Solomon Mhlaba is a former

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 ...

fullback Fullback or Full back may refer to: Sports * A position in various kinds of football, including: ** Full-back (association football), in association football (soccer), a defender playing in a wide position ** Fullback (gridiron football), in Americ ...

, one of only four players of colour, and one of two black African players, to be selected for South African sides during the late 1970s and early 1980s. In 1978, Mhlaba was invited to attend the

Springbok The springbok (''Antidorcas marsupialis'') is a medium-sized antelope found mainly in south and southwest Africa. The sole member of the genus ''Antidorcas'', this bovid was first described by the German zoologist Eberhard August Wilhelm v ...

training camp. He was selected for the

South African Barbarians South African Barbarians is an invitational rugby union club styled along the lines of Barbarian F.C. It was formed in 1960 by Frank Mellish, the former 1951–52 Springbok selector and manager, together with former Natal Rugby Union President, ...

twice, touring with the team in Britain in 1979. In 1980 he played against the touring

Lions The lion (''Panthera leo'') is a large cat of the genus ''Panthera'' native to Africa and India. It has a muscular, broad-chested body; short, rounded head; round ears; and a hairy tuft at the end of its tail. It is sexually dimorphic; adult ...

team twice, once with the Barbarians, and once as member of the

South African Country Districts XV The South African Country Districts XV was an invitational rugby union side selected to play against touring international teams. In one of its first guises, the Districts side lost 32–12 against the touring British Isles' Barbarians at Potche ...

. He accompanied mining teams on local and overseas trips. In 1992, he qualified as a referee with the Southeastern Transvaal Referees' Association while working for

SASOL Sasol Limited is an integrated energy and chemical company based in Sandton, South Africa. The company was formed in 1950 in Sasolburg, South Africa and built on processes that were first developed by German chemists and engineers in the early ...

at Secunda.

References

South African rugby union players Living people Year of birth missing (living people) {{SouthAfrica-rugbyunion-bio-stub

See also

References