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Paul Roos (rugby player)
Encyclopedia
Paul Johannes Roos (also known as Oom Polla – Afrikaans for "Uncle Polla") was one of the first South Africa
n Springbok
rugby union
captains and led the first South African rugby team to tour overseas – to Britain
in 1906. Roos was born near the South African town of Stellenbosch on 30 October 1880 and completed his education there.
Roos was a popular rugby player and was chosen by his own teammates to captain the 1906 tour. Throughout the tour he was articulate and gracious in victory and defeat, and saw the campaign as an attempt to improve the relationship between his fellow countrymen and the British after the events of the Second Boer War. A devout Christian, Roos was an excellent ambassador for the game and helped promote the South Africans as a fair and exciting sporting team.
, for whom he played in the third team in 1897, progressing through the squads until by 1899 he was a prominent member of the first team. With no first class team in the area, he joined the Villagers in 1900, before returning to the Stellenbosch University side in 1901. By 1902 Roos was captaining the team, and led the team with great success.
By 1903 Roos had been selected for the Western Province
team, but was such a devout Christian, he refused to play or travel on a Sunday. This led to Roos refusing to play for the Western Province team in the Currie Cup
of 1904 as it would mean he would need to travel on a Sunday. The Western Province captain wrote to a professor at Stellenbosch University
, where Roos lectured, to convince Roos to play. Roos' brother, Gideon Roos, followed his older brother playing for both Stellenbosch and Western Province before he himself played international rugby for South Africa.
Before his first international match Roos faced the 1903 touring British Isles
while representing Western Province; the game ending in an impressive 3-3 draw at Newlands. After his performance for Western Province, Roos was selected to represent the South African national team in 1903 in the final Test against the British Isles. The first two Test matches had both ended in draws, and when the South Africans won, they took their first series against a British team
.
In 1906 Roos was part of the first overseas touring South African team. The bulk of the team was made up of Western Province players, who had recently won the Currie Cup. Roos, who was the only player not to have undertaken a trial for the match as he was seen as a certainty for the team, was elected by the rest of the players to be the team captain. After being given the captaincy, Roos addressed the team by stating, "I would like to make absolutely clear at the outset we are not English-speaking or Afrikaans-speaking, but a band of happy South African"; as the tour took place just several years after the end of the Second Boer War
, where once team mates had fought on different sides of the conflict.
The tour to Britain, Ireland and France took in 29 matches, including Test games against the four Home Nations and a non-Test with the French national team. The tour began with great expectations, as the previous season had seen the Original All Blacks tour Britain with incredible success. The first 15 games were against club and county teams, with the South Africans victorious in every encounter, though they were run close by an extremely strong Glamorgan County
team. The first international encounter for the team was against Scotland
, played in front of a record crowd of 30,000. Roos was forced to miss the game after he injured his collarbone in the encounter with Oxford University
, and the captaincy was handed over to Paddy Carolin
; the match ended in the first defeat for the South African's with Scotland scoring two tries in the second half. The Springboks were back on winning form the very next game against the North of Scotland, then travelled to Belfast to face Ireland
. Roos lead his team out at the Balmoral Showgrounds in an exciting match. After the first half, Roos men were leading 3–12, but brilliant play from Ireland leveled the scores to 12–12 before a try from the wing settled the game in the South Africans favour.
The game against Wales was the most anticipated of the tour. Wales
had been unofficially crowned the World's best team after a Triple Crown
winning season in 1905 and a win over the All Blacks in the 'Game of the Century'. The Glamorgan team that had run the South Africans close earlier in the tour had contained twelve internationals, and the Welsh were keen for revenge. Despite this, Roos was a popular figure in Wales, and with his deep impressive voice and "pronounced Dutch accent", he had spoken at church meetings throughout the tour; and Roos' cordial manner had paid dividends earlier in the tour after the game against Newport. South Africa beat Newport by a goal and a try to nil, and after the game the two team captains sat down at the Westgate Hotel for a post-match dinner. Roos asked Charlie Pritchard
, the Newport skipper, how the Newport forwards, who were lighter than the South Africans, had stolen the ball away so many times in the scrums. The tactic, which the Welsh team had used to counter the famous New Zealand scrum, was discussed with great openness between Pritchard and Roos, and when the South Africans left the next day Roos shook Pritchard's hand at the train station and thanked him. This revelation became a controversial talking point when the Welsh press heard of it.
