1896 British Isles tour to South Africa was a

rugby union Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In its m ...

tour undertaken by the

British Isles The British Isles are a group of islands in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-western coast of continental Europe, consisting of the islands of Great Britain, Ireland, the Isle of Man, the Inner and Outer Hebrides, the Northern Isles, ...

, one of the first British and Irish Lions tours. The team toured South Africa for the second time in 1896. Between 11 July and 5 September, they played 21 games, including four tests against

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

. The British Isles XV won the Test series 3–1 and completed the 17-game provincial program unbeaten, scoring 204 points and conceding just 45 in all matches.

Tour overview

The squad had experience on their side in the shape of two veterans of the 1891 campaign, the captain Johnny Hammond and fellow forward Froude Hancock.1888-1899 – Touring tradition begins
on Lions website For the first time the squad also included a notable Irish contingent. Nine Irishmen were included in the touring party of 21. These included

Thomas Crean Major Dr. Thomas Joseph Crean, (19 April 1873 – 25 March 1923) was an Irish rugby union player, British Army soldier and physician, doctor. During the Second Boer War, while serving with the Imperial Light Horse, he was awarded the Victoria ...

, Larry Bulger, Jim Sealy,

Andrew Clinch Andrew Daniel Clinch MD JP (28 November 1867 – 1 February 1937),Andrew Clinch player profile

