlth the Spr'nsbok* In 1931-32, and captained the South in 193 n 3 S a{ralnßt the Wallabies here Nef °nf U V r l “Odualnted with the , el of the Rugby held. It was to j 6 8 . 1?. aoniething of Nel, the man, that I one day drove 150 miles into the heart of Natal, Nel was born -with two major enthus asms—a love of farming and a passion for football.

,J m h r 0U ? h , OUt h 3 34 y ears the great theme of his life has been provided by the plough and the scrum. One can imagine his driving on a tractor o er soil high on the berg that towers over Greytown and gives sweeping \levss o\er valleys of a thousand hills, , e T^' bS u 0t swea «n« bodies locked in the heat of scrums. Or see him sitting In the lounges of provincial hotels In Britain, as he did in the tour in 1931, picturing the clouds sweeping over the hills of “Vetsprutt ” and the winds rustling through his vast acres of mealle lands, n , Th S o °tballer who Is to be pub™Sid'ufeted and mafle a national ngure In three continents was off-loading a wagon of mealies, crushing acres of plants Into a pulp that wllf feed hi. stock during the winter while he is in Australasia. 8

A Halo For Paul Roos. As a small boy I pictured Springbok Rugby captains as a class of deity existing vaguely above the prosaic events of the ordinary world Paul Boos, In my young Imagination was surrounded with a dim halo, and Billy . Hilar was always a personality of something more than flesh and blood. familiarity with Bennie Osier did not altogether shatter the illusion, but here was Nel In khaki slacks, wearing a battered piece of headgear and looking not so much a subject for heroworship ns a figure radiating the health and strength of an outdoor life. The tractor chugged-chugged Its rhythm over the veld. In the neighbouring lands a gang of Zulu men and women chanted songs and shouted among themselves as they hacked b" n *be tall stalks. A left-handed pfccanln swung a scythe with a crash- * lke ,Je; lant, hooking a ball

Nel has the farmer’s typical friendliness and hospitality. With pauses to sliniil instructions In fluent Zulu, he told me some of hi* views on this eventful Rugby lour.

The forwards.” he said, “are the strong feature of the team. They will hold their own against anything they come up against.

"1 think Ihey will mould themselves nto the best pack South Africa has ■ver had. But, mind you. I do not sav they are xel llie host park Tllev

play. I think 14 forwards are quite enough for the tour. Craven and I were consulted over the question of the number of the pack. ‘‘The more work they have the better they will develop their fltnese and ability. in the past, particularly In Britain, our experience has been that It l’S the backs w’ho are subject to the most Injuries. “We shall, of course, pack 3—4—l. I am satisfied that It is the best formation for pre-sent-day Rugby. Among many others, Mark and Syd Nicholls, two great authorities of the game, recognise the advantage this scrum has over any other formation. “The three front-rank forwards and the two locks will constitute the strength of the scrum, with ths two flank men and the back ranker as loose forwards. “We have no brilliant stars among the backs like we had In 1931, when the team included “Jock" van Niekerk, Bennie Osier, J. C. van der Wethuizen —all fellows with great reputations. But because we have no great stars among them the backs should develop Into a finer combination and have a better understanding than In the past.” They Influenced S.A. Rugby. He paused to w’atch the natives feeding the mealie plants Into the crusher. “I’d like you to make It quite clear,” he added, “that my attitude about the tour Is that we are all anxious to learn. We are not going over there to teach them anything.” He recalled how when he was 20 years old and had played several times for Natal he thought he knew all there w’as to know about Rugby. “I’ve played 14 years since then, and I am still learning. “There have been two definite events that have influenced South African Rugby in my time,” be went on. One w’as the intense backing up by the forwards of the 1928 All Blacks team. Their movements combining with the backs were an education to The other outstanding influenoe was the visit of the Wallabies and the introduction of their type of football. In Australia, I understand, they are forced by circumstances to play a spectacular type of gam?, to draw the crowds. They played more spirited Rugby than solid Rugby. When they came off they were brilliant, but If things went against them they lacked the solidity lo weather reverses. Their two best games, I think, were both played In Durban. “ Their tactics taught us a number of lessons." He stopped talking football, and turned with equal enthusiasm lo farming. As we drove with Mrs Nel and little Louise, age 7, to the farms of his father-in-law, In which Nel has an Interest, and climbed high on to the top of the berg to the homestead at “ Vetspruit," I could not help feeling that a strain of solitude has run through the life or the Springbok captain. Eight years ago he arrived at this deserted farm, once owmed by General Botha’s uncle, to whose memory elands an avenue of great tow’erlng oaks. It Is 4000 feet above the sea and 3000 acres In extent. The winds of w’hiter sweep over the hill-top. They have bitteP, cold nights, frost, and sometimes snow’. But each winter the Nel family transfer their stock dowm Into the Empanza valley, a warm, fertile dale .where the Zulu Rebellion started in 1900, and w’here he has a winter home. The valley W’as the historic scene of Bambata’s rising, and Bambata’s grandson Is employed to -day on Nel’s farm.