The match against Wales was set for 1 December 1906, and was played at St. Helen's Ground in Swansea. Wales selected a strong team, with Teddy Morgan
and Johnnie Williams
on the wings, and captained by talismanic three-quarter Gwyn Nicholls
, who had come out of retirement to lead the Welsh. Roos started the match with heavy strapping to protect an injured shoulder, and several of his team were suffering from coughs and sore throats brought on by the British winter weather. Although the Welsh started at a fast pace, the South Africans soon began to launch their own attacks and the firm surface of the St. Helen's pitch played to the Springbok's strengths. Wales under performed throughout the game, and the Springbok tactic to tightly mark Nicholls and Rhys Gabe
at centre prevented the pair's normal open game. South Africa scored three tries without reply, dominating the game 11–0. At the final whistle the South African supporters, assisted by Welsh fans, rushed onto the pitch and carried Roos from the field. Roos later stated that 'he considered it to be the greatest honour of his life to be borne triumphant from the ground by supporters of his beaten opponents'.
A week later the South Africans faced England
at Crystal Palace
and Roos was fit enough to lead his team out against international opposition for the third time. Conditions for the match were poor; the pitch resembled a morass and a drizzle that began half an hour before the kick off continued throughout the game. After 20 minutes the ball was extremely difficult to handle and the backs from both teams found themselves unable to interact in the game with any real purpose. The game ended in a 3–3 draw, and Roos took the opportunity after the game to again address the legacy of the Boer War, proclaiming, "...this tour will do far more to calm the troubled waters of South African life than years of legislation." Although a match against France was planned at the end of the tour, the game was not officially recognised, and the England encounter was Roos' final international game, ending with a record of played four, won three, drawn one.
As the tour headed towards its end, the South African's took control of the matches once again, beating Lancashire narrowly, but with decisive wins over Cumberland, Surrey and Cornwall. The team then returned to Wales for the last three games of the British leg of their tour. Continuing their impressive form, South Africa beat a Monmouthshire team and then Roos lead his team in a victory over Llanelli
. The final game, before leaving for France, was against Cardiff
, captained by Percy Bush
. Several of the Cardiff players had represented Wales when the teams had met earlier in the tour, and amongst the Cardiff squad was Gwyn Nicholls, who had received much of the blame for the Welsh defeat. The conditions at the Cardiff Arms Park
were worse than the England game, and after Roos lost the toss, the Welsh took advantage of the weather, using the wind to keep the ball behind the South Africans and choosing to dribble rather than handle the ball. The tour appeared to have caught up with the Springboks, who appeared slow, allowing Cardiff to score four tries without reply. For only the second time on the tour, the South Africans had been beaten, this time by a convincing 17–0 scoreline. At the after-match dinner at the Queen's Hotel in Cardiff
, Roos stood to make a speech, "It is only human to be disappointed in having been beaten... but I am glad for one man's sake that you had such a glorious success, and that is our friend Gwyn Nicholls."
The final match of the series was against a France XV, and was played at the Parc des Princes
in Paris
on 3 January 1907, just two days after the Cardiff defeat. Despite coming from a bad defeat played in sapping conditions, Paul Roos' team beat the French side 55–6.
and instilled a sense of national pride in the South Africans.
of the Stellenbosch Boys' High School, formly Stellenbosch Gymnasium, of which he was a former pupil and teacher. He held this post for thirty years and retired in 1940. In 1941 the name of Stellenbosch Boys' High School was changed to Paul Roos Gymnasium
in his honour.
He was elected
as a National Party
member of parliament in 1948. He died on 22 September 1948.
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 Springbok
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...
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...
captains and led the first South African rugby team to tour overseas – to Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
in 1906. Roos was born near the South African town of Stellenbosch on 30 October 1880 and completed his education there.
Roos was a popular rugby player and was chosen by his own teammates to captain the 1906 tour. Throughout the tour he was articulate and gracious in victory and defeat, and saw the campaign as an attempt to improve the relationship between his fellow countrymen and the British after the events of the Second Boer War. A devout Christian, Roos was an excellent ambassador for the game and helped promote the South Africans as a fair and exciting sporting team.
Rugby career
Roos earliest recorded games of rugby were for Victoria CollegeStellenbosch University
Stellenbosch University is a public research university situated in the town of Stellenbosch, South Africa. Other nearby universities are the University of Cape Town and University of the Western Cape....
