The
South Africa national rugby league team are a growing force in rugby league football, South Africa competes sporadically against other international nations because of their location and their absence from any major international competitions. They are ranked
twenty-thirdThe RLIF World Rankings is a ranking system for men's national teams in the sport of rugby league football. The teams of the member nations of the Rugby League International Federation, rugby league football's world governing body, are ranked based on their game results with the most successful...
in the world currently, just behind
EstoniaThe Estonia national rugby league team represents Estonia in the sport of rugby league football. Estonia started competing in international rugby league in 2005...
and ahead of
Jamaica-See also:* Rugby League in the West Indies* West Indies National Team-External links:*...
in the world rankings. South Africa to date have competed at two
Rugby League World CupThe Rugby League World Cup is an international rugby league competition contested by members of the Rugby League International Federation . It has been held nearly once every 4 years on average since its inaugural tournament in France in 1954...
s in
1995The 1995 Rugby League World Cup was held during October in the United Kingdom. It was the eleventh staging of the Rugby League World Cup and was marketed as the Halifax Centenary World Cup, reflecting the tournament's sponsorship and the fact that 1995 marked the 100th birthday of the sport...
and
2000The 2000 Rugby League World Cup was the twelfth staging of the Rugby League World Cup and was held during October and November of that year in Great Britain, Ireland and France...
but to date have failed to win the competition.
Rugby league was originally introduced to South Africa in the 1950s with the staging of several series tournaments within the country that saw fixtures between the
EnglishThe England national rugby league team represent England in international rugby league football tournaments. The team has now seen a revival, having largely formed from the Great Britain team, who also represented Wales, Scotland and Ireland. The team is run under the auspices of the Rugby Football...
and the
FrenchThe France national rugby league team represent France in international rugby league tournaments. They are also sometimes referred to as "Les Tricolores" or more commonly "Les Chanticleers"...
however this concept failed to generate the needed interest and was not upheld. The South Africans would not see further international rugby league until the 1960s where the first national side undertook fixtures against the visiting
BritishThe Great Britain national rugby league team represents the United Kingdom in rugby league football. Administered by the Rugby Football League , the team is nicknamed "The Lions" or "Great Britain Lions"....
and a tour to
AustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. From the 1960s onwards the international fixture list for the South Africans would be minimal and it would not be until the early 1990s when they would begin to play with some lasting regularity.
Since they began playing international rugby league South Africa have always found it difficult to compete against the more established nations and so progress and improvement have been slow. Possibly their greatest achievement to date has been the qualification and participation in two
World CupsThe Rugby League World Cup is an international rugby league competition contested by members of the Rugby League International Federation . It has been held nearly once every 4 years on average since its inaugural tournament in France in 1954...
in both
1995The 1995 Rugby League World Cup was held during October in the United Kingdom. It was the eleventh staging of the Rugby League World Cup and was marketed as the Halifax Centenary World Cup, reflecting the tournament's sponsorship and the fact that 1995 marked the 100th birthday of the sport...
and
2000The 2000 Rugby League World Cup was the twelfth staging of the Rugby League World Cup and was held during October and November of that year in Great Britain, Ireland and France...
where South Africa would unfortunately fail to win a fixture after being seeded in tough groups at both tournaments where they would have to play world champions Australia along with
EnglandThe England national rugby league team represent England in international rugby league football tournaments. The team has now seen a revival, having largely formed from the Great Britain team, who also represented Wales, Scotland and Ireland. The team is run under the auspices of the Rugby Football...
,
Fiji-Competitions:Fiji have participated in:*Pacific Cup *World Cup *World Sevens *Superleague World Nines *Superleague Oceania Tournament *Pacific Rim Competition -Results:...
,
FranceThe France national rugby league team represent France in international rugby league tournaments. They are also sometimes referred to as "Les Tricolores" or more commonly "Les Chanticleers"...
,
Papua New GuineaThe Papua New Guinea national rugby league team represents Papua New Guinea internationally in the sport of rugby league football.In Papua New Guinea, Rugby league is highly popular and is regarded as the country’s national sport. The national side are known as the Kumuls...
and
TongaThe Tonga national rugby league team is a national sporting side, representing Tonga in rugby league football. Rugby league is a popular sport in Tonga, and the national team has become one of the best performed nations in the world...
.
