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The Springboks, '''Bokke''' or '''Amabokoboko''' are the South African national Rugby Union team. HISTORY Early years Rugby was introduced to South Africa by British troops garrisoned in Cape Town in 1875. Various clubs were formed but Hamilton RFC in Cape Town probably has the strongest claim at being the first, though this is disputed by Villagers RFC. The first ever British Lions tour took place in 1891 with the trip financially underwritten by Cecil Rhodes and President Kruger of the Transvaal Republic. These were the first representative games played by South African sides, who were still learning the game. The Lions won all three tests and every provincial game. The Lions' success continued in 1896, with three games won out of the four played. The improvement in South African play from 1891 was marked, particularly in their impressive forwards, and their first test win in the final game was a pointer to the future. Rugby was well suited to the lifestyle of the Afrikaners and it became so popular that in 1902 there was a temporary ceasefire in the Second Boer War so that a rugby game could be played between British and Boer forces. In 1903 the Lions lost a series for the first time in South Africa, drawing the opening two tests before losing the last. In all they won just 11 of their 22 tour games. In the final test South Africa wore the green Old Diocesan shirts that had brought them luck in their 1896 win. The jersey was thereafter adopted as the official team kit. Paul Roos was the captain of the first Springbok team. The first tour of Britain took place in 1906/7 when the famous green shirts and the name Springbok were adopted. The 1910 Lions tour of South Africa was the first to officially represent the four home unions, the tourists won just one of their three tests. The Boks second European tour took place in 1912/13. They beat the four Home Nation s to earn their first Grand Slam and also went on to defeat France. The next time they toured Europe in 1931/32, they again won a Grand Slam. The 1924 Lions were ravaged by injuries and let down by poor kicking. The sorry tour record left them with only nine wins from 21 games, including defeat in all three tests. Despite this it was agreed that it had been a fantastic test series with some thrilling rugby. The Springboks and the All Blacks started a famous rivalry in 1921, the Springboks' tour of New Zealand was tense and competitive, the test series finishing all square. The All Blacks first toured South Africa in 1928, the test series again finishing level. In 1937, South Africa broke the deadlock with a series win in New Zealand (and also Australia), and it was not until 1996, under Sean Fitzpatrick's captaincy, that New Zealand finally won its first series in the Republic. The Lions toured South Africa again in 1938. The first two tests were easily claimed by the Springboks, but the tourists recorded a surprise win in the third and last. It was the first Lions win in South Africa since 1910. Post War Era The team that many consider to be the finest Springbok side to tour swept the board in 1951/52. Hennie Muller took over the captaincy after Basil Kenyon suffered a serious eye injury and led the Boks to the Grand Slam. They also beat France as they won 30 of 31 matches on tour. The last Springbok Grand Slam came in 1960/61 when Avril Malan's side beat all four Home unions on a four-month, 34-game sweep through Europe. That was the last time the Boks managed the feat, failing in 1969/70, 1998, and 2004. Post apartheid Until the 1990 s the Springboks had a positive win record against every nation they played. Due to the government's policy of Apartheid and its insistence that touring teams only contain white players, the Springboks were excluded from international rugby, with their last tour before readmittance being the infamous 1981 Tour Of New Zealand , which saw that country divided in two, wracked by demonstrations. The Springboks were readmitted to international rugby after the demise of apartheid, and initially they struggled to return to their previous high standards. However, by the time they hosted the 1995 World Cup , they were one of the favourites, winning an epic final against a debilitated New Zealand 15-12. The New Zealanders were struck down by a virulent food poisoning the day before the fixture and suspicions that this had been done deliberately by the South African rugby authorities continue to this day. Coach Andre Markgraaff was sacked in 1997 and replaced by Nick Mallett . In 1998 they went on a record winning streak, winning 17 consecutive tests, including the 1998 Tri Nations Series , before an exhausted team lost to England at the end of a long tour. The team fell upon hard times for several years, regularly finishing last in the Tri Nations. 2002/3 was their worst ever season, seeing them lose by record margins to France , England , Scotland and New Zealand , defeating Argentina by only one point, and being easily dispatched in the quarter finals of the 2003 World Cup . The buildup to the Boks' 2003 World Cup campaign was tumultuous. During a pre-World Cup training camp, there was a highly publicized dispute between Geo Cronjé (an Afrikaner) and Quinton Davids (a coloured). Both were dropped from the team, and Cronjé was called before a tribunal to answer charges that his actions in the dispute were racially motivated. (Cronjé was eventually cleared.) Later, the Boks were sent to a military-style boot camp in the South African bush called Kamp Staaldraad (literal English translation "Camp Steel-wire", idiomatically "Camp Barbed Wire"). When details of the events at Kamp Staaldraad leaked, most South African rugby supporters reacted in outrage. After the World Cup debacle, Boks coach Rudolph Straeuli was under fire, not only because of the team's poor results, but because of his role in organizing Kamp Staaldraad. He eventually resigned, and in February 2004, Jake White was named as the Boks' new coach. He had previously coached the Springboks under-21 side, which won the inaugural U21 Rugby World Cup in 2002 under his direction. The Boks then proceeded to prove to the rugby world that they were ready to return to past greatness, starting with a sweep of Ireland in a two-Test series and a win over Wales during their opponents' June 2004 tours of the Southern Hemisphere. Next came a pulsating win in The Most Closely-contested Tri Nations Series In History . In November 2004, they went on an ambitious " Grand Slam " tour of the Home Nations . The Boks lost decisively to England , lost a controversial decision to Ireland , won a hard-fought match with Wales , and won comfortably over Scotland . While the tour did not live up to the Boks' original aspirations, it nonetheless proved that the Boks had awakened from their slumber of the past few years. Their resurgence was honored at the end of their tour with a sweep of the major IRB awards. The Boks were named IRB World Team of the Year, White was named IRB World Coach of the Year, and young flanker Schalk Burger was named IRB World Player of the Year. FAMOUS PLAYERS Past
Present
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