and
Louis Magee Aloysius Mary "Louis" Magee (1 May 1874 – 4 April 1945) was an Irish rugby union halfback. Magee played club rugby for Bective Rangers and London Irish and played international rugby for Ireland and was part of the British Isles team in their ...
, all of whom had just helped
Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
win the
1896 Home Nations Championship The 1896 Home Nations Championship was the fourteenth series of the rugby union Home Nations Championship. Six matches were played between 4 January and 14 March. It was contested by England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales. Table Results ...
.Irish Rugby 1874–1999 — A History
on Irisih Rugby Robert Johnston had won two caps for Ireland in
1893 Events January–March * January 2 – Webb C. Ball introduces railroad chronometers, which become the general railroad timepiece standards in North America. * Mark Twain started writing Puddn'head Wilson. * January 6 – Th ...
. The other three – Arthur Meares, Cecil Boyd and James Magee, the brother of Louis – had not yet been capped by Ireland at the time of this tour. Crean and the Magee brothers were amongst the few
Catholics The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
in the touring party and on the Sunday after they arrived, they begged to be excused from joining an excursion to
Hout Bay Hout Bay ( af, Houtbaai, meaning "Wood Bay") is a harbour town in the Western Cape province of South Africa. It is situated in a valley on the Atlantic seaboard of the Cape Peninsula, twenty kilometres south of Cape Town. The name "Hout Bay" can ...
. On being pressed for a reason for such a refusal, they shyly admitted that they had been three Sundays on board ship, without
Mass Mass is an intrinsic property of a body. It was traditionally believed to be related to the quantity of matter in a physical body, until the discovery of the atom and particle physics. It was found that different atoms and different elementar ...
, and they would like to attend church. The management committee replied that they could all go to their various churches if they pleased, and that the excursions would start afterwards. Hammond's squad was considered to have an outstanding pack but be comparatively weak in the three-quarter line. Louis Magee and
England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
full-back Fred Byrne were the stars of the backline, but it was a forward eight inspired by Tom Crean that laid the foundations for the team's success. Hammond, was injured early in the tour and it was Crean who took over the role in his absence. The team's only draw came in an early game against
Western Province Western Province or West Province may refer to: * Western Province, Cameroon *Western Province, Rwanda *Western Province (Kenya) *Western Province (Papua New Guinea) *Western Province (Solomon Islands) *Western Province, Sri Lanka *Western Provin ...
. Before the game, the new Prime Minister of the colony, Sir Gordon Sprigg, insisted on entertaining the tour party in the grand manner of his predecessor,
Cecil Rhodes Cecil John Rhodes (5 July 1853 – 26 March 1902) was a British mining magnate and politician in southern Africa who served as Prime Minister of the Cape Colony from 1890 to 1896. An ardent believer in British imperialism, Rhodes and his Br ...
. Crean, captain for the day, sensing a ruse, sternly warned his players to limit their lunchtime consumption to just four tumblers of champagne, but it would appear some lost count. They escaped with a lucky 0–0 draw, but in a later game a much more sober team avenged the result 32–0, their biggest win of the tour. Facing a
South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...
side captained by
Ferdie Aston Fitzmaurice "Ferdie" Thomas Drake Aston (18 September 1871 – 15 October 1926) was an English-born South African rugby union player. He was capped four times for South Africa, captaining them in three Tests. Aston made his debut appearance fo ...
, brother of
Randolph Aston Randolph Littleton Aston (6 September 1869 – 3 November 1930) was an English rugby union centre who played club rugby for Blackheath and Cambridge University and was a member of the first official British Isles tour in 1891. Personal history ...
, a member of the 1891 British team, the tourists dominated at forward throughout but could only score two tries in an 8–0 win. South Africa scored their first tries in international rugby in the second Test but still went down 17–8. In the third, the hosts actually led but were overhauled to go down 9–3, with Byrne kicking a conversion and a drop goal to set a record. He remained the only player to score 100 points while on tour in South Africa until 1960 when
Don Clarke Donald Barry Clarke (10 November 1933 – 29 December 2002) was a New Zealand rugby union player who played 89 times (31 of these were test matches) as a New Zealand international from 1956 until 1964. He was best known for his phenomena ...
of
New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
beat his record. South Africa improved, however, and won the final test 5–0 at
Newlands Newlands may refer to: Places Australia * Newlands, Queensland, a locality in the Whitsunday Region New Zealand * Newlands, Wellington, a suburb of Wellington South Africa * Newlands, Cape Town, a suburb of Cape Town * Newlands, Johannesbur ...
. It was the previously flawless Byrne who lost possession to spark the attack from which Alf Larard scored the game's only try. When the tour ended, both Crean and Johnston remained in South Africa. During the
Second Boer War The Second Boer War ( af, Tweede Vryheidsoorlog, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, the Anglo–Boer War, or the South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer Republics (the Sout ...
they both served with the
Imperial Light Horse Imperial is that which relates to an empire, emperor, or imperialism. Imperial or The Imperial may also refer to: Places United States * Imperial, California * Imperial, Missouri * Imperial, Nebraska * Imperial, Pennsylvania * Imperial, Texas ...
and were both subsequently awarded the
Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious award of the British honours system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British Armed Forces and may be awarded posthumously. It was previously ...
. One member of the Lions squad, Cuth Mullins, was a South African who was studying at the
University of Oxford , mottoeng = The Lord is my light , established = , endowment = £6.1 billion (including colleges) (2019) , budget = £2.145 billion (2019–20) , chancellor ...
. His brother, Charles Herbert Mullins, also won a VC during the same engagement as Johnston. The fly half, Rev.
Matthew Mullineux Matthew Mullineux MC (8 August 1867 – 13 February 1945) was an English rugby union scrum-half who, although not capped for England, was selected for two British Lions tours. He gained one cap during the 1896 tour to South Africa and cap ...
, was awarded the
Military Cross The Military Cross (MC) is the third-level (second-level pre-1993) military decoration awarded to officers and (since 1993) other ranks of the British Armed Forces, and formerly awarded to officers of other Commonwealth countries. The MC i ...
in the
First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
while another member of squad Walter Carey became the Archbishop of
Bloemfontein Bloemfontein, ( ; , "fountain of flowers") also known as Bloem, is one of South Africa's three capital cities and the capital of the Free State (province), Free State province. It serves as the country's judicial capital, along with legisla ...
; both men became
Military Chaplain A military chaplain ministers to military personnel and, in most cases, their families and civilians working for the military. In some cases they will also work with local civilians within a military area of operations. Although the term ''cha ...
s for the
British Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...
. As on the previous tour in 1891, the tourists played in red and white hooped shirts and dark blue shorts.

