Blast from the past: Boks get wake-up call in ’74 Lions first Test

Today in SA sports history: June 8

1951 — Batting with a fractured thumb, captain Dudley Nourse scores 208 in the first Test against England in Nottingham to lay the foundation for an SA cricket triumph that ends the nation’s longest run without a victory, a stretch of 28 matches dating back to July 1935. SA won the five-day match by 71 runs.

1968 — The Springboks score three tries as they beat the British & Irish Lions 25-20 in their opening Test in Pretoria. Captain Dawie de Villiers and locks Frik du Preez and Tiny Naude went over for the hosts, while Willie-John McBride, a future legend, scored the only try for the visitors...