Paul Johnstone (rugby player)
Encyclopedia
Paul Geoffrey Allen Johnstone (30 June 1930 - 22 April 1996) was a South Africa
n rugby union
wing. Saunders played club rugby for Paarl, Hamiltons, Villagers and Pirates and provincial rugby for both Natal
and Western Province
. He was capped for South Africa
nine times between 1951 and 1956 first representing the team on the 1951-52 South Africa rugby tour of Great Britain, Ireland and France. The touring team is seen as one of the greatest South African teams, winning 30 of the 31 matches, including all five internationals.
, South Africa in 1930. He was educated at Hilton College, leaving school at the age of 19. He soon after took a trip to England working as a clerk in London. On returning to South Africa he enrolled at the University of Cape Town
where he became a law student.
, 2 penalties and 2 conversions).
The tour managers choose to place the four wing players on rotation. Johnstone and Saunders
were chosen for the first game, against a combined South-Eastern Counties team at Bournemouth. Johnstone scored the first try of the tour in the eighteenth minute and doubled his score with another try in the second half. South Africa won 31-6. Johnstone next played in the third game against a joint Pontypool
/Newbridge
team (scoring another try), before being moved into the centre position in an encounter with Llanelli
. The very next game Johnstone was back in his favoured wing position and was back on the scoresheet with a try in a victory over the North-Western Counties. After being rested for the Glasgow/Edinburgh match, Johnstone played in two games back to back, wins over North-Eastern Counties and Cambridge University
. Johnstone missed the encounter against London Counties, the only South African loss of the tour, before scoring two tries in the eleventh game of the tour, against Oxford University
.
On 24 November 1951, Johnstone was awarded his first international cap when he was selected to face Scotland
at Murrayfield. Scotland were beaten heavily, and although South Africa scored nine tries, none came from Johnstone or from the South Africans other wing Buks Marais
. His second cap came two weeks later when he was chosen for the match against Ireland
. The South Africans won 17-5, but again Johnstone was unable to secure his first international points. The game after Ireland, was a rough-and-tumble match against Munster
. Johnstone was one of only six players from the Ireland encounter to be selected for the match, which was played in muddy conditions. Johnstone was criticised for some poor defensive work, with his tackling sometimes high and ineffective, but he started the scoring with a try late in the first half. The game ended 11-6 to South Africa.
Johnstone was rested after the Munster match, playing in only two games from the next five; both internationals, against Wales
and England
. The Wales game was the most highly anticipated of the tour, with the match being hailed as the 'game of the century' and as 'for the rugby championship of the world'. The match was a tense affair, with little action for the backs from either team. The game ended 6-3 to South Africa, and although Johnstone again failed to score at international level, he did make an important defensive contribution when he threw himself on the ball to prevent Wales' Ken Jones from scoring. On 5 January 1952, Johnstone played in the game against England. He came close to scoring on two occasions, but was unable to finish either. Even without his tries, England were beaten 8-3.
With the Home Nation internationals behind them, South Africa had five more matches before travelling to France. Johnstone played against Newport and Midland Counties, scoring a try in the former, before he was selected for the last game in Britain, an encounter with the Barbarians
. On the day of the match, South Africa, through injuries, were without both fly-halves, Dennis Fry and Hannes Brewis
. Johnstone was given the fly-half role despite having last played in that position over three years previously in an encounter between Natal and Transvaal. At half time, the Springboks were 3-0 down. Johnstone had not been poor at fly-half, but the play was not at its best. The South African's reacted by bringing Keevy in at fly half and putting Johnstone back out at his favoured right wing position. South Africa improved after the change, winning the game 17-3. Johnstone was given half of the kicking duties and scored a penatly, the last points of the match. Johnstone ended the British leg of the tour as he had started it, scoring the first and last points.
The tour then travelled to France to play a further four games, including an encounter with the France national team
. Johnstone played in two, against South West France and the international. In the match against South West France, a 20-12 win, he scored a try and a conversion. In the encounter with France, Johnstone had an excellent start, scoring the first nine points, his first at international level. He scored his first, a penalty goal after twenty-five minutes, this was followed by a try after a break by Stephen Fry
after thirty-two, finished with a second try eight minuted into the second half. Johnstone finished the match by converting a van Wyk try. South Africa finished the tour by beating France 25-3.