South Africa traditionally play in a predominately
greenGreen is a color, the perception of which is evoked by light having a spectrum dominated by energy with a wavelength of roughly 520–570 nanometres. In the subtractive color system, it is not a primary color, but is created out of a mixture of yellow and blue, or yellow and cyan; it is considered...
uniform with
blackBlack is the color of objects that do not emit or reflect light in any part of the visible spectrum; they absorb all such frequencies of light...
shorts, they have commonly been referred to as
The Rhinos since the early 1990s. The South African emblem is a red and yellow King Protea plant which is the national flower of South Africa. South African internationals are played at a variety of venues throughout the country with no singular home ground being used.
History
Rugby league first gained attention in South Africa when the
EnglishThe Rugby Football League is the governing body for professional rugby league football in England. Based at Red Hall in Leeds, it administers the England national rugby league team, the Challenge Cup, Super League and the Rugby League Championships...
and
FrenchThe French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
attempted expansion in the 1950s for the purpose of creating further international opposition. Three games were then played between the two nations on the continent but both sides viewed the matches as nothing more than friendly fixtures so never undertook the games in a serious manner and the public never subsequently took to the three exhibition games.
Over the next several years, rugby league lay dormant in South Africa and it was not until the 1960s when talks of creating a national side began. After much discussion within South Africa, it was eventually agreed that a national side would play a touring
Great BritainThe Great Britain national rugby league team represents the United Kingdom in rugby league football. Administered by the Rugby Football League , the team is nicknamed "The Lions" or "Great Britain Lions"....
and then undertake a tour of
AustralasiaAustralasia is a region of Oceania comprising Australia, New Zealand, the island of New Guinea, and neighbouring islands in the Pacific Ocean. The term was coined by Charles de Brosses in Histoire des navigations aux terres australes...
. The first South African national side played their first competitive fixture on 23 August 1962 and put on a good showing against the much stronger British but eventually lost by nineteen points 49–30. The following two fixtures turned out to be much the same with the South Africans being defeated on another two occasions but putting in good performances whilst never being comprehensively beaten. The South Africans embarked on their first tour eleven months later with a twenty-four-man squad that included several former
SpringboksThe South African national rugby union team are 2009 British and Irish Lions Series winners. They are currently ranked as the fourth best team in the IRB World Rankings and were named 2008 World Team of the Year at the prestigious Laureus World Sports Awards.Although South Africa was instrumental...
. The tour started with several friendly fixtures against various minor representative sides where they gained two comfortable victories; the first international fixture of the tour took place in Brisbane against the world champion Australians and the South Africans performed with courage but eventually lost the match 34–6. The following test was played a week later in Sydney that again saw the team put in a tough effort but would lose again 54-21. South Africa would leave Australia without an international win and be low on confidence heading to
New ZealandNew Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
to play a sole fixture against the
New Zealand national sideThe New Zealand national rugby league team has represented New Zealand in rugby league football since intercontinental competition began for the sport in 1907. Administered by the New Zealand Rugby League, they are commonly known as the Kiwis, after the native bird of that name...
whom were expected to win comfortably. However the match turned out to be a tough encounter and surprisingly saw the team gain its first international victory 4-3 The South Africans featured several Australian players bought in to cover injuries and improve the quality of the side and so the match against New Zealand is not counted as a test match.
After this first string of international fixtures the South Africans became disheartened after only winning four of the thirteen tour matches and rugby league again lay dormant for decades.
The
Rugby League World CupThe Rugby League World Cup is an international rugby league competition contested by members of the Rugby League International Federation . It has been held nearly once every 4 years on average since its inaugural tournament in France in 1954...
tournament had been scheduled to be held in France in 1965, this time with the inclusion of the South African team. However the tournament was abandoned.
The early 1990s saw new South African administrators begin to rebuild the international facet of South African rugby. During 1992, the South African national side again played for the first time in years against several combined African representative teams and the following years saw things look more promising for the Africans with their qualification into the
1995 World CupThe 1995 Rugby League World Cup was held during October in the United Kingdom. It was the eleventh staging of the Rugby League World Cup and was marketed as the Halifax Centenary World Cup, reflecting the tournament's sponsorship and the fact that 1995 marked the 100th birthday of the sport...
and more regularity in international fixtures. Their first World Cup saw the South Africans seeded into the toughest group of the competition containing Australia,
EnglandThe England national rugby league team represent England in international rugby league football tournaments. The team has now seen a revival, having largely formed from the Great Britain team, who also represented Wales, Scotland and Ireland. The team is run under the auspices of the Rugby Football...
and
Fiji-Competitions:Fiji have participated in:*Pacific Cup *World Cup *World Sevens *Superleague World Nines *Superleague Oceania Tournament *Pacific Rim Competition -Results:...
