# 1951–52 South Africa rugby union tour of Europe

In 1951–52 the South Africa national rugby union team toured England, France, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales, playing a series of test matches, as well as games against club, regional, and representative teams. South Africa accomplished their third Grand Slam by winning all four tests against the Home Nations sides, and also won the test match against France. This was the sixth South Africa tour and the fourth tour of the Northern Hemisphere. It was also the first time the South Africans played the invitational British Barbarian team.
The tour was the most successful the South African team had undertaken; the team only lost a single match. In the tests played the team beat all four Home Nations, France and the Barbarians. The only team to beat the Springboks was the invitational London Counties team. The final tour record saw 31 matches played, with South Africa winning 30 and losing just the one game.

## Touring party
### Management

* Managers: F.W. Mellish, Danie Craven
* Captain: Basil Kenyon

### Full backs

* Johnny Buchler (Transvaal)
* Jakkals Keevy (Eastern Transavaal)

### Three-quarters

* Paul Johnstone (Western Province)
* Tjol Lategan (Western Province)
* Buks Marais (Boland)
* Chum Ochse (Western Province)
* Cowboy Saunders (Border)
* Ryk van Schoor (Rhodesia)
* Des Sinclair (Transvaal)
* Basie Vivier (Orange Free State)

### Half backs

* Hannes Brewis (Northern Transvaal)
* Dennis Fry (Western Province)
* J.S. Oelofse (Transvaal)
* P. A. du Toit (Northern Transvaal)

### Forwards

* W.H.M. Barnard (Griqualand West)
* Jaap Bekker (Northern Transvaal)
* G. Dannhauser (Transvaal)
* W.H. Delport (Eastern Province)
* Ernst Dinkelmann (Northern Transvaal)
* Stephen Fry (Western Province)
* Okey Geffin (Transvaal)
* Basil Kenyon (Border) capt.
* A.C. Koch (Boland)
* Hennie Muller (Transvaal)
* B. Myburgh (Eastern Transvaal)
* Jan Pickard (Western Province)
* Salty du Rand (Rhodesia)
* F.E.B. van der Ryst (Transvaal)
* P.W. Wessels (Orange Free State)
* Basie van Wyk (Transvaal)

## Results

| | Date | Opponent | Location | Result | Score |
| Match 1 | 10 October 1951 | South East Counties | Bournemouth | Won | 31–6 |
| Match 2 | 13 October | South West Counties | Plymouth | Won | 17–8 |
| Match 3 | 18 October | Pontypool and Newbridge | Pontypool | Won | 15–6 |
| Match 4 | 20 October | Cardiff | Pontypool Park, Pontypool | Won | 11–9 |
| Match 5 | 23 October | Llanelli | Stradey Park, Llanelli | Won | 20–11 |
| Match 6 | 27 October | North West Counties | Birkenhead Park | Won | 16–9 |
| Match 7 | 31 October | Glasgow - Edinburgh | Old Anniesland, Glasgow | Won | 43–11 |
| Match 8 | 3 November | North East Counties | Gosforth | Won | 19–8 |
| Match 9 | 8 November | Cambridge University | Cambridge | Won | 30–0 |
| Match 10 | 10 November | London Counties | Twickenham, London | Lost | 9–11 |
| Match 12 | 15 November | Oxford University | Oxford | Won | 24–3 |
| Match 12 | 17 November | Aberavon and Neath | Aberavon | Won | 22–0 |
| Match 13 | 24 November | SCOTLAND | Murrayfield, Edinburgh | Won | 44–0 |
| Match 14 | 28 November | North of Scotland | Aberdeen | Won | 14–3 |
| Match 15 | 1 December | Ulster | Ravenhill, Belfast | Won | 27–5 |
| Match 16 | 8 December | IRELAND | Dublin | Won | 17–5 |
| Match 17 | 11 December | Munster | Limerick | Won | 11–6 |
| Match 18 | 15 December | Swansea | St Helens, Swansea | Won | 11–3 |
| Match 19 | 22 December | WALES | Cardiff Arms Park, Cardiff | Won | 6–3 |
| Match 20 | 26 December | Combined Services | Twickenham, London | Won | 24–8 |
| Match 21 | 29 December | East Midlands | Leicester | Won | 3–0 |
| Match 22 | 5 January 1952 | ENGLAND | Twickenham, London | Won | 8–3 |
| Match 23 | 10 January | Newport | Rodney Parade, Newport | Won | 12–6 |
| Match 24 | 12 January | Western Counties | Bristol | Won | 16–5 |
| Match 25 | 16 January | Midlands Counties | Coventry | Won | 19–8 |
| Match 26 | 19 January | South of Scotland | Hawick | Won | 13–3 |
| Match 27 | 26 January | Barbarians | Cardiff Arms Park, Cardiff | Won | 17–3 |
| Match 28 | 2 February | South East France | Lyons | Won | 9–3 |
| Match 29 | 7 February | South West France | Bordeaux | Won | 20–12 |
| Match 30 | 9 February | France B | Toulouse | Won | 9–6 |
| Match 31 | 16 February | FRANCE | Paris | Won | 25–3 |