. In 1956 the Springboks undertook a tour of Australia and New Zealand, and Johnstone was selected in the touring party. As well as the club and representative games, South Africa played six Tests, two against Australia
and four against the New Zealand 'All Blacks'.
Johnstone played in the first Test against Australia, in his favoured position of right wing; South Africa won 9-0. He missed the second and final Test against Australia, but was back in the squad for the first Test against New Zealand on 14 July. South Africa were beaten 6-10, it was Johnstone's first loss at international level. Despite the loss, Johnstone was back for the second Test against the All Blacks, this time a win for South Africa. Johnstone was absent from the third New Zealand Test, in which the Springboks lost 10-17, and he was re-drafted in for the final Test. South Africa lost the game, and the series against New Zealand, and Johnstone never represented South Africa at international level again.
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
n rugby union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
wing. Saunders played club rugby for Paarl, Hamiltons, Villagers and Pirates and provincial rugby for both Natal
Natal Sharks
The Natal Sharks are a South African rugby union team that participate in the annual Currie Cup and Super Rugby tournaments. The Sharks home stadium is Kings Park. They draw most of their players from the KwaZulu-Natal Province. The Sharks are the current representative team of the Natal rugby...
and Western Province
Western Province (rugby team)
DHL Western Province is a South African rugby union team that participates in the annual Currie Cup tournament. The team has won the Currie Cup on 32 occasions and has the most supporters of any Currie Cup team...
. He was capped for South Africa
South Africa national rugby union team
The South African national rugby union team are 2009 British and Irish Lions Series winners. They are currently ranked as the fourth best team in the IRB World Rankings and were named 2008 World Team of the Year at the prestigious Laureus World Sports Awards.Although South Africa was instrumental...
nine times between 1951 and 1956 first representing the team on the 1951-52 South Africa rugby tour of Great Britain, Ireland and France. The touring team is seen as one of the greatest South African teams, winning 30 of the 31 matches, including all five internationals.
Personal history
Johnstone was born in JohannesburgJohannesburg
Johannesburg also known as Jozi, Jo'burg or Egoli, is the largest city in South Africa, by population. Johannesburg is the provincial capital of Gauteng, the wealthiest province in South Africa, having the largest economy of any metropolitan region in Sub-Saharan Africa...
, South Africa in 1930. He was educated at Hilton College, leaving school at the age of 19. He soon after took a trip to England working as a clerk in London. On returning to South Africa he enrolled at the University of Cape Town
University of Cape Town
The University of Cape Town is a public research university located in Cape Town in the Western Cape province of South Africa. UCT was founded in 1829 as the South African College, and is the oldest university in South Africa and the second oldest extant university in Africa.-History:The roots of...
where he became a law student.
Rugby career
Johnstone played rugby from schoolage, selected for province side Natal at the age of 19. While working in London he played club rugby for Blackheath. After his return to South Africa, he turned out for the University of Cape Town. Johnstone was the surprise choice for the Sprinkboks tour of Britain. At the Newland Trials he began the week in the eighth choice team, before advancing into the first team for the main game on the last day. His rise during the trials was surprising, as his form at club level leading up to the trials had been very poor. There was talk of him being dropped to the university second team, and he was injured in his second appearance of the trial where there was doubt that he would be able to play again for some time.1951 Tour to Great Britain
Despite being unfancied before the tour and possessing no international experience, he became a regular team member of the tour appearing in 18 of the 31 matches, and was the only wing to play in all five international games. Johnstone finished the tour as the fourth highest scorer, with 43 points (11 triesTry
A try is the major way of scoring points in rugby league and rugby union football. A try is scored by grounding the ball in the opposition's in-goal area...
, 2 penalties and 2 conversions).
