1968 South Africa rugby union tour of France
| 1968 South Africa rugby union tour of France | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manager | Fritz Eloff[1] | ||||
| Coach(es) | Johan Claassen | ||||
| Tour captain(s) | Dawie de Villiers | ||||
| Top point scorer(s) | Piet Visagie (19) | ||||
| Top try scorer(s) |
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| Top test point scorer(s) | Piet Visagie (42) | ||||
| Top test try scorer(s) | Jannie Engelbrecht (5) | ||||
| Summary |
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| Total |
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| Test match |
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| Opponent |
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 France |
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| Tour chronology | |||||
| Previous tour | Australia and New Zealand 1965 | ||||
| Next tour | Great Britain and Ireland 1969–70 | ||||
The 1968 South Africa rugby union tour of France was a rugby union tour of France by the South Africa national team in October and November 1968.[1] The tour was South Africa's first sole tour of France, having previously played France on joint-European (Great Britain, Ireland) tours. South Africa's tours of Europe over the previous decades (1906–07, 1912–13, 1931–32, 1951–52, 1960–61, 1965) were extremely successful, holding a win ratio of 88.16%, played across 150 matches.
South Africa won the two-match tour-series 2–0, with both matches being within a five-point margin (20–28 on aggregate). Overall South Africa won five of the six matches on tour.
Background[edit]
All of France's three previous victories over South Africa were on South African soil. South Africa's previous match against France on French soil finished 0–0 at the Stade Olympique Yves-du-Manoir in the Paris suburb of Colombes. The tour and two-match series held great significance in that, before the match, France was the only team that South Africa had a negative win ratio against (40%). Every other team, including the British Lions, who had only recently toured South Africa months prior, kept South Africa to a neutral win ratio (New Zealand) or a positive one. Furthermore, although one team (France) kept South Africa to a negative win ratio, no team had a positive win ratio against South Africa, the highest being New Zealand with a win ratio of 42.31%.
| Team | Wins | W% |
|---|---|---|
 South Africa
|
4 | 40 |
| France
|
3 | 30 |
| Draws | 3 | — |
| Total | 10 | |
Fixtures[edit]
| Match | Date | Venue | Home | Score | Away |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 29 October 1968 | Stade Mayol, Toulon, Var | Littoral-Provence | 3–24 | South Africa
|
| 2 | 2 November 1968 | Stade de Gerland, Lyon, Rhône | Selection du Sud-Est | 0–3 | South Africa
|
| 3 | 5 November 1968 | Stade Marcel-Michelin, Clermont-Ferrand, Puy-de-Dôme | Selection Auvergne-Centre | 10–26 | South Africa
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| 4 | 9 November 1968 | Parc Lescure, Bordeaux, Gironde | France
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9–12 | South Africa
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| 5 | 11 November 1968 | Stade des Ponts Jumeaux, Toulouse, Haute-Garonne | Sud-Ouest XV | 11–3 | South Africa
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| 6 | 16 November 1968 | Stade Olympique Yves-du-Manoir, Colombes, Hauts-de-Seine | France
|
11–16 | South Africa
|
Matches[edit]
First match[edit]
The first match on the Springbok tour was against a combined team from the South-eastern coastal region of France, with the majority of the team playing with Toulon in the French Championship.[2] South Africa won the match in convincing fashion, scoring six tries to one drop goal.[1]
| 28 October 1968 |
| Litorral-Provence | 3–24 | South Africa |
| Drop: Laborde (1) | Try: Engelbrecht (4) Olivier Visagie Con: H. de Villiers (3/6) |
| Stade Mayol, Toulon Referee: M. Lebecq (Limousin) |
Second match[edit]
| 2 November 1968 |
| Selection du Sud-Est | 0–3 | South Africa |
| Pen: Naudé (1) |
| Stade de Gerland, Lyon Referee: M. K.M. Jones (Wales) |
Third match[edit]
| 5 November 1968 |
| Selection Auvergne-Centre | 10–26 | South Africa |
| Try: Roux Ellis Con: Visagie (1/2) Pen: Visagie (5) Drop: Visagie (1/1) |
| Stade Marcel-Michelin, Clermont-Ferrand Referee: M. Tyler (England) |
First test[edit]
The fourth match, and first test, of the Springbok tour was against France, played in the south-western city of Bordeaux.[1] The story of the match was the missed kicks from South African errors.[3] One try scored by France to three penalty goals kicked via South Africa's Piet Visagie gave the visitors a 3–9 lead at half-time.[4] However, by full-time, although scoring two late tries to bring themselves back into the match (9–12),[5] France had failed to kick seven penalty goals, three conversions, and a drop goal.[3] A total of thirty points.[3] The final score finished France 9, South Africa 12.[3]
| 9 November 1968 |
| France | 9–12 | South Africa |
| Try: Bonal 74' m Dauga (2) ?', 75' m | Report | Pen: Visagie (4/5) Drop: Visagie (0/1) |
| Parc Lescure, Bordeaux Attendance: 12,516 Referee: Larry Lamb (England) |
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Fourth match[edit]
| 11 November 1968 |
| Sud-Ouest XV | 11–3 | South Africa |
| Try: Dargelès (1) Con: Michael (1) Pen: Michael (1) Drop: Pariès | Try: Carelse |
| Stade des Ponts Jumeaux, Toulouse Referee: M. Birell (Scotland) |
Second test[edit]
The sixth match, and final test, of the Springbok tour saw the South Africans play France again, in the Paris commune of Colombes.[6][1] Trailing 6–3 at half-time,[7] the South Africans fought back early in the second half, scoring three tries to one. South Africa won by five points,[8] and took the series 2–0.[1]
| 16 November 1968 |
| France | 11–16 | South Africa |
| Try: Cester (1) Con: Pariès (1) Drop: Pariès (1) Puget (1) | Report | Try: D. de Villiers Engelbrecht Nomis Con: Visagie (2/3) Pen: Visagie (1) |
| Stade Olympique Yves-du-Manoir, Colombes Attendance: 30,000[9] Referee: Paddy d'Arcy (Ireland) |
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References[edit]
- ^ a b c d e f "France – Afrique du Sud" [France – South Africa]. Rugby : organe officiel de la Federation Française de Rugby (in French). No. 696. 30 November 1968. pp. 4–5 – via Bibliothèque nationale de France (BNF).
- ^ "DÉBUTS PROMETTEURS des Springboks à Toulon (24–3)" [PROMISING START for the Springboks in Toulon (24–3)]. Le Monde (in French). Groupe Le Monde. 31 October 1968.
- ^ a b c d Frost, David (11 November 1968). "Springboks forced into error, but French miss kicks". The Guardian. No. 38, 051. Manchester Guardian. p. 15.
- ^ "Springboks Win With Penalties". The Press. Vol. CVIII, no. 31, 833. 11 November 1968. p. 26.
- ^ "Visagie penalties decide". Sunday Mercury. No. 2, 592. 10 November 1968.
- ^ "Le dernier match des Springboks en France" [The Springboks' last match in France]. Le Monde (in French). Groupe le Monde. 16 November 1968.
- ^ "Fine Recovery By Springboks". The Press. Vol. CVIII, no. 31, 839. 18 November 1968. p. 22.
- ^ "Springbok rally defeats France". The Canberra Times. Vol. 43, no. 12, 160. Australian Capital Territory, Australia. 18 November 1968. p. 16. Retrieved 15 October 2023 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "30,000 see test". Derby Telegraph. No. 27, 185. 16 November 1968. p. 8.