1968 South Africa rugby union tour of France

Series of rugby union matches

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)|

* Dawie de Villiers (1)
* Jannie Engelbrecht (1)
* Syd Nomis (1)

Top test point scorer(s)| Piet Visagie (42)
Top test try scorer(s)| Jannie Engelbrecht (5)
Summary| | P|  W|  D|  L

|
|
|

Total| | 06|  05|  00|  01

|
|
|

Test match| | 02|  02|  00|  00

|
|
|

Opponent| | P|  W|  D|  L

|
|
|

France| | 2|  2|  0|  0

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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%.

South African pre-series record against France 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
4 | 9 November 1968  | Parc Lescure, Bordeaux, Gironde | France | 9–12 |  South Africa
5 | 11 November 1968  | Stade des Ponts Jumeaux, Toulouse, Haute-Garonne | Sud-Ouest XV | 11–3 |  South Africa
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)

|  |

|

FB | 15 | Henri Magois
RW | 14 | Jean-Marie Bonal
OC | 13 | Claude Dourthe
IC | 12 | Jean-Pierre Lux
LW | 11 | Pierre Besson
FH | 10 | Christian Boujet
SH | 9 | Marcel Puget (c)
N8 | 8 | Walter Spanghero
OF | 7 | Michel Greffe
BF | 6 | Claude Chenevay
RL | 5 | Élie Cester
LL | 4 | Benoît Dauga
TP | 3 | Jean Iraçabal
HK | 2 | Jean-Paul Baux
LP | 1 | Michel Lasserre
Coach:
Fernand Cazenave
|  |

|

FB | 15 | HO de Villiers
RW | 14 | Jannie Engelbrecht
OC | 13 | Mannetjies Roux
IC | 12 | Eben Olivier
LW | 11 | Syd Nomis
FH | 10 | Piet Visagie
SH | 9 | Dawie de Villiers (c)
N8 | 8 | Tommy Bedford
OF | 7 | Jan Ellis
BF | 6 | Piet Greyling
RL | 5 | Gawie Carelse
LL | 4 | Frik du Preez
TP | 3 | Hannes Marais
HK | 2 | Gys Pitzer
LP | 1 | Mof Myburgh
Coach:
Johan Claassen

### 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)

|  |

|

FB | 15 | Henri Magois
RW | 14 | Jean-Pierre Lux
OC | 13 | Claude Dourthe
IC | 12 | André Ruiz
LW | 11 | Jean-Marie Bonal
FH | 10 | Lucien Pariès
SH | 9 | Marcel Puget (c)
N8 | 8 | Walter Spanghero
OF | 7 | Dominique Bontemps
BF | 6 | Bernard Dutin
RL | 5 | Élie Cester
LL | 4 | Benoît Dauga
TP | 3 | Jean-Michel Esponda
HK | 2 | Jean-Paul Baux
LP | 1 | Michel Lasserre
Coach:
Fernand Cazenave
|  |

|

FB | 15 | HO de Villiers
RW | 14 | Jannie Engelbrecht
OC | 13 | Mannetjies Roux
IC | 12 | Eben Olivier
LW | 11 | Syd Nomis
FH | 10 | Piet Visagie
SH | 9 | Dawie de Villiers (c)
N8 | 8 | Tommy Bedford
OF | 7 | Jan Ellis
BF | 6 | Piet Greyling
RL | 5 | Gawie Carelse
LL | 4 | Frik du Preez
TP | 3 | Hannes Marais
HK | 2 | Gys Pitzer
LP | 1 | Mof Myburgh
Coach:
Johan Claassen

## References

[edit]

1. ^ 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).4-5&rft.date=1968-11-30&rft_id=https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k1208185k/f1.item.zoom&rfr_id=info:sid/en.wikipedia.org:1968+South+Africa+rugby+union+tour+of+France" class="Z3988">
2. ^ "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.
3. ^ 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.
4. ^ "Springboks Win With Penalties". The Press. Vol. CVIII, no. 31, 833. 11 November 1968. p. 26.
5. ^ "Visagie penalties decide". Sunday Mercury. No. 2, 592. 10 November 1968.
6. ^ "Le dernier match des Springboks en France" [The Springboks' last match in France]. Le Monde (in French). Groupe le Monde. 16 November 1968.
7. ^ "Fine Recovery By Springboks". The Press. Vol. CVIII, no. 31, 839. 18 November 1968. p. 22.
8. ^ "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.
9. ^ "30,000 see test". Derby Telegraph. No. 27, 185. 16 November 1968. p. 8.

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