, for whom he played in the third team in 1897, progressing through the squads until by 1899 he was a prominent member of the first team. With no first class team in the area, he joined the Villagers in 1900, before returning to the Stellenbosch University side in 1901. By 1902 Roos was captaining the team, and led the team with great success.
By 1903 Roos had been selected for the 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...
team, but was such a devout Christian, he refused to play or travel on a Sunday. This led to Roos refusing to play for the Western Province team in the Currie Cup
Currie Cup
The Currie Cup tournament is South Africa's premier domestic rugby union competition, played each winter and spring , featuring teams representing either entire provinces or substantial regions within provinces...
of 1904 as it would mean he would need to travel on a Sunday. The Western Province captain wrote to a professor at Stellenbosch University
Stellenbosch University
Stellenbosch University is a public research university situated in the town of Stellenbosch, South Africa. Other nearby universities are the University of Cape Town and University of the Western Cape....
, where Roos lectured, to convince Roos to play. Roos' brother, Gideon Roos, followed his older brother playing for both Stellenbosch and Western Province before he himself played international rugby for South Africa.
Before his first international match Roos faced the 1903 touring British Isles
1903 British Lions tour to South Africa
The 1903 British Isles tour to South Africa was the fifth tour by a British Isles team and the third to South Africa. It is retrospectively classed as one of the British Lions tours, as the Lions naming convention was not adopted until 1950....
while representing Western Province; the game ending in an impressive 3-3 draw at Newlands. After his performance for Western Province, Roos was selected to represent the South African national team in 1903 in the final Test against the British Isles. The first two Test matches had both ended in draws, and when the South Africans won, they took their first series against a British team
British and Irish Lions
The British and Irish Lions is a rugby union team made up of players from England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales...
.
In 1906 Roos was part of the first overseas touring South African team. The bulk of the team was made up of Western Province players, who had recently won the Currie Cup. Roos, who was the only player not to have undertaken a trial for the match as he was seen as a certainty for the team, was elected by the rest of the players to be the team captain. After being given the captaincy, Roos addressed the team by stating, "I would like to make absolutely clear at the outset we are not English-speaking or Afrikaans-speaking, but a band of happy South African"; as the tour took place just several years after the end of the Second Boer War
Second Boer War
The Second Boer War was fought from 11 October 1899 until 31 May 1902 between the British Empire and the Afrikaans-speaking Dutch settlers of two independent Boer republics, the South African Republic and the Orange Free State...
, where once team mates had fought on different sides of the conflict.
The tour to Britain, Ireland and France took in 29 matches, including Test games against the four Home Nations and a non-Test with the French national team. The tour began with great expectations, as the previous season had seen the Original All Blacks tour Britain with incredible success. The first 15 games were against club and county teams, with the South Africans victorious in every encounter, though they were run close by an extremely strong Glamorgan County
Glamorgan County RFC
Glamorgan County RFC is a Welsh rugby union club that manages an invitational team, known as Glamorgan that originally played rugby at county level...
team. The first international encounter for the team was against 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...
, played in front of a record crowd of 30,000. Roos was forced to miss the game after he injured his collarbone in the encounter with 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:...
, and the captaincy was handed over to Paddy Carolin
Paddy Carolin
Harold "Paddy" Carolin was a rugby union player who represented South Africa 3 times, once as captain. He was the first player to captain the South Africa national rugby union team abroad after Paul Roos had to withdraw....
; the match ended in the first defeat for the South African's with Scotland scoring two tries in the second half. The Springboks were back on winning form the very next game against the North of Scotland, then travelled to Belfast to face 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...
. Roos lead his team out at the Balmoral Showgrounds in an exciting match. After the first half, Roos men were leading 3–12, but brilliant play from Ireland leveled the scores to 12–12 before a try from the wing settled the game in the South Africans favour.
