Paddy Carolin

{{Infobox rugby biography

| name = Paddy Carolin

| image = Paddy Carolin.png

| caption ='Paddy' Carolin in 1906.

| birth_name = Harold William Carolin

| birth_place = Alicedale, Cape Colony

| birth_date = {{birth date|df=yes|1881|04|10}}

| death_date = {{BirthDeathAge|df=yes||1881|04|10|1967|3|15}}

| height = {{convert|1.78|m|ftin|0|abbr=on}}

| weight = {{convert|74.4|kg|lb|abbr=on}}

| ru_position = Centre
Fly-half

| amatteam1 = Villagers RFC

|amatyears1 =

| ru_amupdate =

| repteam1 = South Africa

| repyears1 = 1903–1906

| repcaps1 = 3

| reppoints1 =

| ru_ntupdate = 15 October 2007

| years1 =

| clubs1 =

| apps1 =

| points1 =

| ru_clubupdate =

| ru_province1 = Western Province

| ru_provinceyears1 =

| ru_provinceapps1 =

| ru_provincepoints1 =

| ru_provinceupdate =

}}

Harold "Paddy" Carolin (10 April 1881 – 15 March 1967) was a rugby union player who represented South Africa and is credited with conceiving both the 3-4-1 scrum formation{{cite book|last=Harris|first=Tim|title=Players: 250 Men, Women and Animals Who Created Modern Sport|year=2009|publisher=Random House|isbn=9780224082778}}{{cite book|last=Dobson|first=Paul|title=Doc – The life of Danie Craven|year=1994|publisher=Human & Rousseau|location=Cape Town|isbn=9780798133142}} and helping choose the name 'Springboks' for the South African national side.{{cite web|last=Lehmkuhl|first=Anne|title=Green and gold – our rugby colours|url=http://bygonesandbyways.blogspot.com/2012_05_01_archive.html|work=bygonesandbyways.blogspot.com|publisher=Bygones and Byways|access-date=3 January 2014}} Carolin was the second player ever to serve as captain abroad, following Paul Roos.{{cite book|last=Dobson|first=Paul|title=Rugby in South Africa.|year=1989|publisher=South African Rugby Board|location=[Cape Town?]|isbn=9780620141000}}

Carolin was born on 10 April 1881 in Alicedale in the Eastern Cape and attended Diocesan College in Cape Town. At school he won the award for best all-round sportsman for four years consecutive years, and was captain of both the rugby and cricket teams.

Carolin's first club was Villager Football Club, a Cape Town side.

In 1903 Carolin is selected at centre alongside Japie Krige for the 3rd test against the touring British side at Newlands on 12 September 1903.{{cite web|title=South Africa v Great Britain at Cape Town|url=http://www.espnscrum.com/statsguru/rugby/match/19061.html|publisher=ESPNscrum|access-date=3 January 2014}}

He is captain of Villagers when he is chosen as vice-captain for the 1906-07 Springbok tour of Great Britain, Ireland, and France. Roos, Carolin, and team manager J C Carden chose the name 'Springboks' while on tour, prompted by the emblem that the side had worn on the left breast for the first time since the decision to do so had been taken in 1903.{{cite web|title=Springboks 100 – looking back into history|url=http://www.ruggaworld.com/2006/06/09/springboks-100-%E2%80%93-looking-back-into-history/comment-page-1/?wpmp_switcher=mobile|work=RuggaWorld.com|publisher=Rugga World|access-date=3 January 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140103092641/http://www.ruggaworld.com/2006/06/09/springboks-100-%E2%80%93-looking-back-into-history/comment-page-1/?wpmp_switcher=mobile|archive-date=3 January 2014|url-status=dead}}

In the test against Scotland in Glasgow on 17 November 1906 Carolin became the second player to captain South Africa abroad when Paul Roos had to withdraw from the team.

