BIG READ: A team of ‘lost’ Springboks discovered in archives
One of the best sides in world rugby finally gets its own history
It’s little wonder Springbok rugby’s first grand slam winners are forgotten. A year after the 1912/1913 tour, a rush of events pushed the team’s achievement into the background: a Great War, the Great Spanish flu epidemic (the Covid of its day) and a Great Depression. Then another world war. The game itself also moved on at great pace, with new heroes emerging, new heights scaled, new depths plumbed and a new era entered.
The new era has had little time for looking back on what is regarded by some as tainted history, but there is a nostalgic sadness about one of the best Springbok teams to leave these shores that author David McLennan has revived in his new book, The Forgotten Springboks. Of the 93 men who took part in the five Test matches, 22 died over the next five years in the carnage of World War 1, nine of them from the Scotland team alone...
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Subscribe now to unlock this article.
Support BusinessLIVE’s award-winning journalism for R129 per month (digital access only).
There’s never been a more important time to support independent journalism in SA. Our subscription packages now offer an ad-free experience for readers.
Cancel anytime.
Questions? Email helpdesk@businesslive.co.za or call 0860 52 52 00. Got a subscription voucher? Redeem it now.