HISTORICAL RETROSPECTIVE: Murrayfield a field of Bok extremes

If Scotland pull off an upset win over the Springboks in the opening Test of the world champion team’s November tour it will not be the first time the South African nose has been bloodied at Murrayfield a week out from a more seismic clash with England in London.

Indeed, Murrayfield has been host to extremes for the Boks - it was there in 1951 that the South African so-called invincibles of that era smashed Scotland 44-0, which in those days was considered a freakish result in a rugby international. It was a time when tries were worth only three points, so the score would have been much bigger in modern times, but even as it was it was a record that stood for many years.

That was of course in the pre-isolation era. It was at Murrayfield in the first game South Africa played there post-isolation in 1994 that the first warning was sounded that the Springboks under the captaincy of Francois Pienaar and the coaching of Kitch Christie might just win the Rugby World Cup they were hosting the following year.

“If the Boks carry on like this, they are in danger of starting the World Cup as red-hot favourites,” wrote Stephen Jones in the Sunday Times on the day the Boks won 34-10 and produced one of their most convincing performances since returning to the international stage once it became inevitable that democracy would come to South Africa in 1992.

A DAY OF REHABILITATION, RECORDS AND A GOODBYE

I was there then and again five years later when the Boks, under the coaching of Nick Mallett and captaincy of Gary Teichmann, continued their rehabilitation from the dramatic loss to the British and Irish Lions under a different coach, Carel du Plessis, earlier in the year. 

It was a day for records that, with the Boks winning 68-10, to record their biggest ever win against Scotland, and Percy Montgomery managed a record personal individual points haul for South Africa.

The fullback scored two tries but it should have been three as he presented his mate James Small with a present, thus enabling the feisty but legendary wing to overtake Danie Gerber’s then Bok record of 19 tries and move to 20. 

Small then promptly left the field to give another Western Province teammate of that time Justin Swart a run.

The moment Small left the field happened to be the moment his career ended as he lost form during a troubled Western Stormers campaign in early 1998 and by the time the international season arrived it was obvious that there would be a new man in the No14 jersey. That man was Stefan Terblanche, who scored four tries on his debut against Ireland.

But it was a great way for Small to go out, and the Boks to end what had been a troubled year that completely flipped in the opposite, more positive direction once Mallett took charge. Earlier in the tour the Boks had thrashed France 52-10 in what was to be their last game with Parc de Princes as their headquarters, and were equally comprehensive victors against England.

There were other great times at Murrayfield, with the 28-0 win recorded by Heyneke Meyer’s team in 2013 being one of them, while the Boks made easy work of the Scots in their opening game of the 1999 World Cup.

THE TASTY HAGGIS WAS A PRELUDE TO A NIGHTMARE

That was a World Cup where Edinburgh was home to the Boks and us media people covering the tournament for about a month and, as I was on all those early tours that took in that beautiful city, it became very familiar to me. I have a Scottish wife, so I can happily attest to not having any problems eating haggis. In fact, it is one of my favourite dishes, and was presented to myself and a few discerning colleagues at a media lunch at Murrayfield before the 2002 game.

Oh dear, talk about extremes, what a bad day that was for the Boks. It was one of those occasions when the predictions of dire weather proved founded - many games at Murrayfield have in fact been played in sunshine - and the rain and wind plus, let it be said, some rather questionable refereeing saw the Boks go down 21-6.

Here’s a clue if you are seeking context - Rudolf Straeuli was the coach, Corne Krige was the captain. Yip, it was the week before the even more disastrous visit to Twickenham, where the Boks were smashed 52-3 by England.

“I never thought I’d see this day, I never thought I’d see this day,” tutted an English scribe as he filed past me in the Twickenham press box after the final whistle. Make no mistake, neither did I, or any other South African for that matter.

But a loss in Edinburgh hasn’t always translated into a horror show for the Boks in London the following week. In 2008, the Boks damn near lost, with their 14-10 win in a bumbling performance being slammed by us travelling journos, to the chagrin of some Bok supporters I overheard on the train to London the next day.

“Why does everyone need to be so negative, we won the game…”

Well, that fan might have known something the rest of us didn’t, for the Boks scored a Ruan Pienaar inspired 42-6 win, a record for the South Africans in London, to consign the poor performance in Edinburgh to the recesses of the mind. 

Those two games became stepping stones for what was Peter de Villiers’ best year as Bok coach, 2009, when his team won both a British and Irish Lions series and that year’s Tri-Nations.

A SIMILAR STORY TWO YEARS LATER

They hit a blip the following season, 2010, and slipped to last in the Tri-Nations, but were on the recovery trail when they toured that November. 
So it came as a shock when, on another wet and miserable afternoon, the Boks conspired to lose by four points.

“You take the high road, we’ll take the high road…” That was the tune that rang out over a jubilant Murrayfield and that, plus yet another lunch time haggis, was pretty much the abiding memory of an otherwise utterly forgettable day for South Africans.

The Boks aren’t supposed to lose to Scotland, ever, and particularly not at that particular time, so it was rather a glum set of players and coaches that queued up for the flight from Edinburgh to London the next morning. I can recall players and coaches sitting in huddles, and Victor Matfield looking in a particularly dark and sombre mood.

A wounded Bok though, as the old saying goes, is a dangerous Bok, and a week later it was almost a repeat of the 2008 experience as the visitors again rebounded from their poor performance north of the English border to record a comprehensive win over the hosts.

Overall record South Africa v Scotland: Played 29, Won 24, Lost 5.

All five of those losses came away from home, the Boks have never lost to Scotland in South Africa.

The first Bok v Scotland game was played in 1906

Bok post-isolation record against Scotland away from South Africa

November 1994 Boks won 34-10

December 1997 Boks won 68-10

November 1998 Boks won 35-10

October 1999 Boks won 46-29 in opening RWC game

November 2002 Boks lost 21-6

November 2004 Boks won 45-10

August 2007 Boks won 27-3 (RWC warmup game)

November 2008 Boks won 14-10

November 2010 Scotland won 21-17

November 2012 Boks won 21-10

November 2013 Boks won 28-0

October 2015 (Newcastle, England) Boks won 34-16 in RWC Pool game

November 2018 Boks won 26-20

November 2021 Boks won 30-15

September 2023 (Marseille, France) Boks won 18-3 in RWC Pool game