1963 Australia rugby union tour of South Africa


The 1963 Australia rugby union tour of South Africa was a series of thirteen matches played by the Australia national rugby union team between June and September 1963. The Wallabies tied the series with Springboks winning two and losing two Tests.
The tour was one of the highlights of the successful "Thornett Era" of Australian Rugby, buoyed by the leadership skills of skipper John Thornett and the outstanding skills of greats of the game like Ken Catchpole, Peter Johnson and Rob Heming. Dick Marks and Peter Crittle also toured and would later become among the most influential administrators of Australian rugby.

The Matches

Scores and results list Australia's points tally first.
Opposing TeamForAgainstDateVenueStatus
Eastern Transvaal14015 June 1963Tour Match
Boland301322 June 1963Tour Match
Southern Universities81126 June 1963Newlands, Cape TownTour Match
131429 June 1963King's Park,Tour Match
Rhodesia1256 July 1963SalisburyTour Match
Transvaal1458 July 1963JohannesburgTour Match
South Africa31413 July 1963PretoriaTest Match
Griqualand West14620 July 1963Tour Match
Northern Transvaal111124 July 1963PretoriaTour Match
Border6327 July 1963Tour Match
South West Africa24631 July 1963Tour Match
Western Transvaal14123 August 1963Tour Match
South Africa9510 August 1963Cape TownTest Match
Eastern Province10314 August 1963Tour Match
Junior Springboks51217 August 1963SpringsTour Match
Central Universities281120 August 1963Tour Match
South Africa11924 August 1963, JohannesburgTest Match
Western Province61231 August 1963Newlands, Cape TownTour Match
Orange Free State8142 September 1963Tour Match
South Africa6227 September 1963, Port ElizabethTest Match