The tour managers choose to place the four wing players on rotation. Johnstone and Saunders
Cowboy Saunders
Martin "Cowboy" Saunders was a South African rugby union wing. Saunders played club rugby for Paarl, Hamiltons, Villagers and Pirates and provincial rugby for Border. Although he was never capped for South Africa Saunders is considered a 'Springbok' as he represented his country on the 1951-52...
were chosen for the first game, against a combined South-Eastern Counties team at Bournemouth. Johnstone scored the first try of the tour in the eighteenth minute and doubled his score with another try in the second half. South Africa won 31-6. Johnstone next played in the third game against a joint Pontypool
Pontypool RFC
Pontypool Rugby Football Club is a Welsh rugby union team based in the town of Pontypool. Pontypool RFC has a long history within Welsh rugby and is one of the most notable clubs, being present at the formation of the Welsh Rugby Union in 1881, but disbanding before the turn of the 19th century...
/Newbridge
Newbridge RFC
Newbridge RFC are a Welsh rugby union club based in Newbridge, Caerphilly in South Wales. Newbridge RFC was formed in 1888 and gained admission to the WRU in 1911...
team (scoring another try), before being moved into the centre position in an encounter with Llanelli
Llanelli
Llanelli , the largest town in both the county of Carmarthenshire and the preserved county of Dyfed , Wales, sits on the Loughor estuary on the West Wales coast, approximately west-north-west of Swansea and south-east of the county town, Carmarthen. The town is famous for its proud rugby...
. The very next game Johnstone was back in his favoured wing position and was back on the scoresheet with a try in a victory over the North-Western Counties. After being rested for the Glasgow/Edinburgh match, Johnstone played in two games back to back, wins over North-Eastern Counties and Cambridge University
Cambridge University R.U.F.C.
The Cambridge University Rugby Union Football Club, or CURUFC, is the rugby union club of Cambridge University, and plays Oxford University in the annual Varsity Match at Twickenham stadium every December. CURUFC players wear light blue and white hooped jerseys with a red lion crest...
. Johnstone missed the encounter against London Counties, the only South African loss of the tour, before scoring two tries in the eleventh game of the tour, against Oxford University
Oxford University RFC
The Oxford University Rugby Football Club is the rugby union club of the University of Oxford. The club contests The Varsity Match every year against Cambridge University at Twickenham.-History:...
.
On 24 November 1951, Johnstone was awarded his first international cap when he was selected to face Scotland
Scotland national rugby union team
The Scotland national rugby union team represent Scotland in international rugby union. Rugby union in Scotland is administered by the Scottish Rugby Union. The Scotland rugby union team is currently ranked eighth in the IRB World Rankings as of 19 September 2011...
at Murrayfield. Scotland were beaten heavily, and although South Africa scored nine tries, none came from Johnstone or from the South Africans other wing Buks Marais
Buks Marais
Franswa Pierre "Buks" Marais was a South African rugby union wing. Ochse played club rugby for Paarl and provincial rugby for Boland...
. His second cap came two weeks later when he was chosen for the match against Ireland
Ireland national rugby union team
The Ireland national rugby union team represents the island of Ireland in rugby union. The team competes annually in the Six Nations Championship and every four years in the Rugby World Cup, where they reached the quarter-final stage in all but two competitions The Ireland national rugby union...
. The South Africans won 17-5, but again Johnstone was unable to secure his first international points. The game after Ireland, was a rough-and-tumble match against Munster
Munster Rugby
Munster Rugby is an Irish professional rugby union team based in Munster, that competes in the RaboDirect Pro12 and Heineken Cup.The team represents the Irish Rugby Football Union Munster Branch which is one of four primary branches of the IRFU, and is responsible for rugby union in the Irish...
. Johnstone was one of only six players from the Ireland encounter to be selected for the match, which was played in muddy conditions. Johnstone was criticised for some poor defensive work, with his tackling sometimes high and ineffective, but he started the scoring with a try late in the first half. The game ended 11-6 to South Africa.
Johnstone was rested after the Munster match, playing in only two games from the next five; both internationals, against Wales
Wales national rugby union team
The Wales national rugby union team represent Wales in international rugby union tournaments. They compete annually in the Six Nations Championship with England, France, Ireland, Italy and Scotland. Wales have won the Six Nations and its predecessors 24 times outright, second only to England with...
and England
England national rugby union team
The England national rugby union team represents England in rugby union. They compete in the annual Six Nations Championship with France, Ireland, Scotland, Italy, and Wales. They have won this championship on 26 occasions, 12 times winning the Grand Slam, making them the most successful team in...
