1972 England rugby union tour of South Africa

The tour took place against the backdrop of widespread condemnation of the apartheid regime. Under pressure from other African nations, the International Olympic Committee had excluded South Africa from competing in the Summer Games since 1964, and there had also been protests against visiting sporting teams from South Africa.

In 1971, an international cricket boycott was instituted against South Africa to voice global disapproval of their selection policies and apartheid in general. South Africa subsequently became a world sporting pariah, and were excluded from the Olympics, the FIFA World Cup, test cricket, and a host of other sports.Pg 99, Douglas Booth, The Race Game: Sport and Politics in South Africa, 1998.

There were protests against the 1972 England rugby tour, including a blockade of their hotel to try to prevent them leaving, in which 14 people were arrested.{{cite news |date=17 January 2023|title=Anti-Apartheid protesters' historic convictions overturned by Crown Court|url=https://ccrc.gov.uk/news/anti-apartheid-protesters-historic-convictions-overturned-by-crown-court/|work=Criminal Cases Review Commission|access-date=28 June 2023}}

:Scores and results list England's points tally first.

Piet Greyling led a combination of Springboks who seemed hopelessly unsure of themselves. Dawie Snyman collected all the South African points with three penalties while England, with unspectacular competence, grabbed every scoring chance. Fullback Sam Doble converted a try by wing Alan Morley and also booted four penalties.{{Cite book|last=Greyvenstein|first=Chris|title=Springbok saga : from 1891 to the new beginning|date=1992|publisher=Don Nelson|isbn=1-86806-095-0|edition=4th|location=Cape Town|pages=217–218|oclc=105375255}}

{{rugbybox

|report={{cite book |last=Griffiths|first=John |title=The Book of English International Rugby 1871–1982|year=1982 |publisher=Willow Books |isbn=978-0-00-218006-1 |page=358}}

|date=3 June 1972

|home={{ru-rt|ZAF|1928}}

|score=9–18

|away={{ru|ENG}}

|stadium=Ellis Park, Johannesburg

|referee=Justus Moolman (South Africa)

|attendance=

|try1= |try2= Morley

|con1= |con2= Doble

|pen1= Snyman 3|pen2= Doble 4

|drop1= |drop2=

}}

• Manager: Alec Lewis
• Assistant Manager: John Elders
• Captain: John Pullin (Bristol) 24 caps

• Sam Doble (Moseley) No caps
• David Whibley (Leicester) No caps

• Jeremy Janion (Bedford) 8 caps
• Peter Knight (Bristol) 2 caps
• Alan Morley (Bristol) No caps
• Peter Preece (Coventry) No caps
• Tony Richards (Fylde) No caps
• John Spencer (Headingley) 15 caps

• Alan Old (Middlesbrough) 4 caps
• Tom Palmer (Gloucester) No caps
• Lionel Weston (West of Scotland) 2 caps
• Jan Webster (Moseley) 2 caps
• Steve Smith (Wilmslow) No caps (Replacement for L. E. Weston)

• John Barton (Coventry) 4 caps
• Tony Boddy (Metropolitan Police) No caps
• Mike Burton (Gloucester) 4 caps
• Fran Cotton (Loughborough College) 3 caps
• Tim Cowell (Rugby) No caps
• Peter Larter (Northampton) 21 caps
• Tony Neary (Broughton Park) 4 caps
• John Pullin (Bristol) 24 caps
• Chris Ralston (Richmond) 6 caps
• Andy Ripley (Rosslyn Park) 4 caps
• Stack Stevens (Harlequins) 9 caps
• John Watkins (Gloucester) No caps
• Dave Watt (Bristol) 4 caps

• History of rugby union matches between England and South Africa

{{reflist}}

{{England national rugby union team}}

{{Rugby Tours in South Africa}}

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Category:1972 rugby union tours

1972

Category:1972 in South African rugby union

Category:1971–72 in English rugby union

Category:Sports scandals in England

Category:Rugby union and apartheid