Errol Tobias

Errol George Tobias , born the March 18th 1950 in Caledon, in the province of the Cape-Westerner in South Africa, is a former player of Rugby to XV. It evolved/moved at the station of half of opening and was the first not-white to be played for the team of South Africa.

Career

Errol Tobias carried out one day its child's dream: to play for the Springboks. What could be more normal? It was one of the rugbymen most endowed with its generation. Only here: Errol Tobias was not white, but mongrel, one of the four tight racial groups defined by the Apartheid. In South Africa of the years 1950 to 1980, that meant that it did not have the right of côtoyer White, apart from a work place where it would occupy a position of inferiority. And especially not with Rugby, the sport of the white, and more still that of the Afrikaners. But the young boy raised in a mongrel township of the small town of Caledon, in the east of the the Cape Province, was gifted for Rugby. He had been selected for Barbarians South-African (eight blacks, eight mongrel, eight white), with which he impressed the observers at the time of a round in England in 1979. The segregationist policy was then slackening itself somewhat, allowing for example the matches opposing teams belonging to different ethnicities. But racial co-education within the same team was still taboos.

In front of this waste, the French federation, via its president of the time, Albert Ferrasse, made an offer with Tobias: to come to play in France and to be able to be selected with the Blue ones! After reflection, and on injunction of his mother who wanted that he played for his country, he ends up declining the invitation.

Mrs. Tobias was right. In 1981, Errol Tobias, shining half of opening of the mongrel club of Caledon, (it was 31 years old) was finally called in national team. One needed all the force of persuasion of Nellie Schmidt, the selector of the time, to make him a place. This last ran up against the opposition of the white which regarded that they only had the right to carry the green shirt and gold, as with that of the mongrels and the blacks which reproached him for bringing a guarantee to the policy of the government. He wanted simply to play Rugby and to prove that the skin color does not count not compared with the talent.

The May 30th 1981 is one day historical: for the first time, a not-white carried the shirt of Springboks during a test match (against the Ireland) to the Cape (23-15). His/her mother never saw her son under the green shirt, because she died three months before her first cape. The second test, always against Ireland, took place on June 6th with the Kings Park of Durban (12-10). Admittedly, it evolved/moved station of second center, and not with its station of predilection of opener, but Tobias had entered the history.

Tobias took part then in the round in New Zealand which followed, whereas it did not côtoyait any of its fellow-members to the daily newspaper in South Africa. It belonged indeed to the modest province of the Boland (which provided only 12 Springboks in all its history), of which he was the first player with being selected since the last cape of legendary the Dawie de Villiers in 1970, and not to the traditional powers (Western Province, Northern Transvaal, Transvaal). The first reports/ratios were tended logically enough. With the passing days, however, they are reflected to discuss and it ends up being accepted. But he did not play any of the two tests and had to be satisfied with the matches of week against the provinces. It is necessary to say that it was barred at its station by the hero of white South Africa of the time, Naas Botha, to which all opposed it: style (Tobias adored the play with the hand, Botha the play with the foot) and the attitude (Botha was as slow and cold as Tobias was sharp and electric).

Tobias had to wait three years before knowing its four other selections in 1984. Under its crook, Boks crushed twice England 33-15 and 35-9. It gained its last capes in October, against the Jaguars, a dissenting South American selection (at the time, the boycott of South Africa extended to the sporting relations), with two new victories with the key (22-13 and 32-15), during which it put the immense Argentinian half of opening Hugo Porta at the torment. Assessment? Six selections, six victories. But Tobias was 34 years old and did not represent the future, contrary to Naas Botha, eight years its junior. He was erased. But ten years before the end of apartheid, it had opened a way by proving in all South Africa which the talent was not business of skin color.

Tobias is today contractor in the building and coach of its club of always in Caledon. His/her son, Errol Jr, walk on its traces: it is opener at Wildebeest, the hopes of the team of Currie Cup of the Natal

Prize list

15 matches with the team of South Africa, including 6 tests (2 in 1981,4 in 1984) for six victories. 22 points marked in test (1 test, 4 penalties, 3 transformations).

Curiosity

The six tests disputed by Tobias for Springboks all were arbitrated by French: two first by Francis Palmade, last four by Rene Hourquet, current president of the Commission of the referees of the FF!

External bonds

Statistical scrum.com
http://scotlandonsunday.scotsman.com/sport.cfm?id=859662006 Portrait of Errol Tobias
http://www.southafrica.info/ess_info/sa_glance/sports/errol-tobias.htm
http://www.sporting-heroes.net/rugby-heroes/displayhero.asp?HeroID=2496

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