. The South Africans found their three group matches extremely difficult and failed to win a match during the tournament.
The following years saw the South Africans play on an inconsistent basis against several touring sides and qualify for their second consecutive
World Cup in 2000The 2000 Rugby League World Cup was the twelfth staging of the Rugby League World Cup and was held during October and November of that year in Great Britain, Ireland and France...
. Leading into the tournament they were hopeful of gaining their first Cup win after being drawn into an easier yet still competitive group with
FranceThe France national rugby league team represent France in international rugby league tournaments. They are also sometimes referred to as "Les Tricolores" or more commonly "Les Chanticleers"...
,
Papua New GuineaThe Papua New Guinea national rugby league team represents Papua New Guinea internationally in the sport of rugby league football.In Papua New Guinea, Rugby league is highly popular and is regarded as the country’s national sport. The national side are known as the Kumuls...
and
TongaThe Tonga national rugby league team is a national sporting side, representing Tonga in rugby league football. Rugby league is a popular sport in Tonga, and the national team has become one of the best performed nations in the world...
. After initial optimism leading into the competition the South Africans would face Tonga in their first world cup fixture and be comprehensively beaten 66-18. The following world cup matches would add further disappointment and diminish all optimism the South Africans originally had with further heavy losses to both Papua New Guinea and the French.
After a second disappointing World Cup the side would again begin playing irregularly with one off fixtures over the next several years and it would not be until 2006 when they would again undertake another tour. A tour to Italy would be undertaken in June 2006 that saw the South Africans play in two tests and a
ninesRugby league nines is a version of rugby league football played with nine players on each side. The game is substantially the same as full rugby league, with some differences in rules and shorter games. Nines is usually played in festivals, as its shorter game play allows for a tournament to be...
competition in
MontelanicoMontelanico is a comune in the Province of Rome in the Italian region Latium, located about 50 km southeast of Rome.Montelanico is known for its annual international short films festival, entitled "Arrivano i corti"....
.
In 2008, the South Africa Rhinos were scheduled to participate in the
2008 Rugby League World Cup QualifiersThere were ten places available in the 2008 Rugby League World Cup, held in Australia.-Qualified teams:Pacific6 teams qualified for the World Cup. 3 qualified automatically, with the top 2 in the Pacific qualifying group also reaching the finals. Samoa finished third in the Pacific qualifying group...
in the Atlantic pool also featuring the
USA-2008 & 2013 Rugby League World Cup Qualifying:In October 2006, The Tomahawks were to participate in a four team Atlantic qualifying pool for the 2008 Rugby League World Cup, but South Africa and the West Indies withdrew. As a result, The Atlantic qualifying pool was reduced to a single game...
,
JapanThe Japan national rugby league team represents Japan in rugby league football. Japan has been playing international competition since 1994. A regular domestic amateur competition has been held in Japan for several years .-History:Rugby league was founded in Japan in 1993 by former Australian first...
and the West Indies. The winner of the tournament would enter into the repecharge round for the chance to qualify for the
2008 Rugby League World CupThe 2008 Rugby League World Cup was the thirteenth staging of the Rugby League World Cup since the inauguration of the tournament in 1954, and the first since the 2000 event...
. South Africa withdrew alongside the West Indies due to financial reasons, leaving the tournament as a one off fixture between the USA and Japan. As a result of their withdrawal South Africa forfeited the opportunity to qualify for the World Cup.
In 2011 however, the South Africa national rugby league team participated in the Atlantic Qualification Tournament as part of the
2013 Rugby League World Cup QualifiersOf the fourteen teams that will participate in the 2013 Rugby League World Cup, only two are not automatic inclusions, so must win qualifying matches to enter the tournament, which is to be held in Wales and England...
