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1903 British Lions tour to South Africa

Field	Value
date	9 July – 12 September
coach	Johnny Hammond
captain	SCO Mark Coxon Morrison
test series winners
result	1–0
top test point scorer	SCO Jimmy Gillespie (4)
preceded by	[Australia 1899](1899-british-lions-tour-to-australia)
succeeded by	[Australia & New Zealand 1904](1904-british-lions-tour-to-australia-and-new-zealand)

|top test point scorer = SCO Jimmy Gillespie (4) |top test try scorer =

The 1903 British Isles tour to South Africa was the fifth tour by a British Isles rugby 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.

Led by Scotland's Mark Morrison and managed by Johnny Hammond the tour took in 22 matches. Of the games three were test matches, played against the South Africa national rugby union team. The British Isles drew the first two test matches and lost the final encounter.

Having lost only one game out of 40 matches in the previous two tours of South Africa, the British Isles team were truly tested by the South African rugby nation on this tour. Of the 22 games played, the tourist won eleven, drew three and lost eight. Unlike past teams, the British Isles three-quarter line was not seen as the team's strongest asset and more reliance was placed in the pack. Of the backs, only Reg Skrimshire, the only Welsh player selected, was judged to have shown any true flair; while the pack failed to live up to expectations, even when led by Scottish power-house David Bedell-Sivright.

The tour included Louis Leisler Greig, who later became well known as a royal equerry, friend of George VI and became a prominent member of the far right January Club.

Touring party

Manager: Johnny Hammond

Full Backs

Edward Montague Harrison (Guy's Hospital/Middlesex/Barbarian F.C.)

Three-Quarters

Alfred Hind (Cambridge University/Leicester/Midland Counties)
Ian Davidson (North of Ireland)
Gilbert Collett (Gloucestershire/Cambridge University)
Reg Skrimshire (Newport/Blackheath F.C./Kent/Barbarian F.C.)
Edward Forbes Walker (Lennox/Middlesex)

Half backs

Louis Greig (Cambridge University/Glasgow Academicals/United Services and )
John Imrie Gillespie (Edinburgh Academicals and )
Robert Miln Neill (Edinburgh Academicals and )
Pat Hancock (Richmond/Surrey)

Forwards

Mark Morrison (Royal HSFP and ) (captain)
David Bedell-Sivright (Cambridge University and )
William Patrick Scott (West of Scotland and )
William Cave (Cambridge University/Blackheath F.C./Kent)
J.C. Hosack (Edinburgh Wanderers)
Robertson Smyth (Dublin University and )
Alfred Tedford (Malone RFC and )
Joseph Wallace (Wanderers/Dublin University and )
James Wallace (Wanderers/Dublin University)
Frank Stout (Richmond/Barbarian F.C./Gloucester and )
Thomas Alexander Gibson (Cambridge University)

Results

Test matches

Date	Opponent	Location	Result	Score
1	9 July	Western Province Country	Cape Town	Lost
2	11 July	Western Province Towns	Cape Town	Lost
3	13 July	Western Province	Cape Town	Lost
4	18 July	Port Elizabeth	Port Elizabeth	Won
5	20 July	Eastern Province	Port Elizabeth	Won
6	22 July	Grahamstown	Grahamstown	Won
7	25 July	King William's Town	King William's Town	Won
8	27 July	East London	East London, Eastern Cape	Won
9	1 August	Griqualand West	Kimberley	Lost
10	4 August	Griqualand West	Kimberley	Lost
11	8 August	Transvaal	Johannesburg	Lost
12	11 August	Pretoria	Pretoria	Won
13	13 August	Pietermaritzburg	Pietermaritzburg	Won
14	15 August	Durban	Durban	Won
15	19 August	Witwatersrand	Johannesburg	Won
16	22 August	Transvaal	Johannesburg	Lost
17	26 August		Johannesburg	Draw
18	29 August	Orange River County	Bloemfontein	Won
19	2 September	Griqualand West	Kimberley	Won
20	5 September		Kimberley	Drew
21	10 September	Western Province	Cape Town	Drew
22	12 September		Cape Town	Lost

The matches

After playing the first two Tests in white shirts, South Africa wore a green jersey (supplied by Old Diocesan's Club) for the first time in their final Test at Newlands.

First Test

Frew Con: Heatlie (2) Skrimshire Con: Gillespie (2)

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South Africa: CH Jones, DJA Morkel, WA van Renen, JD Krige, J Barry, JM Powell, FJ Dobbin, Alex Frew capt., WMC McEwan, JH Sinclair, JWE Raaff, PARO Nel, BH Heatlie, Joseph Partridge, CB Brown British Isles: EM Harrison, IG Davidson, RT Skrimshire, LL Greig, GF Collett, JI Gillespie, PS Hancock, FM Stout, Jos. Wallace, TA Gibson, RS Smyth, A Tedford, MC Morrison capt., WP Scott, WTC Cave |}

Second Test

{{Football kit	pattern_la=	pattern_b= _collar	pattern_ra=	pattern_so= _2_white_stripes	leftarm= fffffff	body= ffffff	rightarm= ffffff	shorts= 000000	socks= 000000	title = South Africa		{{Football kit	pattern_la=_redwhitehoops	pattern_b=_redwhitehoops	pattern_ra=_redwhitehoops	pattern_so= _2_white_stripes	leftarm=000088	body=000088	rightarm=000088	shorts=000066	socks=000066	title = British Isles

South Africa: CH Jones, EAH Gibbs, S Ashley, SC de Melker, J Barry, JM Powell capt., FJ Dobbin, C Currie, HD Metcalf, JS Jackson, JWE Raaff, PARO Nel, GFT Crampton, WC Martheze, CB Brown

British Isles: RM Neill, EF Walker, RT Skrimshire, LL Greig, GF Collett, JI Gillespie, PS Hancock, FM Stout, Jos. Wallace, TA Gibson, RS Smyth, A Tedford, MC Morrison capt., WP Scott, WTC Cave |}

Third Test

Reid Con: Heatlie

{{Football kit	pattern_la=	pattern_b=_collarwhite	pattern_ra=	pattern_so= _2_white_stripes	leftarm= 00693E	body= 00693E	rightarm= 00693E	shorts= 000000	socks= 000000	title = South Africa		{{Football kit	pattern_la=_redwhitehoops	pattern_b=_redwhitehoops	pattern_ra=_redwhitehoops	pattern_so= _2_white_stripes	leftarm=000088	body=000088	rightarm=000088	shorts=000066	socks=000066	title = British Isles

South Africa: WA van Renen, JA Loubser, HW Carolin, JD Krige, J Barry, HH Ferris, TEC Hobson, A Reid, MWC McEwan, P Roos, JW Anderson, PARO Nel, JA Botha, BH Heatlie capt., CB Brown

References

[http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&d=OW19031104.2.206&l=mi&e=-------10--1----0-- ''FOOTBALL. NOTES BY FULL BACK.'' Otago Witness, Putanga 2590, 4 Whiringa-ā-rangi 1903, Page 58 – containing a profile of the 1903 British touring side]
Never capped for Scotland.
[https://www.theroar.com.au/2016/09/08/great-history-green-gold-wallabies-springboks-jerseys/ The great history of green and gold] by Harry Jones on The Roar website, 7 Sep 2016

Info: Wikipedia Source

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