If you immigrate here or are thinking about it, you might want to understand some rugby history.

Reverend George Ogilvie is credited with bringing football to SA. He was principal at Diocesan College in Rondebosch. Football developed into rugby. Sides were named ‘Town v Suburbs’, Civil servants v All comers or ‘Home v Colonial-born’ etc. etc. but the first game took place on 21st August 1862 between the Army and the Civil service.

You should know where the curry cup came from. It's like this. A British captain brought with him a gold cup which had been a gift from the late Sir Donald Currie, the founder of the Union Castle Steamship line to South Africa with instructions to give it to the centre putting up the best game during the tour. it's debatable over who really won first Curry Cup.

In 1906, international rugby was gaining poplularity. SA rugby needed its own persona. The manager of the 1906 league John “Daddy” Carden announced "The team’s colours will be myrtle green jerseys with gold collar. They would wear dark blue shorts and dark blue stockings and the jersey would have been embroidered in mouse-coloured silk on the left breast a springbok, a small African antelope…” So that's why the jerseys are green with the Springbok.

During the apartheid era, teams were racially segregated. South Africa was banned from rugby in the early 1980's. By 1992, a new non -racial rugby board was formed.

Nelson Mandela was released from prison and presented with the challenge to bring all South Africans together. He did this by a show of unity when South Africa won the world cup in 1995. Please see the film "Invictus" . Please call me at New World Immigration to talk visas and cricket or soccer. I can help you with your visa and learn something about your sport.