South Africa plays its first rugby union test match against the British Isles Lions

Background. After the South African Rugby Board was formed in 1889, its committee decided one of the best ways to promote the game was to invite a British side to visit, similar to the British Isles tour of Australia and New Zealand in 1888. That 1888 tour had not been sanctioned by the RFU and is often not recognised as an official Lions tour, so the South African Tests were the first matches that allowed the British players to be awarded international caps. South Africa's first international took place in 1891 at Port Elizabeth's Crusader Grounds.

Match Details. South Africa's first test match was on 30 July 1891 against a British Isles touring team. Aston scored the first try against the South African team in the first Test, part of 30 tries he scored overall. The British Isles won all three Test matches and all 17 provincial games. The first shirt worn by South Africa was navy blue during their Tests against the British Isles on the 1891 Lions tour.

Significance. These were the first representative games played by South African sides. South Africa's play greatly improved from 1891, and their first test win in the final game was a pointer to the future. Rugby was given a huge boost by the early Lions tours, which created great interest in the South African press, and rugby union remains a highly popular sport in South Africa.