The game against Wales was the most anticipated of the tour. 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...
had been unofficially crowned the World's best team after a Triple Crown
Triple Crown (Rugby Union)
In rugby union, the Triple Crown is an honour contested annually by the four national teams of the British Isles who compete within the larger Six Nations Championship: England, Scotland, Ireland, and Wales. If any one team manages to win all their games against the other three they win the...
winning season in 1905 and a win over the All Blacks in the 'Game of the Century'. The Glamorgan team that had run the South Africans close earlier in the tour had contained twelve internationals, and the Welsh were keen for revenge. Despite this, Roos was a popular figure in Wales, and with his deep impressive voice and "pronounced Dutch accent", he had spoken at church meetings throughout the tour; and Roos' cordial manner had paid dividends earlier in the tour after the game against Newport. South Africa beat Newport by a goal and a try to nil, and after the game the two team captains sat down at the Westgate Hotel for a post-match dinner. Roos asked Charlie Pritchard
Charlie Pritchard
Captain Charlie Pritchard was a Welsh international rugby union player. He was a member of the winning Welsh team who beat the 1905 touring All Blacks. He played club rugby for Newport RFC and county rugby for Monmouthshire.-Rugby career:...
, the Newport skipper, how the Newport forwards, who were lighter than the South Africans, had stolen the ball away so many times in the scrums. The tactic, which the Welsh team had used to counter the famous New Zealand scrum, was discussed with great openness between Pritchard and Roos, and when the South Africans left the next day Roos shook Pritchard's hand at the train station and thanked him. This revelation became a controversial talking point when the Welsh press heard of it.
The match against Wales was set for 1 December 1906, and was played at St. Helen's Ground in Swansea. Wales selected a strong team, with Teddy Morgan
Teddy Morgan
Edward "Teddy" Morgan was a Welsh international rugby union player. He was a member of the winning Wales team who beat the 1905 touring All Blacks and is remembered for scoring the winning try...
and Johnnie Williams
Johnnie Williams
Johnnie Williams was a Welsh international wing who played club rugby for Cardiff Rugby Club. A three times Triple Crown winner, out of seventeen appearances for Wales he was on the losing side only twice....
on the wings, and captained by talismanic three-quarter Gwyn Nicholls
Gwyn Nicholls
Erith Gwyn Nicholls was a Welsh rugby union player who gained 24 caps for Wales as a centre. Nicholls was known as the "Prince of Threequarters"....
, who had come out of retirement to lead the Welsh. Roos started the match with heavy strapping to protect an injured shoulder, and several of his team were suffering from coughs and sore throats brought on by the British winter weather. Although the Welsh started at a fast pace, the South Africans soon began to launch their own attacks and the firm surface of the St. Helen's pitch played to the Springbok's strengths. Wales under performed throughout the game, and the Springbok tactic to tightly mark Nicholls and Rhys Gabe
Rhys Gabe
Rhys Thomas "Rusty" Gabe born as Rees Thomas Gape, was a Welsh rugby union player who played club rugby for Llanelli, London Welsh and Cardiff and gained 24 caps for Wales, mainly as a centre.-Rugby career:...
at centre prevented the pair's normal open game. South Africa scored three tries without reply, dominating the game 11–0. At the final whistle the South African supporters, assisted by Welsh fans, rushed onto the pitch and carried Roos from the field. Roos later stated that 'he considered it to be the greatest honour of his life to be borne triumphant from the ground by supporters of his beaten opponents'.
A week later the South Africans faced 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...
at Crystal Palace
Crystal Palace National Sports Centre
The National Sports Centre at Crystal Palace in south London, England is a large sports centre and athletics stadium. It was opened in 1964 in Crystal Palace Park, close to the site of the former Crystal Palace, in the former parkland and also usurping part of the former grand prix circuit.It was...
and Roos was fit enough to lead his team out against international opposition for the third time. Conditions for the match were poor; the pitch resembled a morass and a drizzle that began half an hour before the kick off continued throughout the game. After 20 minutes the ball was extremely difficult to handle and the backs from both teams found themselves unable to interact in the game with any real purpose. The game ended in a 3–3 draw, and Roos took the opportunity after the game to again address the legacy of the Boer War, proclaiming, "...this tour will do far more to calm the troubled waters of South African life than years of legislation." Although a match against France was planned at the end of the tour, the game was not officially recognised, and the England encounter was Roos' final international game, ending with a record of played four, won three, drawn one.
As the tour headed towards its end, the South African's took control of the matches once again, beating Lancashire narrowly, but with decisive wins over Cumberland, Surrey and Cornwall. The team then returned to Wales for the last three games of the British leg of their tour. Continuing their impressive form, South Africa beat a Monmouthshire team and then Roos lead his team in a victory over Llanelli
Llanelli RFC
Llanelli Rugby Football Club is a Welsh rugby union club founded in 1875 and its senior team is one of the leading club sides in Wales. The club began the 2008-09 season at their historic home ground of Stradey Park in Llanelli, but moved in November 2008 to the new Parc y Scarlets in adjacent...
