SOUTH AFRICAN FOOTBALLERS.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXIX, Issue 8290, 19 November 1906, Page 7

SOUTH AFRICAN FOOTBALLERS.

ENTEK THE/'SPRINGBOKS

LONDON, Septemer 22nd. The South Afrioan footballers, who arrived in' London on Tuesday ■night, Hte likely to he known as "'Jhe Springboks." The newspapers : halt) already seized on t,ho name, fromj thb fact that q springbok—a small Afrioan antelope—is em ' broideied in each of the visitoi's myrtle green jerseys. Thanks to the "All Blacks" triumphal progress of last year, the South Africans have arrived in qnlte a blaze of reflected glory. The president of the English Rugby Union and a corps of newspaper correspondents journeyed dojvn to Southampton to meet them, and each of the papers devotes about a column a day to their doings, even though they have attempted nothing more exciting than an exercise spin at Richmond. if the vistnra don't pat up a big score ia their opening match against East Midlands the man in the street will probably feel extremely disappointed. The Sputh Africans themselves are oommendably modest, and do not expect to come near, the amazing reooid of the "All Blanks." «■>* they consider they have a K ood .earn, and they confidently hope to win more matches than they loss. Physioally they are a fine lot of men. The average weight of the backs is Hat 121b, and of the forwards 13st 51b. No fewer toan six of tb" forwards are six feet or more in ' height, and eight more of the team are within an inch of the six feet standard. The youngest man is 20, Bnd the eldest 28. Their scrum formation and their game generally are on English lines, rather than New Zealand. They pack eight men in the sorum and use two sorum-halves, and wing-forward and five-eighths find no place in their system. This would seem to indicate that their game ii. not so highly developed as that of the "All Blacks," bat one must await their opening match before attempting to form arf- opiuion. Like the New Zeaianders the ••Springboks" have a wild and weird war-ory, calculated to terrorise the unaccustomed English ear. The origin of this call seems to be doubtful, and Beveial members of the visiting team give different versions. It is said to be a bunting-cry of the Hottentots; but another version, and one which most of the team support, is that it is pure Zulu, and ia a battle cry. Owing to the fact that it is in any case the cry o! an unciilised race, it is almost impossible to write the war ory down in English; bnt Hirsch, who cave the Zulu version to a reporter, spelt it as follows: Ghee Gammilio Gshee Ghee Gammilio Gshee Ghee Gammilio Gsh«e Wab, In explanation of thia ory the old Light .Blue said, "When they rush Into battle, Zulu etiquette does not allow their warriors to mention the Dame of the men to be slain. However, as soon as the attacking party Bets eyes on tl.e wretched victim the leader shoots out, 'GammiUo!' which meaua that is his name; at the same time pointing to the victim with his spear/ and thus tho difficulty 5b overcome The 'gshee' is meant tu describe the hisß or whizz of the spear, as It flies through the air." There is no official spelling of this word, but just like the English words "gallop" and "aUub**, it is Rn , onomatopoeic word, that is to say, oie which is meant to graphiO' ally represent the sound it describes.