## The matches
### Cardiff

* 20 October 1951
| Cardiff | 9–11 | South Africa |
| Try: Williams Pen: Tamplin (2) | | Try: Ochse (2) Oelofse Con: Brewis |
* Cardiff Arms Park Attendance: 53,000 Referee: C Joynson (Wales)
Cardiff: Frank Trott, Haydn Morris, Bleddyn Williams, Jack Matthews (capt.), Alun Thomas, Cliff Morgan, Rex Willis, Arthur Hull, Geoff Beckingham, Cliff Davies, Bill Tamplin, Malcolm Collins, Sid Judd, Des O'Brien, CD Williams
South Africa: JU Buchler, MJ Saunders, MT Lategan, RA van Schoor, JK Ochse, JD Brewis, JS Oelofse, HJ Bekker, PW Wessels, AC Kosh, SP Fry, WHM Barnard, E Dinkelmann, CJ van Wyk, HSV Muller

### Scotland

* 24 November 1951
| Scotland | 0–44 | South Africa |
| | | Try: Delport Dinkelmann du Rand Koch (2) Lategan Muller van Schoor van Wyk Con: Geffin (7) Drop: Brewis |
* Murrayfield Attendance: 65,000 Referee: MJ Dowling  Ireland
Scotland: Dod Burrell, John Hart, Donald Scott, Oliver Turnbull, David Rose, Angus Cameron (capt), Arthur Dorward, Hamish Dawson, John Macphail, Bob Wilson, James Johnston, Hamish Inglis, Doug Elliot, Bob Taylor, Peter Kininmonth
South Africa: Johnny Buchler, Buks Marais, Tjol Lategan, Ryk van Schoor, Paul Johnstone, Hannes Brewis, Fonnie du Toit, Chris Koch, Willa Delport, Okey Geffin, Salty du Rand, Ernst Dinkelmann, Basie van Wyk, Stephen Fry, Hennie Muller (capt)

### Ireland

* 8 December 1951
| Ireland | 5–17 | South Africa |
| Try: Browne Con: Murphy | | Try: Ochse Van Schoor van Wyk (2) Con: Geffin Drop: Brewis |
* Lansdowne Road Attendance: 47,000 Referee: W.C.W. Murdoch (Scotland)
Ireland: Gerry Murphy, William McKee, Noel Henderson, Antony Browne, Mick Lane, Jackie Kyle, John O'Meara, Tom Clifford, Karl Mullen, John Hartley Smith, Patrick Lawlor, Robin Thompson, Bill McKay, Jim McCarthy, Des O'Brien (capt)
South Africa: JU Buchler, PG Johnstone, RA van Schoor, MT Lategan, JK Ochse, JD Brewis, E Dinkelmann, A Geffin, WH Delport, AC Kosh, SP Fry, WHM Barnard, JD du Rand, CJ van Wyk, HSV Muller