Touring party
* Manager: Roger Walker * Captain: Johnny Hammond

Full Backs
* Fred Byrne (
Moseley Moseley is a suburb of south Birmingham, England, south of the city centre. The area is a popular cosmopolitan residential location and leisure destination, with a number of bars and restaurants. The area also has a number of boutiques and ot ...
/
England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
)

Three-Quarters
* Cecil Boyd (
Dublin University The University of Dublin ( ga, Ollscoil Átha Cliath), corporately designated the Chancellor, Doctors and Masters of the University of Dublin, is a university located in Dublin, Ireland. It is the degree-awarding body for Trinity College Dubl ...
) * Larry Bulger (
Dublin University The University of Dublin ( ga, Ollscoil Átha Cliath), corporately designated the Chancellor, Doctors and Masters of the University of Dublin, is a university located in Dublin, Ireland. It is the degree-awarding body for Trinity College Dubl ...
/
Lansdowne Lansdowne or Lansdown may refer to: People * Lansdown Guilding (1797–1831), Saint Vincent and the Grenadines naturalist and engraver *Fenwick Lansdowne (1937–2008), Canadian wildlife artist * George Granville, 1st Baron Lansdowne (1666–1735) ...
/
Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
) *
Osbert Mackie Osbert Gadesden Mackie (23 August 1869 – 25 January 1927) was an English rugby union centre and Anglican priest. Mackie played club rugby for Wakefield Trinity (were a rugby union club at the time, so no Heritage № is allocated), and Cambri ...
(
Cambridge University , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...
) * James Magee (
Bective Rangers Bective Rangers Football Club is a rugby union club in Dublin, Ireland founded in 1881. The Club is affiliated to the Leinster Branch of the Irish Rugby Football Union and play in Division 1A of the Leinster League. The club plays its games a ...
) * C.O. Robinson (Northumberland)

Half backs
* Sydney Pyman Bell (
Cambridge University , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...
) *
Louis Magee Aloysius Mary "Louis" Magee (1 May 1874 – 4 April 1945) was an Irish rugby union halfback. Magee played club rugby for Bective Rangers and London Irish and played international rugby for Ireland and was part of the British Isles team in their ...
(
Bective Rangers Bective Rangers Football Club is a rugby union club in Dublin, Ireland founded in 1881. The Club is affiliated to the Leinster Branch of the Irish Rugby Football Union and play in Division 1A of the Leinster League. The club plays its games a ...
/
London Irish London Irish RFC is a professional rugby union club which competes in the Premiership, the top division of English rugby union. The club has also competed in the Anglo-Welsh Cup, the European Champions Cup and European Challenge Cup. While ...
/Ireland) *
Matthew Mullineux Matthew Mullineux MC (8 August 1867 – 13 February 1945) was an English rugby union scrum-half who, although not capped for England, was selected for two British Lions tours. He gained one cap during the 1896 tour to South Africa and cap ...
(
Blackheath Blackheath may refer to: Places England *Blackheath, London, England ** Blackheath railway station **Hundred of Blackheath, Kent, an ancient hundred in the north west of the county of Kent, England *Blackheath, Surrey, England ** Hundred of Blackh ...
)