Carolin is often credited with inventing the 3-4-1 scrum formation in 1906, although he himself thought that fellow Villager Fairy Heatlie had first applied the formation in 1901. Heatlie and Carolin had both attended Diocesan College, although not at the same time.{{cite book|last=Carolin|first=Harold William|title=The Carolin papers: a diary of the 1906/07 Springbok tour|year=1990|publisher=Rugbyana|location=Pretoria|isbn=9780620145015|pages=34–35 |editor=Lappe Laubscher |editor2=Gideon Nieman}} Danie Craven in turn pointed to 'Oubaas Mark' Markotter as the coach who had popularised and adapted the formation. The 1906 Springboks became "the first national team to utilize the 3-4-1 formation".{{cite book|last=Nauright|first=John|title=Sport, cultures and identities in South Africa|year=1997|publisher=Leicester Univ. Press|location=London [u.a.]|isbn=9780718500498|page=42|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FhktPqiJ-PAC&q=%22Paddy+Carolin%22&pg=PA41|edition=1. publ.}}

In all Carolin played in 3 test matches and 15 tour matches for the Springboks. His last test was on 24 November against Ireland at the Balmoral Showgrounds in Belfast, which South Africa won 15–12.{{cite web|title=Player Profile – Harold William Carolin|url=http://sarugby.co.za/playerprofile.aspx?id=46480&category=&leagueid=0|work=SARugby.net|publisher=SA Rugby Union|access-date=8 April 2017}}{{cite web|title= Ireland v South Africa at Belfast|url=http://www.espnscrum.com/statsguru/rugby/match/19092.html|publisher=ESPNscrum|access-date=3 January 2014}}

Carolin also played 9 first-class cricket matches for Western Province between 1902 and 1908. As a right-hand batter he scored 354 runs in 16 innings, and as a right-arm fast-medium bowler he took 30 wickets.{{cite web|title=Harold Carolin, South Africa|url=http://content-aus.cricinfo.com/southafrica/content/player/44496.html|publisher=ESPNcricinfo|access-date=3 January 2014}}

Carolin moved to Moorreesburg to practice law and subsequently became involved in two local sports clubs. With the help of his law partner, Fred Luyt (Springbok, 1910–12), he helped establish Moorreesburg's rugby club (est. 1889) as a force in Boland rugby.{{cite web|title=Paddy Carolin|url=http://www.genslin.us/bokke/SARugby.html|work=genslin.us|publisher=Enslin's Springbok Rugby Hall of Fame|access-date=3 January 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131216155221/http://www.genslin.us/bokke/SARugby.html|archive-date=16 December 2013|url-status=dead}}{{cite web|title=Famous SACS players |url=http://sacsrugby.com/history/famous-sacs-players-1891-1945 |work=SACSRugby.com |publisher=SACS |access-date=3 January 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121010033418/http://sacsrugby.com/history/famous-sacs-players-1891-1945 |archive-date=10 October 2012 }} He coached the local team, which at one time included future Springbok Chris Koch (Springbok, 1949–60), who Carolin moved from wing to prop. In the process Carolin created "one of the very best ball players...amongst all of the world's international tight fives".{{cite book|last=Schoeman|first=Chris|title=Legends of the ball : rugby's greatest players chosen by Willie John McBride, Frik du Preez, David Compese|year=2007|publisher=CJS Books|location=Colesberg[South Africa]|isbn=9780620369626|page=201|edition=1st}} With a Dr J P du Toit Carolin co-founded the Moorreesburg golf club in August 1912.{{cite news|title=Moorreesburg Gholfklub vier 100 jaar [Moorreesburg golf club celebrates 100 years]|url=http://issuu.com/diecourant/docs/24_april_die_courant|access-date=3 January 2014|newspaper=Die Courant|date=24 April 2013}}{{cite news|last=Pretorius|first=Herbert|title=Bokke, krieket en die Moorreesburg-gholfklub [Boks, cricket and the Moorreesburg golf club]|url=http://152.111.1.87/argief/berigte/dieburger/2013/04/23/SK/18/rggholf27.html|access-date=3 January 2014|newspaper=Die Burger|date=23 April 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140103210939/http://152.111.1.87/argief/berigte/dieburger/2013/04/23/SK/18/rggholf27.html|archive-date=3 January 2014|url-status=dead}}

Carolin died in 1967.{{cite journal|title=Rugbyspringbokke na wie straatname in Danville, Pretoria vernoem is (vervolg)|journal=Pretoriana – Magazine of the Old Pretoria Society|date=December 1970|volume=64|page=7|url=http://repository.up.ac.za/bitstream/handle/2263/13899/001_Voorblad-p13.pdf?sequence=2|access-date=2 January 2014}}

Danie Craven described Carolin as an "outstanding player, captain, and powerful personality".