St Helen’s ArchivePreserving the past for the future
Three
Transcript:
This is part three of the five part audio trail following the story of the South African ‘Springboks’ tours to St Helen’s, Wales, and the UK. The previous part detailed the two Springbok tours of 1931-32 and 1951-52, and this part follows it into the 1960’s. This part explores two further South African tours in the UK in 1960-61 and 1969-70, but also tangentially explores a small object sharing the story of Wales’ first tour abroad, in South Africa. Each of these objects, like the others in this trail, is on display at St Helen’s and this trail records this display accordingly.
The first tour, that of the 1960-61 season, was to be another successful tour for the Springboks, long since having made the name for themselves that included them as one of the ‘Big Three’. Thirty four matches were played in total, with only two draws and one loss. The draws were to Midland Counties, and then the test match against France, 3 to 3 and nil to nil respectively. The only loss of the tour was to the Barbarians, in a game played towards the end of the tour on the 4th of February 1961. That game ended 6-nil, to the invitational club.
Swansea once again faced the tourists at St Helen’s on the 26th November 1960, losing 19 to 3. Swansea and Wales wing Dewi Bebb scoring Swansea's only points with a try. The objects on display at St Helen’s remembering this game are two plaques. The first of the two, a stained wood plaque with a colourful springbok printed in the centre, also reads: ‘South African Rugby Team, Springboks, 1960-61’. This plaque was presented to the club after their loss. The second plaque however is a little more uncommon. It is a carved and engraved shield made from Canadian maple wood. The inner shield holds the Springbok and Swansea RFC motifs carved into the wood, with the Springbok above Swansea’s castle badge. Also carved is "1960" above the motifs and "Swansea" carved beneath. It is one of a pair, the other, with the Swansea team signatures engraved on it, was presented to the South African team. This one with the South African autographs engraved, was presented to the Swansea club. The two plaques were commissioned originally by Mr T Morlais Morris, a long-time Swansea supporter and were carved by a Mr Brynley Roberts of Morriston.
Moving on to the promised tangential object in this part of the trail, in the 1963-64 season, in the May of 64’ a Welsh side travelled out to South Africa to play a short tour of their own. As stated previously, this was Wales’ first tour abroad, and was unfortunately not so successful. They did win three of the four provincial matches, but the Springboks won the Test convincingly 24 to 3 on the 23rd of May 1964. Aforementioned Swansea player Dewi Bebb received a tie worn by South African captain Abe Malan as a gift at the end of the tour - a tie which now is displayed at St Helen’s. The tie itself is in the Springbok’s green, with the springbok motif small and repeating across the tie in a diagonal pattern. Despite the results it can be confidently said that this short tour started a series of reforms in Welsh rugby that heralded a second 'Golden Era' in the following decade.
The final tour of the 1960’s for the Springboks occurred right at the ‘tail end’, in 1969-70. This was not a tour only marked by the rugby history however, as it also took place during the heart of the anti-apartheid movement, challenging that regime in South Africa. During many of the rugby matches throughout the 69-70 tour there were many protests, calling themselves 'Stop the Seventy Tour', organised by Peter Hain. This was no different at St Helen’s where the match came second in memory to the crowd disturbances initiated by anti-apartheid demonstrators. What would become known as the ‘Battle of Swansea’ stopped play in its tracks as the pitch was invaded more than once. The game eventually concluded, 12 to nil to the tourists. The Springboks also more generally had a more challenging tour across the UK. They lost two of their test matches, against Scotland and England, 3 to 6 and 8 to 11 respectively, and drew the other two against Ireland and Wales, 8 to 8 and 6 to 6. They also would draw and lose many of their club matches throughout, a distinct change from their performances in earlier tours.
The material legacy from this tour is twofold. Both a jersey and a plaque are on display at St Helen’s. The plaque is another stained wood with the springbok motif, no longer printed on the wood but on a cut to shape metal plate. The plaque reads ‘SA Rugby 1969-70’ on a green scroll beneath the motif. The jersey however is in the expected South African green with gold collar. It has the springbok motif on the left breast, a variation of which, that has a rugby ball beneath its front legs. On the jersey’s rear is a large gold number 6. This jersey was most likely worn by Springbok back-row Albert Jacobus "Albie" Bates. A hard working back row (his normal position was at No8) with Western Transvaal and Northern Transvaal, Albie Bates won 4 caps with the Springboks between 1969 and 1972. This was his first tour with South Africa and he went on to play in the tour to Australia in 1972. Bates would also go on to captain Northern Transvaal to Currie Cup success in 1973.
This 1969-70 tour would be the last by a South African rugby team until 1994, when the apartheid system had been repudiated by the new government under Nelson Mandela. This is not the end of this trail however, as two further parts follow it. The next, short part, explores this absence of a tour by South Africa and what filled that empty space as we move into the 1980’s. Please don’t forget to press next.