Forwards
*
Walter Julius Carey The Rt Revd Walter Julius Carey (12 July 1875 – 17 February 1955) was an English Anglican clergyman and author who served as Bishop of Bloemfontein in South Africa from 1921 to 1935. Carey was a rugby union forward who played club rugby for ...
(
University of Oxford , mottoeng = The Lord is my light , established = , endowment = £6.1 billion (including colleges) (2019) , budget = £2.145 billion (2019–20) , chancellor ...
) *
Andrew Clinch Andrew Daniel Clinch MD JP (28 November 1867 – 1 February 1937),Andrew Clinch player profile
(
Dublin University The University of Dublin ( ga, Ollscoil Átha Cliath), corporately designated the Chancellor, Doctors and Masters of the University of Dublin, is a university located in Dublin, Ireland. It is the degree-awarding body for Trinity College Dubl ...
/ Ireland) *
Thomas Crean Major Dr. Thomas Joseph Crean, (19 April 1873 – 25 March 1923) was an Irish rugby union player, British Army soldier and physician, doctor. During the Second Boer War, while serving with the Imperial Light Horse, he was awarded the Victoria ...
( Wanderers /
Richmond Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, Virginia, the capital of Virginia, United States * Richmond, London, a part of London * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town in England * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, California, ...
/ Ireland) * Johnny Hammond (
Cambridge University , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...
/
Blackheath Blackheath may refer to: Places England *Blackheath, London, England ** Blackheath railway station **Hundred of Blackheath, Kent, an ancient hundred in the north west of the county of Kent, England *Blackheath, Surrey, England ** Hundred of Blackh ...
) *
Froude Hancock Philip Froude Hancock universally known as Froude Hancock (29 August 1865 – 16 October 1933) was an English rugby union forward who played international rugby for the British Isles XV on two tours, the 1891 and 1896 tour of South Africa ...
(
Blackheath Blackheath may refer to: Places England *Blackheath, London, England ** Blackheath railway station **Hundred of Blackheath, Kent, an ancient hundred in the north west of the county of Kent, England *Blackheath, Surrey, England ** Hundred of Blackh ...
) * Robert Johnston ( Wanderers / Ireland) * G.W. Lee (Rockcliff) * Arthur Meares (
Dublin University The University of Dublin ( ga, Ollscoil Átha Cliath), corporately designated the Chancellor, Doctors and Masters of the University of Dublin, is a university located in Dublin, Ireland. It is the degree-awarding body for Trinity College Dubl ...
) * William Mortimer (
Marlborough Nomads The Marlborough Nomads was a 19th-century English rugby union club that was notable for being one of the twenty-one founding members of the Rugby Football Union. They also supplied a number of players for the sport's early international fixtures. ...
) * Cuth Mullins (
University of Oxford , mottoeng = The Lord is my light , established = , endowment = £6.1 billion (including colleges) (2019) , budget = £2.145 billion (2019–20) , chancellor ...
) * Jim Sealy (
Dublin University The University of Dublin ( ga, Ollscoil Átha Cliath), corporately designated the Chancellor, Doctors and Masters of the University of Dublin, is a university located in Dublin, Ireland. It is the degree-awarding body for Trinity College Dubl ...
/ Ireland) * Alexander Todd (
Blackheath Blackheath may refer to: Places England *Blackheath, London, England ** Blackheath railway station **Hundred of Blackheath, Kent, an ancient hundred in the north west of the county of Kent, England *Blackheath, Surrey, England ** Hundred of Blackh ...
)

Match summary
Complete list of matches played by the Lions in South Africa:British & Irish Lions - Tour to South Africa 1896
/ref> Test matches

The matches

First Test
British Isles: CA Boyd, LQ Bulger, JF Byrne, OG Mackie, R Johnston, M Mullineux, AM Magee, RC Mullins, AF Todd, W Mortimer, PF Hancock, WJ Carey, J Sealy, AD Clinch, TJ Crean capt. South Africa: D Lyons, Percy Twentyman-Jones,
Biddy Anderson James Henry "Biddy" Anderson (26 April 1874 – 11 March 1926) was a South African cricketer and rugby union player. Anderson attended Diocesan College in Rondebosch before going to Oxford University, where he was awarded a rugby Blue (universit ...
,
Ferdie Aston Fitzmaurice "Ferdie" Thomas Drake Aston (18 September 1871 – 15 October 1926) was an English-born South African rugby union player. He was capped four times for South Africa, captaining them in three Tests. Aston made his debut appearance fo ...
, E Olver, FR MyBurgh capt., Frank Guthrie, JJ Wessels, P Scott, PJ Meyer, M Bredenkamp, Frank Douglass, BH Heatlie, CG van Renen, HC Gorton

