1910 British Lions tour to South Africa


The 1910 British Isles tour to South Africa was the eighth tour by a British Isles rugby union team and the fourth to South Africa. It is retrospectively classed as one of the British Lions tours, as the Lions naming convention was not adopted until 1950. As well as South Africa, the tour included a game in Bulawayo in Rhodesia, now Zimbabwe.
Led by Ireland's Tommy Smyth and managed by Walter E. Rees and W Cail the tour took in 24 matches. Of the 24 games, 21 were against club or invitational teams and three were test matches against the South African national team. The British Isles team lost two and won one test match against the Springboks.
Seven players from Newport RFC were selected for the tour which was for a time the record for players selected from one club for a British Lions Tour.
The Lions jerseys switched from red to blue, with white shorts and red socks. This combination would remain until 1950.

Touring party

NamePositionClubCountry1°
Test		2°
Test		3°
Test		Tests
played		Non-tests
played
Stanley WilliamsFull BackNewport England313
Mel BakerThree-QuarterNewport Wales111
Reg PlummerThree-QuarterNewport Wales012
Maurice Edward NealeThree-QuarterBristol England311
Alexander FosterThree-QuarterCity of Derry Ireland215
C.G. TimmsThree-QuarterEdinburgh University Scotland 011
Jack Jones Three-QuarterNewport Wales317
Jack SpoorsThree-QuarterBristol England316
Kenneth Berridge WoodThree-QuarterLeicester England1
Noel Forbes HumphreysHalf backTynedale Wales 05
Arthur Norman McClintonHalf backNorth of Ireland Ireland08
G.A.M. IsherwoodHalf backCheshire and Sale England 316
Eric MilroyHalf backWatsonians Scotland04
Tommy Smyth ForwardNewport Ireland216
William TyrrellForwardQueen's University Ireland010
Dyne Fenton SmithForwardRichmond England320
Phil WallerForwardNewport Wales3
James Reid-KerrForwardGreenock Wanderers Scotland00
R.C. StevensonForwardSt Andrews University RFC Scotland312
L.M. Speirs ForwardWatsonians Scotland00
E. O'D CreanForwardLiverpool England 04
Harry JarmanForwardNewport Wales314
O.J.S. PiperForwardCork Constitution Ireland115
William Albert RobertsonForwardEdinburgh University Scotland010
Charles PillmanForwardBlackheath England214
William Joseph AshbyForwardQueen's College Ireland02
F.G. HandfordForwardKersal England315
Tom RichardsForwardBristol Australia210
Jim WebbForwardAbertillery Wales37

;Notes

Results

Complete list of matches played by the British Isles in South Africa:
Test matches
DateOpponentLocationResultScore
111 JuneSouth Western DistrictsMossel BayWon14–4
215 JuneWestern Province Cape TownWon11–3
318 JuneWestern Province Cape TownWon9–3
422 JuneWestern Province Cape TownDrew11–11
525 JuneWestern ProvinceCape TownWon5–3
629 JuneGriqualand WestKimberleyLost0–8
72 JulyTransvaalJohannesburgLost8–27
85 JulyPretoriaPretoriaWon17–0
97 JulyTransvaal JohannesburgWon45–4
109 JulyTransvaalJohannesburgLost6–13
1113 JulyPietermaritzburgWon18–16
1216 JulyDurbanWon19–13
1320 JulyOrange River CountyBloemfonteinWon12–9
1423 JulyGriqualand WestKimberleyLost3–9
1527 JulyCape ColonyKimberleyLost0–19
1630 JulySouthern RhodesiaBulawayoWon24–11
176 AugustWanderers Ground, JohannesburgLost10–14
1810 AugustNorth Eastern DistrictsBurgersdorpDrew8–8
1913 AugustBorderEast LondonWon30–10
2017 AugustBorderKing Williams TownDrew13–13
2120 AugustEastern ProvincePort ElizabethWon14–6
2227 AugustCrusaders Ground, Port ElizabethWon8–3
233 SeptemberNewlands, Cape TownLost5–21
246 SeptemberWestern ProvinceCape TownLost0–8

PlWDLPsPc
241338290236