. The final game, before leaving for France, was against Cardiff
Cardiff RFC
Cardiff Rugby Football Club is a rugby union football club based in Cardiff, the capital city of Wales. The club was founded in 1876 and played their first few matches at Sophia Gardens, but soon relocated to Cardiff Arms Park where they have been based ever since...
, captained by Percy Bush
Percy Bush
Percy Frank Bush was a Welsh rugby union player who played international rugby for Wales on eight occasions. Playing at fly-half, Bush is regarded as one of the most talented Welsh players before the first World War.-Rugby career:...
. Several of the Cardiff players had represented Wales when the teams had met earlier in the tour, and amongst the Cardiff squad was Gwyn Nicholls, who had received much of the blame for the Welsh defeat. The conditions at the Cardiff Arms Park
Cardiff Arms Park
Cardiff Arms Park , also known as The Arms Park, is primarily known as a rugby union stadium, but it also has a bowling green, and is situated in the centre of Cardiff, Wales. The Arms Park was host to the British Empire and Commonwealth Games in 1958, and hosted four games in the 1991 Rugby World...
were worse than the England game, and after Roos lost the toss, the Welsh took advantage of the weather, using the wind to keep the ball behind the South Africans and choosing to dribble rather than handle the ball. The tour appeared to have caught up with the Springboks, who appeared slow, allowing Cardiff to score four tries without reply. For only the second time on the tour, the South Africans had been beaten, this time by a convincing 17–0 scoreline. At the after-match dinner at the Queen's Hotel in Cardiff
Cardiff
Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...
, Roos stood to make a speech, "It is only human to be disappointed in having been beaten... but I am glad for one man's sake that you had such a glorious success, and that is our friend Gwyn Nicholls."
The final match of the series was against a France XV, and was played at the Parc des Princes
Parc des Princes
The Parc des Princes is an all-seater football stadium located in the southwest of Paris, France. The venue, with a seating capacity of 48,712 spectators, has been the home of French football club Paris Saint-Germain since 1974. The current Parc des Princes was inaugurated on 4 June 1972, endowed...
in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
on 3 January 1907, just two days after the Cardiff defeat. Despite coming from a bad defeat played in sapping conditions, Paul Roos' team beat the French side 55–6.
The Springboks
It was during the tour that the South African national rugby union team's nickname, Springboks, was first used. At an impromptu meeting, the tour manager Cecil Carden, vice-captain Carolin and Paul Roos invented the nickname 'Springbok' to prevent the British press from inventing their own nickname. Roos told the newspaper reporters that they were to call the team 'De Springbokken', the Daily Mail then printed an article referring to the 'Springboks'. The trip helped heal wounds after the Boer WarSecond Boer War
The Second Boer War was fought from 11 October 1899 until 31 May 1902 between the British Empire and the Afrikaans-speaking Dutch settlers of two independent Boer republics, the South African Republic and the Orange Free State...
and instilled a sense of national pride in the South Africans.
Later life
In 1910 he became RectorRector
The word rector has a number of different meanings; it is widely used to refer to an academic, religious or political administrator...
of the Stellenbosch Boys' High School, formly Stellenbosch Gymnasium, of which he was a former pupil and teacher. He held this post for thirty years and retired in 1940. In 1941 the name of Stellenbosch Boys' High School was changed to Paul Roos Gymnasium
Paul Roos Gymnasium
Paul Roos Gymnasium is a government school for boys in the town of Stellenbosch, Western Cape, South Africa, founded in 1866 as Stellenbosch Gymnasium....
in his honour.
He was elected
South African general election, 1948
The parliamentary election in South Africa on 26 May 1948 represented a turning point in the country's history. The United Party, which had led the government since its foundation in 1933 and its leader, incumbent Prime Minister Jan Smuts was ousted by the Reunited National Party , led by Daniel...
as a National Party
National Party (South Africa)
The National Party is a former political party in South Africa. Founded in 1914, it was the governing party of the country from 4 June 1948 until 9 May 1994. Members of the National Party were sometimes known as Nationalists or Nats. Its policies included apartheid, the establishment of a...
member of parliament in 1948. He died on 22 September 1948.