Modern matches between the Springboks and Wallabies usually proceed peacefully due to the control of the TMO and commissioners. However, the match between these two teams in 1937 entered rugby folklore as one of the dirtiest tests in history.
The 1937 Springboks team was outstanding, as they remain the only Bok team to win a series in New Zealand, securing victories in 16 out of 17 matches played. In the 1930s, the Springboks featured a formidable combination of brothers Booys and Fani Louw.
Before traveling to New Zealand, the Boks stopped in Australia and held an intense training match against the Wallabies in Sydney. Rugby historian Chris Grevenstein believes that the reason it turned into a bar fight was a pre-planned ambush by the Wallabies against the elite scrum-half of the Springboks, Pierre de Villiers, the smallest player on the field, weighing only 62 kg.
De Villiers was found unconscious after the ruck ended and had to be carried off the field by an enraged Booys Louw, 'as if a father were removing a child's body after an accident.' One of the main culprits was Louw's old friend from the tense 1933 series in South Africa—Aubrey 'Awesome Aub' Hodgson.
The Australian newspaper Daily Mirror revealed details of the plan: 'Awesome Aub was chosen for the main role in neutralizing De Villiers. Hodgson, receiving the ball on the out line, brought it to his chest and ran towards De Villiers, gently passing him the ball. The next moment, the small scrum-half was in the center of the ruck at the mercy of the Australians.'
Springbok prop Harry 'Kalfie' Martin, a South African Air Force lieutenant, was shocked by De Villiers' condition. He noted: 'He was in terrible shape. His eyes were rolling back, and his tongue was hanging out. It upset us greatly.' Martin decided to intervene himself.
Wild Bill Cerutti of the Wallabies justified his name during the 1937 test in Sydney. As the Mirror described: 'Hodgson was running along the line with the ball when Martin delivered a menacing tackle. Hodgson, falling to the ground, struck Martin in the face with his elbow. When Hodgson got up, Martin landed an uppercut on him. The Australian shook his head and responded with a straight left and right punch. They put on a moderately scientific boxing match for 30,000 spectators, which the referee did not notice because he was dealing with individual scuffles breaking out across the field.'
The next day, newspapers were covered with photos of the 'Battle at Sydney Oval.' Although the Boks won 26-17, the contest itself was a draw in terms of honor. One photo showed Booys Louw with his right arm drawn back, as if preparing to strike. Louw, with a smirk, offered a different explanation: 'They are all wrong. I wasn't going to hit. I was knocked off the out line, and I was trying to regain my balance.'
As mentioned, Boks and Hodgson had a history. In 1933, the Wallabies deliberately brought two of the toughest players from Australia to South Africa: 'Awesome Aub' and the aptly named Wild Bill Cerutti. Curiously, they earned their nicknames through long confrontations with each other in Sydney club rugby. Now, they united to subdue the Boks.
The Boks won the first test 17-3 in Newlands, but this match was also tense. To calm the atmosphere before the second test, the teams dined together the night before the game: forwards in one hotel, and the backline in another. This attempt proved doomed.
During the awkward dinner, forward Booys Louw provocatively stated: 'This will only make things worse.' Cerutti smirked: 'That suits us, mate.' Thus, the five-match series continued in a Wild West style. Before the last match, the Boks led 3-1. In the second half, Fani Louw fainted, and his brother Booys helped carry him off the field. He splashed cold water on Fani's face, and when he came to, asked: 'Fani, what's your number?' Fani mumbled: 'Thirteen.' A few minutes after play resumed, Booys pointed out the lying Wallaby to the referee and casually said: 'Mr. Ref, 13 is out.'
