1963 Wallabie tour to SA

[PaarlBok]

Been watching on Supersport Springbok saga last night and they show some highlights of the 1963 tests.

Must have been one of the best Wallaby sides to tour here and some fantastic rugby between the two countries. They even showed the two teams singing Sarie Marais vs Waltzing Matilda which I find very interesting.

http://www.rugby-talk.com/2010/09/1963-wallabies-against-south-africa/

This 1963 series was interesting for a number of reasons but most importantly because the success of this series was the result of a significant change in the Wallabies approached towards the game. I wrote about this change in some of my previous posts (65 Springboks in Australia) and referred in particular to the influence of a man by name of Norman McKenzie on Austarlian rugby.
McKenzie after making a thorough study of New Zealand rugby started to promote the idea of pattern rugby in Australian; that is that Australia should start playing with less freedom and more structure and discipline and precision, on the basis of strong forward play. The main trust was that Australia should reduced the freedom and frilleries in their play and start concentrating upon careful, calculated planning, the reduction of mistakes to the lowest possible number, and the development of team-play to the kind of pattern favoured for many years in New Zealand.
Chris Greyvenstein writes about this in his book Springbok Saga:
The 1963 Wallabies became the first touring side team to beat the Springboks in two consequetive test since the Lions of 1896. This was an Australian side with a difference. Gone was the unpredicatability, and flair which used to impress us so much that we always wanted to follow suit and frequently came to grief as a result. In its place was a new approach; the 1963 Wallabies rarely took risks, their backs were defenders firts and foremost and unless they received the ball quickly and cleanly they did not attempt to attack.
This side was capained by John Thornett who also played against South Africa in 1961 in a match that they were so thoroughly that he almost prayed for thefinal whistle to blow. The boks scored a record of 8 tries against the Wallabies in 1961 and won the series comprhensively.
This of course make the results of the 1963 series so much more significant especially if one the considers that they went on to also beat the All Black in Auckland New Zealand in 1964 and won the series against the touring 1965 Springbok team 2-0 (1965 test series against Australia).
The Springboks were a dominant force in the game in 1963 with their massive pack and elusive and fast backline players. Things were however not all kosher in Springbok land and the political influences were starting to impact on selection of players especially the captains. There was an unnecessary amount of chopping and changing of the team as the table below demonstrates. This impacted on the Springbok team as much if not more than improvements and changes in the way the Australians played.

Also enjoy some footage of Springbok Saga and still nothing beats the sights of Mannetjies Roux going through gaps or Frik du Preez running with the pill like a back.

They'll be always legends in my books.

(Not much going on rugby now and think this bring back some sweeter then sweet memories)

Best part of those days was to watch the immense admosphere and spirit of the crowds. Rugby in the SH have lost a lot of it.

 

[spooony]

Springbok Saga haaaa. Use to have it on VHS. My fav games were those NZ flower bomb tests lol. Like Cmon how can you miss Naas we never missed him at Nuweland with the naartjies.

 

[wamberal]

That was an extraordinary performance, no doubt about it. For starters, in those days the referee was always from the home country, and the touch judges had no power other than to adjudicate the touch line, and to rule on goal attempts. So it was every man for himself on the referee's blind side.


The Wallabies had huge support from the non-white spectators wherever they played, apparently.

 

[PaarlBok]

That was an extraordinary performance, no doubt about it. For starters, in those days the referee was always from the home country, and the touch judges had no power other than to adjudicate the touch line, and to rule on goal attempts. So it was every man for himself on the referee's blind side.


The Wallabies had huge support from the non-white spectators wherever they played, apparently.

At least there was no grey areas at the rucks.

This was the problem for the Bokke.

Things were however not all kosher in Springbok land and the political influences were starting to impact on selection of players especially the captains. There was an unnecessary amount of chopping and changing of the team as the table below demonstrates. This impacted on the Springbok team as much if not more than improvements and changes in the way the Australians played.

