William Alexander Millar (6 November 1883 – 3 March 1949) was a South African
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 ...
player. He was captain during South Africa's Tour of Great Britain in 1906.
Personal life
Millar was born in 1884 in
Bedford
Bedford is a market town in Bedfordshire, England. At the 2011 Census, the population of the Bedford built-up area (including Biddenham and Kempston) was 106,940, making it the second-largest settlement in Bedfordshire, behind Luton, whilst ...
. Millar was 5 feet 10 inches in height, and weighed 13 stone 2 pounds. He played a little football at the South African College in 1899. He was an amateur boxer, having won the heavyweight championship of the Western Province.
Career
He did not start playing the game again till 1903. He was badly wounded during the
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 Sou ...
, and, on returning to Cape Town to convalesce, his recreations were walking, mountain climbing and shooting. These exercises gave him stamina and strength for Rugby football.
In 1903 he started in the second string of the Gardens, but joined the first later that season. In 1904-6 he steadily improved, till in the last season he was recognised as one of the best forwards in the Western Province. He was selected for the Western Province in the Currie Cup Tournament at Johannesburg. His omission from the original list of those selected caused some surprise, but Bertie Mosenthal's inability to make the trip gave him a place as first reserve.
[EJL Plateneur. "The Springbokken Tour in Great Britain". Published 1907.]
See also
*
South African rugby union captains
Every player to captain the South Africa national rugby union team (the Springboks) in a test match is listed here. Captains are listed in chronological order of their first match as captain.
H.H. Castens captained South Africa on 30 July 1891 ...
References
External links
*http://www.espn.co.uk/southafrica/rugby/player/1851.html
*http://www.rugbyrelics.com/Museum/exhibits/Thumbographs.htm#MILLAR
{{DEFAULTSORT:Millar, William Alexander
1883 births
1949 deaths
South African rugby union players
South Africa international rugby union players
South African rugby union referees
Rugby union forwards
Rugby union players from the Eastern Cape