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May 6 down the years
De Villiers pushes for Springboks call
Scrum.com
Springboks (left to right) Dow Walton, Dawis de Villiers (captain), H O de Villiers, Tom Bedford and Frik du Preez pose during a training session at Richmond Athletic Ground, London, England, October 31, 1969
H O De Villiers (centre) poses with his Springbok team-mates during their 1969 tour of England © Getty Images
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Players/Officials: Kieran Crowley | HO de Villiers

1967
H O de Villiers gave an outstanding display at fullback for Western Province in their 9-6 win against Transvaal at Newlands. He was installed as favourite to succeed Lionel Wilson in the No.15 jersey for the Springboks' forthcoming series against France. He made his international bow against Les Bleus in Durban on July 15 - notching 11 points courtesy of four conversions and a penalty in an impressive debut. He went on to earn a total of 14 caps over the following three years. Regarded as some as South Africa's greatest ever running fullback, the Cape Argus claimed De Villiers' running revolution was the catalyst for Springbok rugby to produce some of the game's greatest attacking fullbacks such as Gysie Pienaar, Johan Heunis and Andre Joubert.

1986
Kieran Crowley's kicking boots brought the NZ Cavaliers a 26-15 win against Western Province in Newlands. The fullback kicked two penalties and converts two of the tourists' four tries. The Cavaliers was the name given to the unofficial New Zealand team which toured South Africa at a time when national teams were effectively banned from playing the Springboks because of the republic's apartheid policies. The team included 28 of the 30 players who had been selected for the All Blacks tour scheduled for the year before but cancelled. The Cavaliers were coached by Colin Meads and captained by Andy Dalton and won just one of the four matches against South Africa, although they won seven of their eight other games on the tour.

1928
Pau and Quillan - both first-time finalists - contested the French Championship at Toulouse. Pau ran out 6-4 winners - two tries to a dropped goal.

1961
Harlequins opened their tour of East Africa with a 44-13 win against the Uganadan national side in Kampala. The club went on to win all six games over a 15-day period - the longest overseas tour undertaken by a British club up to that time.

1972
Neath celebrated their centenary by winning the inaugural WRU Cup defeating Llanelli 15-9 in the final in front of 12,000 spectators.

1989
In an exciting Welsh Rugby Union Cup Final in Cardiff, 58,000 spectators saw the lead change six times before Neath lifteed the Cup with a 14-13 win against Llanelli.

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