1937 South Africa rugby union tour to New Zealand and Australia

1937 South Africa rugby union tour to New Zealand and Australia
Summary	P W D L
Total	29 27 0 2
Test match	5 4 0 1
Opponent	P W D L
Australia	2 2 0 0
New Zealand	3 2 0 1

The 1937 Springbok backline in action against Australia.

The 1937 South Africa tour to Australasia was one of the most successful Springbok tours in history, so much so that the touring team was nicknamed the "Invincibles". The squad was captained by Philip Nel.

The tour started on 26 June 1937 at the Sydney Cricket Ground in Sydney, Australia with a 9–5 win over the Wallabies. The Springboks followed up the win with an emphatic 26–17 win on 17 July at the same grounds, outscoring the Wallabies 6 tries to 3 and taking the series 2–0.

When the Springboks arrived in New Zealand later that year nobody expected them to win the series, as no other South African team had ever achieved the feat, and when the New Zealand leg of the tour kicked off on 14 August with a 13–7 loss to New Zealand at Athletic Park in Wellington, it seemed business as usual.

Mr Nel and his men had other ideas however as they came back to deal New Zealand two convincing defeats; a 13–6 win at Lancaster Park in Christchurch and a 17–6 win at Eden Park in Auckland, taking the series 2–1. The latter translates into a 27–6 (5 try to nil) win using today's point system.

The 1937 Springbok team remains the only Springbok team ever to have won a series in New Zealand and contained legendary players such as Danie Craven and Boy Louw.

Matches in Australia

Springbok and Wallaby forwards compete for the ball in the mud during the first test in Sydney.

Scores and results list South Africa's points tally first.

Matches in New Zealand

Scores and results list South Africa's points tally first.

Rugby union tours of Australia British and Irish Lions 1888 (no test) 1899 1904 1908 (no test) 1930 1950 1959 1966 1971 (no test) 1989 2001 2013 New Zealand  1884 (no test) 1893 (no test) 1897 (no test) 1903 1905 1907 1910 1914 1920 1922 1924 1925 1926 1929 1932 1934 1938 1947 1951 1957 1960 1962 1968 1974 1979 1980 1984 1988 1991 1992 NZ Maori 1888-89 (no test) 1922 1923 1926-27 1936 1949 South Africa  1921 1937 1956 1965 1971 1993 Argentina  1983 1986 1995 2000 England  1963 1975 1988 1991 1997 1998 1999 2003 2004 2006 2010 2016 France  1961 1968 1972 1981 1986 1990 1997 2002 2005 2008 Ireland  1967 1979 1994 1999 2003 2006 2008 2010 Italy  1981 (no test) 1986 1994 2005 Scotland  1982 1992 1998 2004 2012 Wales  1969 1978 1991 1996 2003 2007 2012 Fiji  1952 1954 1961 1976 1984 1985 1989 no test Samoa  1994 2005 Tonga  1973 1993 Pacific Islanders 2004 North American teams 1985 1990 1996 1999 Asian teams 1975 1987 (no test)

Rugby union tours of New Zealand British and Irish Lions 1888 (no test) 1904 1908 1930 1950 1959 1966 1971 1977 1983 1993 2005 Australia  1905 1913 1931 1936 1946 1949 1952 1955 1958 1962 1964 1972 1978 1982 1986 1990 1991 New South Wales 1894 1921 1923 1925 1928 South Africa  1921 1937 1956 1965 1965 1981 1994 Argentina  1979 1989 1997 2001 2004 England  1963 1973 1985 1998 2003 2004 2008 2010 2014 France  1961 1968 1979 1984 1986 1989 1994 1999 2001 2003 2007 2013 Ireland  1976 1992 1997 2002 2006 2008 2010 2012 Italy  1980 (no test) 2002 2003 (no test) Scotland  1975 1981 1990 1996 2000 2004 Wales  1969 1988 2003 Romania  1991 (no test) Japan  1974 Fiji  1974 1980 1989 no test 1996 1997 2003 Samoa  1996 2005 (no test) Pacific Islanders 2004 Canada  1995 2007