Des Sinclair

Desmond John Sinclair (14 July 1927 – 29 April 1996) was a South African rugby union centre. Sinclair played club rugby for Wanderers and provincial rugby for Transvaal. He was capped for South Africa four times in 1955, though he was first selected to play for the Springboks on the 1951–52 South Africa rugby tour of Great Britain, Ireland and France; but was never selected for an international game on that tour. The touring team of 1951/52 is seen as one of the greatest South African teams, winning 30 of the 31 matches, including all five internationals.

Personal history Sinclair was born in Johannesburg in 1927. He was educated at Jeppe High School for Boys, where the master, Steve Geldenhuys, was a keen rugby player who represented Border. Sinclair was a keen sportsman, as was his father before him, having played soccer for Transvaal. 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. 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. Sinclair scored a try in the match, but picked up an injury that kept him out of the next four games.

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. 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. 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.