Des Sinclair

Sinclair played rugby as a youth, and was inspired by ex-Springboks Fred Smollan who coached him. On leaving school he played for Wits University before switching to Wanderers. In 1950 he was selected for Transvaal, but in 1951 in the opening game of the season he was injured, requiring a cartilage operation.^[3] This nearly kept him out of the 1951 Trial for the Fourth South Africa trial of Britain, but he recovered in time and secured his place in the squad.^[3]

Sinclair played in 13 games of the 31 match tour scoring five tries.^[4] The tour took in five Test matches against international opposition, but Sinclair was not chosen for any of them, having to wait until 1955 to gain his first full cap. The South Africa management initially selected the four centres on a rotation basis with Sinclair playing three of the first six games. He played in the first game of the tour, against South-Eastern Counties, scoring a try in a comfortable 31–6 victory. He then missed a game before scoring another try in the win over a joint Pontypool/Newbridge team.^[5] On 23 October he played for the Springboks against Llanelli, before being rested for two games. He was back in the team for two consecutive matches beginning on 3 November, against North-Eastern Counties and then five days later facing Cambridge University.^[5] According to South African journalist R.K. Stent, in the Cambridge game, Sinclair and centre partner Dennis Fry, for the first time in the tour created a centre pairing that 'provided a consistent striking force'.^[6] Sinclair scored a try in the match, but picked up an injury that kept him out of the next four games.^[7]

When Sinclair recovered he was immediately brought into the squad against the North of Scotland, but was rested for the next three games as the managers switched to the trusted Test pairing of Ryk van Schoor and Tjol Lategan.^[7] He was back in the team on 15 December against Swansea and again on 26 December against a Combined Services team. Sinclair was left out for the next three games, but then played three consecutive matches facing a Western Counties, Midland Counties and a South of Scotland team; scoring a try against Midlands.^[5] His final matches of the tour were both played in France, against a South-Eastern and South-Western France team.

Sinclair won his first international cap four years after putting on the South Africa jersey, when he was selected for the first game of the 1955 British Lions tour. Sinclair was brought in at his favoured position at centre, partnered with Tom van Vollenhoven, facing the Lions at Johannesburg on 6 August 1955.^[8] South Africa lost narrowly, 22–23. Despite the loss, Sinclair was reselected for the second Test, in Cape Town. Van Vollenhoven was moved from centre, out to the wing, and a new centre partnership was formed between Sinclair and Wilf Rosenberg. The Cape Town Test ended in a 25–9 victory for the Springboks with Sinclair being the only member of the threequarter positions not to score a try.^[9] The South Africa selectors kept faith in the threequarter positions for the third Test, keeping together the unit that had been successful at Cape Town. The game, played at Pretoria, saw the Lions retake the series with a 6–9 scoreline, requiring the South Africa to win the final test to draw the series. Sinclair played his final international in the fourth Test, a 22–8 victory for the Springboks.^[10]

• Billot, John (1974). Springboks in Wales. Ferndale: Ron Jones Publications.
• Griffiths, John (1987). The Phoenix Book of International Rugby Records. London: Phoenix House. ISBN 0-460-07003-7.
• Parker, A.C. (1970). The Springboks, 1891–1970. London: Cassell & Company Ltd. ISBN 0-304-93591-3.
• Stent, R.K. (1952). The Fourth Springboks 1951–1952. London: Longmans, Green and Co.