sentences:  The first South African national side played their first competitive fixture on 23 August 1962 and put on a good showing against the much stronger British but eventually lost by nineteen points, 49–30.The following two fixtures turned out to be much the same with the South Africans being defeated on another two occasions but putting in good performances whilst never being comprehensively beaten.The South Africans would embark on their first tour eleven months later with a twenty-four-man squad that included several former Springboks.