Second Test
British Isles: JT Magee, LQ Bulger, JF Byrne, OG Mackie, R Johnston, SP Bell, AM Magee, J Hammond capt., AF Todd, W Mortimer, PF Hancock, WJ Carey, J Sealy, AD Clinch, TJ Crean South Africa: Davey Cope, Theo Samuels, HH Forbes,
Ferdie Aston Fitzmaurice "Ferdie" Thomas Drake Aston (18 September 1871 – 15 October 1926) was an English-born South African rugby union player. He was capped four times for South Africa, captaining them in three Tests. Aston made his debut appearance fo ...
capt., Bill Taberer, A Larard, G St. L Devenish, JJ Wessels, P Scott, AM Beswick, Jim Crosby,
Charlie Devenish Charles Edwin Devenish (13 January 1874 – 11 January 1922) was a South African international rugby union player. Born in Victoria West, he first played provincial rugby for Griqualand West (now known as the Griquas). He made his only Test appe ...
, Tom Mellett, JB Andrew, CW Smith

Third Test
British Isles: AWD Meares, LQ Bulger, JF Byrne, OG Mackie, R Johnston, SP Bell, AM Magee, RC Mullins, AF Todd, W Mortimer, PF Hancock, WJ Carey, J Sealy, AD Clinch, TJ Crean capt. South Africa: Theo Samuels, Percy Twentyman-Jones,
Biddy Anderson James Henry "Biddy" Anderson (26 April 1874 – 11 March 1926) was a South African cricketer and rugby union player. Anderson attended Diocesan College in Rondebosch before going to Oxford University, where he was awarded a rugby Blue (universit ...
,
Ferdie Aston Fitzmaurice "Ferdie" Thomas Drake Aston (18 September 1871 – 15 October 1926) was an English-born South African rugby union player. He was capped four times for South Africa, captaining them in three Tests. Aston made his debut appearance fo ...
capt., Albert Powell, Bill Cotty, Jackie Powell, JJ Wessels, P Scott, AM Beswick, M Bredenkamp, DJ Theunissen, EW Kelly, PJ Dormehl, CW Smith

Fourth Test
British Isles: AWD Meares, JT Magee, JF Byrne, OG Mackie, LQ Bulger, SP Bell, AM Magee, J Hammond, AF Todd, W Mortimer, PF Hancock, WJ Carey, J Sealy, AD Clinch, TJ Crean capt. South Africa: Theo Samuels, Percy Twentyman-Jones,
Biddy Anderson James Henry "Biddy" Anderson (26 April 1874 – 11 March 1926) was a South African cricketer and rugby union player. Anderson attended Diocesan College in Rondebosch before going to Oxford University, where he was awarded a rugby Blue (universit ...
,
Ferdie Aston Fitzmaurice "Ferdie" Thomas Drake Aston (18 September 1871 – 15 October 1926) was an English-born South African rugby union player. He was capped four times for South Africa, captaining them in three Tests. Aston made his debut appearance fo ...
, T Hepburn, A Larard, T Etlinger, HA Cloete, P Scott, AM Beswick, P De Waal, HD Van Brockhuizen, BH Heatlie capt., PJ Dormehl, CG Van Renen

References
{{DEFAULTSORT:1896 British Lions Tour To South Africa British Lions tour British & Irish Lions tours of South Africa British Lions Tour To South Africa, 1896 Tour Lions Tour Lions Tour Lions