. The Wales game was the most highly anticipated of the tour, with the match being hailed as the 'game of the century' and as 'for the rugby championship of the world'. The match was a tense affair, with little action for the backs from either team. The game ended 6-3 to South Africa, and although Johnstone again failed to score at international level, he did make an important defensive contribution when he threw himself on the ball to prevent Wales' Ken Jones from scoring. On 5 January 1952, Johnstone played in the game against England. He came close to scoring on two occasions, but was unable to finish either. Even without his tries, England were beaten 8-3.
With the Home Nation internationals behind them, South Africa had five more matches before travelling to France. Johnstone played against Newport and Midland Counties, scoring a try in the former, before he was selected for the last game in Britain, an encounter with the Barbarians
Barbarian F.C.
The Barbarian Football Club, usually referred to as the Barbarians and nicknamed the "Baa-Baas", is an invitational rugby union team based in Britain...
. On the day of the match, South Africa, through injuries, were without both fly-halves, Dennis Fry and Hannes Brewis
Hannes Brewis
Johannes Daniel "Hannes" Brewis was a South African rugby union player. He was capped for South Africa ten times, and was selected to play for the Springboks on the 1951-52 South Africa rugby tour of Great Britain, Ireland and France; playing in all five international games of that tour...
. Johnstone was given the fly-half role despite having last played in that position over three years previously in an encounter between Natal and Transvaal. At half time, the Springboks were 3-0 down. Johnstone had not been poor at fly-half, but the play was not at its best. The South African's reacted by bringing Keevy in at fly half and putting Johnstone back out at his favoured right wing position. South Africa improved after the change, winning the game 17-3. Johnstone was given half of the kicking duties and scored a penatly, the last points of the match. Johnstone ended the British leg of the tour as he had started it, scoring the first and last points.
The tour then travelled to France to play a further four games, including an encounter with the France national team
France national rugby union team
The France national rugby union team represents France in rugby union. They compete annually against England, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales in the Six Nations Championship. They have won the championship outright sixteen times, shared it a further eight times, and have completed nine grand slams...
. Johnstone played in two, against South West France and the international. In the match against South West France, a 20-12 win, he scored a try and a conversion. In the encounter with France, Johnstone had an excellent start, scoring the first nine points, his first at international level. He scored his first, a penalty goal after twenty-five minutes, this was followed by a try after a break by Stephen Fry
Stephen Fry (rugby player)
Stephen Perry Fry was a South African rugby union player, most often playing as a flanker. Fry played rugby for his home town of Somerset West and provincial rugby for Western Province...
after thirty-two, finished with a second try eight minuted into the second half. Johnstone finished the match by converting a van Wyk try. South Africa finished the tour by beating France 25-3.
1956 tour to Australia and New Zealand
Two major tours came to South Africa before Johnstone represented South Africa again. He failed to play in the four Tests against the 1953 touring Australians and the four Test matches played against the 1955 touring British LionsBritish and Irish Lions
The British and Irish Lions is a rugby union team made up of players from England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales...
. In 1956 the Springboks undertook a tour of Australia and New Zealand, and Johnstone was selected in the touring party. As well as the club and representative games, South Africa played six Tests, two against Australia
Australia national rugby union team
The Australian national rugby union team is the representative side of Australia in rugby union. The national team is nicknamed the Wallabies and competes annually with New Zealand and South Africa in the Tri-Nations Series, in which they also contest the Bledisloe Cup with New Zealand and the...
and four against the New Zealand 'All Blacks'.
Johnstone played in the first Test against Australia, in his favoured position of right wing; South Africa won 9-0. He missed the second and final Test against Australia, but was back in the squad for the first Test against New Zealand on 14 July. South Africa were beaten 6-10, it was Johnstone's first loss at international level. Despite the loss, Johnstone was back for the second Test against the All Blacks, this time a win for South Africa. Johnstone was absent from the third New Zealand Test, in which the Springboks lost 10-17, and he was re-drafted in for the final Test. South Africa lost the game, and the series against New Zealand, and Johnstone never represented South Africa at international level again.