As captains they chop and change between the Malans

Avril Malan by Doc Craven
When I was stationed in Pretoria during the war years I became very friendly with Avril's parents. His father was a professor at Onderstepoort. I went to their home in Wonderboom one day and saw the two children, a boy and a girl, playing in the chicken run and becoming rather smelly in the process.
Their mother was very apologetic and I said: "Mrs Malan, that's not naughtiness, that's how children should be - let them act naturally."
Later Avril came to Stellenbosch and I saw him playing for the second team. He broke through a line-out and kicked the ball away. I called him over and said: "You must come from the backwoods, because there they kick the ball away. Here we don't - we run with it. Remember, when you break through, you've got all the forwards with you. There's no need to kick away possession."
He became a wonderful player and a wonderful leader, born and bred for the task. I often felt that others got the credit due to him because he could play anyone into a team.
He had great pushing strength in the scrums and his ability in the line-outs was exceptional. No-one could collect a ball quite like Avril.
I think he suffered on that demo-stricken tour in 1969/70 when he was the coach. He felt bitter that we couldn't play our natural game under those circumstances.
Incidentally Avril was the first coach to have the hooker throw the ball in at the line-outs. He was much criticised at the time - even I criticised him - but it's become the commonplace thing nowadays. He certainly knew what he was doing.

Abie Malan by Doc Craven
I spotted Abie together with Piet du Toit in the Stellenbosch under-19 team. Abie came from the Northwest-Bushmanland, and it was obvious from the outset that he had a wonderful fighting spirit.
While they were on tour of the UK and France in 1960/61, the Bok management asked me to send Bobby Johns over as a replacement hooker; Abie's knee was 'completely finished'. I told them that I didn't think Abie would give up his place in the team lightly, that he would play even if he had to put splints on his leg to keep his knee in place.
That is exactly what happened and poor Bobby Johns had to pay the price of this man's grit and determination as he never did get into the side. These qualities show up in Abie today as a selector - outspoken, straight as a die, says what he wants to say, crawls to nobody.
He's made a huge success of his life and career and he's done it on his own. It's that same grit and determination which he showed on the field that has made him the success he is today.
Abie was appointed manager of the recent Nampak tour to South America. With his natural ability to communicate easily with both players and administrators he made a wonderful impression.

 

[PaarlBok]

Springbok Saga haaaa. Use to have it on VHS. My fav games were those NZ flower bomb tests lol. Like Cmon how can you miss Naas we never missed him at Nuweland with the naartjies.

Naartjies throw is a Loftus habit. Ask Bottle Neck (Morne du Plessis) about it in 1977/78 when he dropped Naas in a tackle. Myself received a few in my WP jersey that day.

 

[wamberal]

Interesting stuff. How much we all lost because of politics (and I am not saying that the isolation was not justified - I happen to think it was).


When I was at high school in the 1950's the school library had a book by Danie Craven on rugby. It was enthralling.



What might have been, eh?

 

[PaarlBok]

Interesting stuff. How much we all lost because of politics (and I am not saying that the isolation was not justified - I happen to think it was).


When I was at high school in the 1950's the school library had a book by Danie Craven on rugby. It was enthralling.



What might have been, eh?

Oom Lee met him. Dok Craven is rugby's biggest legend. No one come close to him.

 

[Sandpit Fan]

Been watching on Supersport Springbok saga last night and they show some highlights of the 1963 tests.

You guys are lucky with Supersports. Used to be able to get it here in the middle east until they cracked down on it. Best sports broadcaster around, shits on Fox. Their motto must be something like "Too much rugby on TV is barely enough!"

 

[PaarlBok]

You guys are lucky with Supersports. Used to be able to get it here in the middle east until they cracked down on it. Best sports broadcaster around, shits on Fox. Their motto must be something like "Too much rugby on TV is barely enough!"

Ja we are rugby fortunate. They are going to broadcast live the Stormers vs Boland warmup match in Wellington on 21/01/2012 Unbelievable.

 

[Ilie Tabua's Shadow]

I was searching my rugby book collection: I thought I must have had a copy of the Danie Craven book but unfortunately my "Craven rugby handbook" was first published in 1970. Pretty detailed book for the time I would have thought.

(I wish I had something about the great 63 tour but only have "Wallabies without Armour tour of South Africa 1969" by Maxwell Price. Defeated in all 4 tests. Not quite as successful...)

 

[spooony]

Naartjies throw is a Loftus habit. Ask Bottle Neck (Morne du Plessis) about it in 1977/78 when he dropped Naas in a tackle. Myself received a few in my WP jersey that day.

No its not. Hell Naartjies is grown and processed in the western cape where they import it. Things that needs water there die pretty quickly. You will get oranges also imported and they and the free staters like those because they use to inject it with alcohol and got pissed on it. But naartjies thats Newlands. That strip from the Springfield club past the breweries all the way down you will find lots of naartjie sellers. We smacked Naas at Newlands. Bit hard to hit a guy at Loftus since the stadium is a bit from the field. Oranges a bit better. But the Free Staters have naked streakers lol
A lot of people dropped Naas. Think Gert Smal dropped him as well.