Pocket-Money on the Hoof. Nel lives In the centre of the maize belt, and he Is rushing to harvest a bumper crop before lie sails for New Zealand. lie has 300 acres under w’attle trees He keeps pigs and cattle, but Ills greatest interest Is In she.ep. About the time the Springboks are reaching Fremantle, 1700 of Nel’s ewes will be completing their autumn lambing. With Ferdie Bergh, who is a Government expert in animal husbandry, "Ebbo" Bastard, the Franklin farmer, and Ben du Toil, he hopes to add materially to his store of farming knowledge in Australasia. Beyond the lawns and gardens that surround Nel’s home a small herd of beefy cattle were' grazing. “ That's to be my pocket-money for Australia," he announced. They were being fattened for market. To-day he is a thriving, progressive farmer. Perhaps the most vivid chapter of his story and the closest insight into

his character are provided by the resolute manner in which he has borne the successes and setbacks of farming, and the' single-mindedness with which he has pursued his Rugby under the most unfavourable circumstance*

He sat for a month at a tractor one season sowing mealies. A few months later an afternoon’s hailstorm ruined the whole crop. When he left school he spent eight years living alone on a farm. In his isolation he tried to take up smoking, but the habit never appealed to him and to-day he has no taste for tobacco. Living far away from football centres he rode 60 miles from Kranskop to Greytown and back on horseback each w’eek-end for his game of Rugby.

It Is doubtful whether there Is a parallel anyxyhere in the world to the extraordinary lengths he w’ent in order to spend 90 minules playing a game on Saturday afternoons. If the Greytown team happened to be playing in Maritzburg he rose at 4.30 In the morning and rode his horse 30 miles in order to be in time to catch the motor-cars for the 45-mile trip to the away match. Inspired Greytown Footballers. When later he joined the Old Collegians in Maritzburg he rode 70 miles each way on a motor-cycle in order to represent his club. Net's deep unostentatious enthusiasm for file game Is an epic of Rugby. He lias had a remarkable influenco upon the football of Greytown and district. Three times a week as many us 30 and 4 0 farmers gather from the neighbouring district to practise. At the week-end matches the spectators outnumber the Saturday crowds who watch senior Rugby in Durban and Maritzburg. Always on the farm, he has had to train alone. “ What I miss,” he told me, “ Is someone to do exercises with and to throw the ball to. It Is no fun keeping fit on your own."

You would think that farm life was sufficient to keep Nel In the' pink of condition, but he believes that more than mere physical fitness is demanded from a first-class Rugby player. His lonely experience's have made him all the more eager for fellowship. He likes to have a team-mate. And that was why Nel gave a wild whoop when "Ebbo" Bastard’s name was announced by the' selectors. They have been half-sections on many Currie Cup tours. He plays cricket (“I feel more nervous going out to bat in a village match than I do in a Rugby Test match") and he likes fishing, riding and shooting. Let me tell one more story which Mrs Nel recounted with graphic simplicity, to illustrate the background of the life of the leader of the South African side. Mrs Nel Saw Smoke. One quie’t Sunday Mrs Nel looked out of the homestead window. Idly she was watching the clouds and the distant valleys when she saw faint smoke rising from their wattle plantation some two miles across the lands. It was winter time, and the’ plantation was littered with dry wood. With the instinct of a farmer’s wife she sensed danger. The wattle plantation was on fire —l5O acres of it were liable to be Being Sunday, the farm labourers were all away. Single-handed, Nel hurried off to the forest. Four hours with bits of bush, his fee't and his bands, he strove vainly to curb the flames. Mrs Nel drove eight miles Into Greytown. She gathered together her father, her uncle', and all the friends, labourers and natives that could be found. For the rest of the day they fought the fire. Nel himself spent the night preventing it spreading. In the morning the precious timber smouldered faintly. Only six of the 150 acres had been destroyed. An unusual testimony to Philip Net’s popularity in the district was provided when it was learned that he was to be away at the trials, and later announced that he was selected for Australasia. Neighbours from all side's offered to keep up the work on his farm. A host of friends will take care of “Vetspruit” while he Is abroad. “It Is one of the finest things I’ve known,” he said, “the way friends have offered to help while I’m away. Two pictures of Nel will live In my memory. The one of his 2151 b. skullcapped figure barging its way vigorously through a host of opposing forwards; the other of Nel the farmer, standing proudly beside giant mealies that dwarfed ills 6ft. 2in.

“ Farming is a gamble," he said, and added with feeling, “ but I wouldn’t change the life for anything in the world.”