1972 England rugby union tour of South Africa

Rugby matches played by England March 2014 March 2014 England 1972 7 6 1 0 1 1 0 0 ZAF 1928 1 1 0 0 This first tour undertaken by England to South Africa was organised with a demanding schedule, although with only one Test Match. Within two weeks and three days, seven matches were to be played, the first four at sea level, and the final three, including the Test Match, at the altitude in the highveld with only two days to acclimatise before a demanding fixture against Northern Transvaal. From the outset, under captain John Pullin and the management of Alec Lewis and John Elders, there was a buoyant and optimistic spirit in the squad, as if they were determined to erase the memories of the last few seasons of undistinguished English performances.June 2012 Apartheid backdrop and controversy The tour took place against the backdrop of widespread condemnation of the apartheid regime. Under pressure from other African nations, the International Olympic Committee had excluded South Africa from competing in the Summer Games since 1964, and there had also been protests against visiting sporting teams from South Africa. In 1971, an international cricket boycott was instituted against South Africa to voice global disapproval of their selection policies and apartheid in general. South Africa subsequently became a world sporting pariah, and were excluded from the Olympics, the FIFA World Cup, test cricket, and a host of other sports.Pg 99, Douglas Booth, The Race Game: Sport and Politics in South Africa, 1998. There were protests against the 1972 England rugby tour, including a blockade of their hotel to try to prevent them leaving, in which 14 people were arrested.17 January 2023 Anti-Apartheid protesters' historic convictions overturned by Crown Court https://ccrc.gov.uk/news/anti-apartheid-protesters-historic-convictions-overturned-by-crown-court/ Criminal Cases Review Commission 28 June 2023 Matches Scores and results list England's points tally first. Opposing Team For Against Date Venue StatusNatal19017 May 1972DurbanTour matchWestern Province9620 May 1972Cape TownTour matchSA Rugby Fed XV11622 May 1972Cape TownTour matchSA Leopards36324 May 1972Port ElizabethTour matchNorthern Transvaal131327 May 1972PretoriaTour matchGiqualand West602130 May 1972KimberleyTour matchSouth Africa1893 June 1972Ellis Park, JohannesburgTest Match Test Match Piet Greyling led a combination of Springboks who seemed hopelessly unsure of themselves. Dawie Snyman collected all the South African points with three penalties while England, with unspectacular competence, grabbed every scoring chance. Fullback Sam Doble converted a try by wing Alan Morley and also booted four penalties.Greyvenstein Chris Springbok saga : from 1891 to the new beginning 1992 Don Nelson 1-86806-095-0 4th Cape Town 217–218 105375255 Griffiths John The Book of English International Rugby 1871–1982 1982 Willow Books 978-0-00-218006-1 358 3 June 1972 ZAF 1928 9–18 ENG Ellis Park, Johannesburg Justus Moolman (South Africa) Morley Doble Snyman 3 Doble 4 South Africa EnglandRay CarlsonFB15FBSam DobleSyd NomisW14WAlan MorleyTonie RouxC13CJeremy JanionJoggie JansenC12CPeter Preece Gert Muller W11W Peter Knight Dawie SnymanFH10FHAlan Old Joggie ViljoenSH9SHJan Webster Albie BatesN88N8Andy Ripley Jan EllisF7F John Watkins (capt.) Piet GreylingF6FTony Neary John WilliamsL5LChris Ralston Piet du PlessisL4LPeter Larter Sakkie SauermannP3PMike Burton Piston van Wyk H2HJohn Pullin (capt.) Niek BezuidenhoutP1PStack Stevens Replacements Coaches Johan Claassen ZAF 1928 ENG John Elders Touring party Manager: Alec Lewis Assistant Manager: John Elders Captain: John Pullin (Bristol) 24 caps Full Backs Sam Doble (Moseley) No caps David Whibley (Leicester) No caps Three-Quarters Jeremy Janion (Bedford) 8 caps Peter Knight (Bristol) 2 caps Alan Morley (Bristol) No caps Peter Preece (Coventry) No caps Tony Richards (Fylde) No caps John Spencer (Headingley) 15 caps Half-Backs Alan Old (Middlesbrough) 4 caps Tom Palmer (Gloucester) No caps Lionel Weston (West of Scotland) 2 caps Jan Webster (Moseley) 2 caps Steve Smith (Wilmslow) No caps (Replacement for L. E. Weston) Forwards John Barton (Coventry) 4 caps Tony Boddy (Metropolitan Police) No caps Mike Burton (Gloucester) 4 caps Fran Cotton (Loughborough College) 3 caps Tim Cowell (Rugby) No caps Peter Larter (Northampton) 21 caps Tony Neary (Broughton Park) 4 caps John Pullin (Bristol) 24 caps Chris Ralston (Richmond) 6 caps Andy Ripley (Rosslyn Park) 4 caps Stack Stevens (Harlequins) 9 caps John Watkins (Gloucester) No caps Dave Watt (Bristol) 4 caps See also History of rugby union matches between England and South Africa References Category:1972 rugby union tours Category:1972 in South African rugby union Category:1971–72 in English rugby union Category:1972 controversies Category:May 1972 sports events in Africa Category:June 1972 sports events in Africa Category:Sports scandals in England Category:Rugby union and apartheid 1972