. The winner of the tournament qualified for the 2013 Rugby League World Cup that is to be held in
EnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
and
WalesWales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
. Despite beating
CanadaThe Canada national rugby league team represents Canada in international rugby league football tournaments.-1987-2000:Rugby league was re-introduced to Canada at an amateur level in the late 1980s and early 1990s, when a short-lived 4-team domestic competition, known as the Tri-Counties Rugby...
36–22 in a warm-up match before the beginning of the tournament, South Africa nevertheless lost to
USA-2008 & 2013 Rugby League World Cup Qualifying:In October 2006, The Tomahawks were to participate in a four team Atlantic qualifying pool for the 2008 Rugby League World Cup, but South Africa and the West Indies withdrew. As a result, The Atlantic qualifying pool was reduced to a single game...
40–4 in the opening match of the tournament.
2011 Squad
Overseas eligible players
- Sean Rutgerson
Sean Rutgerson is a professional rugby league player current playing for the Jacksonville Axemen in the AMNRL as a player/coach. His primary position was as prop, but he also played in the second row...
(Newtown JetsThe Newtown Jets are an Australian rugby league football club based in Newtown, a suburb of Sydney's inner west. They currently compete in the NSWRL Premier League competition, having left the top grade after the 1983 NSWRFL season...
)
- Brian Skosana
Mthangala Brian Skosana is a South African rugby league player for the Sydney Roosters in the National Rugby League . He is one of two South Africans rugby union schoolboy players who have signed with the Roosters, the other being, JP Du Plessis.- External links :...
(Sydney RoostersThe Sydney Roosters are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney. The club competes in the National Rugby League and is one of the oldest and most successful clubs in Australian rugby league history, having won twelve New South Wales Rugby League...
)
- Reece Jaeger (South Sydney Rabbitohs
The South Sydney Rabbitohs are an Australian professional rugby league football team based in Redfern, a suburb of South-central Sydney, New South Wales. They participate in the National Rugby League premiership and are one of nine existing teams from the state capital...
)
- Allan Heldsinger
Allan Heldsinger is a rugby league player for the Redcliffe Dolphins in the QLD Cup. His position is at fullback or wing. He was part of the Sydney Roosters Toyota Cup team in 2008.- References :...
(Redcliffe DolphinsThe Redcliffe Dolphins are a rugby league team from the city of Redcliffe in Queensland, Australia. The Redcliffe Dolphins were founded in 1947, accepted into the Brisbane Rugby League premiership in 1960, and since 1996 have played in the Queensland Cup....
)
- Nick Turnbull (Sheffield Eagles
Sheffield Eagles RLFC are an English rugby league club based in the South Yorkshire city of Sheffield. They currently play in the Co-operative Championship. Their home games are played at Bramall Lane after leaving Don Valley Stadium in late 2009....
)
- Christiaan Roets
Christiaan Roets is a Welsh international rugby league player currently playing for the South Wales Scorpions in the Championship One. He previously played for the Bridgend Blue Bulls in the Welsh rugby league competition...
(South Wales ScorpionsSouth Wales Scorpions Rugby League Football Club is a professional rugby league club formed in 2009, based in Neath, Wales. They are owned by a consortium of South Wales businessmen, led by Phil Davies...
)
- Rudi van der Merwe (St Albans Centurions
St Albans Centurions is a rugby league club based in St Albans, Hertfordshire.Founded in 1996, they first played in various local leagues and the Rugby League Conference, and then, from 2003 to 2006, in National League 3. From 2007 to date, they play in the Rugby League Conference South Premier...
)
- Johan Schoeman (Bristol Sonics
Bristol Sonics are a rugby league club based in Bristol in the South West of England.The Sonics play in the Midlands Premier division of the Rugby League Conference. Bristol Sonics A play in the RLC West of England.- 2002-2004: Early Days :...
)
Notable players
Since rugby league has been known to the nation of South Africa since the 1950s many players of South African birth or
heritageCultural heritage is the legacy of physical artifacts and intangible attributes of a group or society that are inherited from past generations, maintained in the present and bestowed for the benefit of future generations...
have gone on to attain notability in representing either South Africa, other nations or appearing in major domestic leagues around the world, some of the more notable South Africans have included:
| Player |
Position |
Association to South Africa |
Distinctions |
| Fred Anderson |
Hooker |
Born Cape TownCape Town is the second-most populous city in South Africa, and the provincial capital and primate city of the Western Cape. As the seat of the National Parliament, it is also the legislative capital of the country. It forms part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality...
|
Former South African Captain
Played for CanterburyThe Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in Belmore, a suburb in the Canterbury-Bankstown region of Sydney. They compete in the National Rugby League premiership, as well as New South Wales Rugby League junior competitions...
