Episode 1 of 1

First Test Match

When: 30 July 1891
Where: Crusader Grounds, Port Elizabeth
Part of: South Africa plays its first rugby union test match against the British Isles Lions

South Africa played its first test match against a British Isles touring team on 30 July 1891 at Port Elizabeth's Crusader Grounds, with Aston scoring the first try.

The match was South Africa's first test, played on 30 July 1891 against a British Isles touring team at Port Elizabeth's Crusader Grounds. These were the first representative games played by South African sides, and the South African Tests were the first matches allowing British players to be awarded international caps. Aston scored the first try against the South African team in the first Test. The first shirt worn by South Africa was navy blue during these Tests.

Sources

South Africa national rugby union team Wikipedia, revision of 2026-10-04
1891 British Lions tour to South Africa Wikipedia, revision of 2026-09-08

Machine-drafted from the cited Wikipedia passages and checked by a reviewing model, not by a human editor. Every passage cites the revision it was written from; dates and places follow those passages.