### Wales

* 22 December 1951
| Wales | 3–6 | South Africa |
| Try: Williams | | Try: Ochse Drop: Brewis |
* Cardiff Arms Park Attendance: 55,000 Referee: NH Lambert  Ireland
Wales: Gerwyn Williams (Llanelli), Ken Jones (Newport), Malcolm Thomas (Newport), Bleddyn Williams (Cardiff), Lewis Jones (Llanelli), Cliff Morgan (Cardiff), Rex Willis (Cardiff), Billy Williams (Swansea), Dai Davies (Somerset Police), Don Hayward (Newbridge), Rees Stephens (Neath), Roy John (Neath), Len Blyth (Swansea), John Gwilliam (Edinburgh Wanderers) (capt.), Allen Forward (Pontypool)
South Africa: JU Buchler, PG Johnstone, RA van Schoor, MT Lategan, JK Ochse, JD Brewis, PA du Toit, A Geffin, WH Delport, AC Kosh, SP Fry, WHM Barnard, JD du Rand, CJ van Wyk, HSV Muller

### England

* 5 January 1952
| England | 3–8 | South Africa |
| Try: Winn | | Try: du Toit Con: Muller Pen: Muller |
* Twickenham Stadium Attendance: 65,000 Referee: W.C.W. Murdoch (Scotland)
England: Bill Hook, Ted Woodward, Albert Agar, Lewis Cannell, Chris Winn, Nim Hall (capt), Gordon Rimmer, Wally Holmes, Eric Evans, Bob Stirling, John Matthews, Squire Wilkins, Don White, Alec Lewis, John Kendall-Carpenter
South Africa: Johnny Buchler, Paul Johnstone, Tjol Lategan, Ryk van Schoor, Chum Ochse, Hannes Brewis, Fonnie du Toit, Chris Koch, Willa Delport, Jaap Bekker, Salty du Rand, Ernst Dinkelmann, Basie van Wyk, Stephen Fry, Hennie Muller (capt)

### Barbarians

* 26 January 1952
| Barbarian F.C. | 3–17 | South Africa |
| Try: Elliot | | Try: Ochse van Wyk Con: Keevy Pen: Keevy (2) Johnstone |
* Cardiff Arms Park Attendance: 55,000 Referee: MJ Dowling  Ireland
Barbarians: Gerwyn Williams (Llanelli), Ken Jones (Newport), Bleddyn Williams (Cardiff), LB Cannell (St. Mary's Hospital), Ted Woodward (Wasps), Cliff Morgan (Cardiff), Rex Willis (Cardiff), John Kendall-Carpenter (Penzance), Dai Davies (Somerset Police), RV Stirling (RAF), Rees Stephens (Neath), Roy John (Neath), Doug Elliot (Edinburgh Academicals), JE Nelson (Malone) (capt.), VG Roberts(Harlequins)
South Africa: AC Keevy, PG Johnstone, RA van Schoor, FP Marais, JK Ochse, MT Lategan, PA du Toit, HJ Bekker, WH Delport, FEB van der Ryst, SP Fry, E Dinkelmann, JM du Rand, CJ van Wyk, HSV Muller

### France

* 16 February 1952
| France | 3–25 | South Africa |
| Drop: Carabignac | | Try: Delport Dinkelmann Johnstone (2) Muller van Wyk Con: Johnstone Muller Pen: Johnstone |
* Stade Olympique Yves-du-Manoir Attendance: 35,000 Referee: MJ Dowling (Ireland)
France: Pierre Guilleux, Georges Brun, Jacques Mauran, Maurice Prat, Jean Colombier, Georges Carabignac, Gerard Dufau, Rene Bienes, Paul Labadie, Rene Brejassou, Lucien Mias, Bernard Chevallier, Jean Prat, Jean-Roger Bourdeu, Guy Basquet (capt)
South Africa: