SAARB Leopards (rugby team)

The Leopards (also known as the African XV) was the representative side of the South African African Rugby Board which governed black rugby in apartheid South Africa. The team's name was reflected in the eponymous emblem that they wore on their rugby shirts.

In 1972 the Leopards played against England in Port Elizabeth,losing out 3-36 whilst one year later,a test against the touring Italian national side was also played in Port Elizabeth.For the Italians,who were undertaking a tour of Rhodesia and South Africa,only the second time that the Azzuris had ventured outside of Europe after a short tour of Madagascar,their 24-4 victory against the Leopards amounted to their only success of the nine matches played.

The Leopards undertook the first tour by a black South African rugby team abroad when they embarked on their reciprocal month-long tour of Italy on 2 May 1974. The Leopards was also "the first South African team to tour Italy". The squad had 25 players and played in six fixtures,winning one against Zebre in Milan, drawing against the Italian U23 side and losing four including a 10-25 defeat in the "test" defeat against the national side at Brescia, the only occasion when the margin of loss was by more than one score.Wingers Toto Tsotsobe and Charles Mgweba were the team's most potent strike weapons behind the pack, allied to the goal kicking abilities of Norman Mbiko and Peter Swartz whilst forwards Broadness Cona,Liston Ntshongwana,Patsa Matyeshana and Morgan Cushe would serve the Leopards to particularly good effect.

On 9 July 1974 the Leopards met the Lions on what would turn out to be the visitors' unbeaten tour of South Africa. The team was captained by hooker Thompson Magxala and included lock Liston Ntshongwana and Morgan Cushe at 8th Man. In their 10-56 loss to the Lions at Sisa Dukashe Stadium in Mdantsane, wing Charles Mgweba scored a try and Norman Mbiko succeeded with two penalties. Willie John McBride's side answered with 8 tries, one by scrum-half Gareth Edwards and a hat-trick by wing Tom Grace. The significance of Mgweba's try can be measured by the fact that the Springboks had not scored any tries in the two Tests that had been played against the Lions by that time.

...
Wikipedia