1968_South_Africa_rugby_union_tour_of_France
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.
| 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) |
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| Top test point scorer(s) | Piet Visagie (42) | ||||
| Top test try scorer(s) | Jannie Engelbrecht (5) | ||||
| Summary |
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| Total |
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| Test match |
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| Opponent |
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 France |
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| Tour chronology | |||||
| Previous tour | Australia and New Zealand 1965 | ||||
| Next tour | Great Britain and Ireland 1969–70 | ||||
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.
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%.
| Team | Wins | W% |
|---|---|---|
 South Africa |
4 | 40 |
| France |
3 | 30 |
| Draws | 3 | — |
| Total | 10 | |
| 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 |
First match
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
| 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
| 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
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) |
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Fourth match
| 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
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) |
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- "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).
- "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.
- Frost, David (11 November 1968). "Springboks forced into error, but French miss kicks". The Guardian. No. 38, 051. Manchester Guardian. p. 15.
- "Springboks Win With Penalties". The Press. Vol. CVIII, no. 31, 833. 11 November 1968. p. 26.
- "Visagie penalties decide". Sunday Mercury. No. 2, 592. 10 November 1968.
- "Le dernier match des Springboks en France" [The Springboks' last match in France]. Le Monde (in French). Groupe le Monde. 16 November 1968.
- "Fine Recovery By Springboks". The Press. Vol. CVIII, no. 31, 839. 18 November 1968. p. 22.
- "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.
- "30,000 see test". Derby Telegraph. No. 27, 185. 16 November 1968. p. 8.