& South SydneyThe South Sydney Rabbitohs are an Australian professional rugby league football team based in Redfern, a suburb of South-central Sydney, New South Wales. They participate in the National Rugby League premiership and are one of nine existing teams from the state capital...
|
| Jamie Bloem Jamie Bloem is a rugby league referee and former dual-code rugby player who played international rugby league for South Africa and Scotland.-Rugby league:...
|
Fullback / Wing |
Born Cape TownCape Town is the second-most populous city in South Africa, and the provincial capital and primate city of the Western Cape. As the seat of the National Parliament, it is also the legislative capital of the country. It forms part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality...
|
Former South African Captain
1995 & 2000 World Cup appearances |
| Tom van Vollenhoven Tom van Vollenhoven is a South African former rugby union and rugby league footballer of the 1950s and 60s....
|
Wing |
Born South AfricaThe Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
|
Debatably greatest South African player
Dual international |
Jarrod SaffyJarrod Saffy is an Australian professional rugby union player. He played league for St George Illawarra Dragons , before switching to rugby to the train with the Melbourne Rebels in preparation for the 2011 Super Rugby season.-Early career:Saffy moved to Australia as a 15-year-old and continued...
|
Second Row |
Born Benoni -Places:* Benoni, Gauteng, a city on the East Rand in South Africa** the Benoni meteorite of 1943, which landed in Gauteng, South Africa*St. Benoni, Nova Scotia*Benoni Ross House-People:*Benoni Beheyt*Benoni Whitten*Benoni Irwin*Sydenham Benoni Alexander...
|
Played in the NRL with the Wests Tigers The Wests Tigers are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in Sydney's mid-western suburbs. They have competed in the National Rugby League since they were formed at the end of the 1999 season as a joint-venture club between the Balmain Tigers and the Western Suburbs...
and St. George Illawarra Dragons |
2008 Fixtures
| Opposition |
Venue |
Date |
Result |
| Lancashire |
Lancashire |
5 October |
55 - 12 |
| Cumbria |
Cumbria |
8 October |
44 - 34 |
| Yorkshire |
Yorkshire |
12 October |
66 - 6 |
| BARLA |
Hull |
17 October |
--- |
2009
SA (34) vs British defence Force (38)
SA (12) vs Australian Universities (42)
SA "A" (24) vs British community Lions (42)
SA (6) vs British community Lions (36)
2011
| Date | Result | Competition | Venue | Attendance |
| 19 October 2011 |
South Africa 6-20 Jamaica -See also:* Rugby League in the West Indies* West Indies National Team-External links:*...
|
2013 Rugby League World Cup Qualifiers Of the fourteen teams that will participate in the 2013 Rugby League World Cup, only two are not automatic inclusions, so must win qualifying matches to enter the tournament, which is to be held in Wales and England...
|
Philadelphia, United States |
TBD |
| 15 October 2011 |
USA -2008 & 2013 Rugby League World Cup Qualifying:In October 2006, The Tomahawks were to participate in a four team Atlantic qualifying pool for the 2008 Rugby League World Cup, but South Africa and the West Indies withdrew. As a result, The Atlantic qualifying pool was reduced to a single game...
def. South Africa 40-4 |
2013 Rugby League World Cup Qualifiers Of the fourteen teams that will participate in the 2013 Rugby League World Cup, only two are not automatic inclusions, so must win qualifying matches to enter the tournament, which is to be held in Wales and England...
|
Philadelphia, United States |
300 approx |
| 9 October 2011 |
South Africa def. Canada The Canada national rugby league team represents Canada in international rugby league football tournaments.-1987-2000:Rugby league was re-introduced to Canada at an amateur level in the late 1980s and early 1990s, when a short-lived 4-team domestic competition, known as the Tri-Counties Rugby...
36-22 |
Friendly International |
Fletcher's Field, Markham, Ontario Markham is a town in the Regional Municipality of York, located within the Greater Toronto Area of Southern Ontario, Canada. The population was 261,573 at the 2006 Canadian census...
, CanadaCanada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
|
Not known |
External links
Official websites