Louis Babrow

Louis Babrow

Date of birth	(1915-04-24)24 April 1915
Place of birth	Smithfield, Free State
Date of death	26 January 2006(2006-01-26) (aged 90)
Place of death	Rondebosch, Cape Town
Height	1.77 m (5 ft 10 in)
Weight	74.84 kg (165.0 lb)
School	Grey College, Bloemfontein
University	Cape Town University Guy's Hospital
Occupation(s)	Medical doctor
Rugby union career
Position(s) Centre Provincial / State sides Years Team Apps (Points) 1935–1936 Western Province () International career Years Team Apps (Points) 1937 South Africa 5 (9)

Doctor Louis Babrow (24 April 1915 – 26 January 2004) was a South African rugby union player and medical doctor. He was of Jewish origins.

Playing career

He attended, and played for Grey College, Bloemfontein and Cape Town University in South Africa, as well as Guy's Hospital in England, where he finished his medical training. He later played for Western Province and South Africa.

In 1937, Babrow faced the dilemma of whether or not to play a game against New Zealand on Yom Kippur, a Jewish holy day. In the end, Babrow played, with the rationale that he was playing in New Zealand, not his homeland:

"I'm a South African Jew, not a New Zealand Jew and New Zealand is eight hours before South Africa in time. When we are playing our holy day will not yet have dawned in South Africa".

At 22, Babrow was the youngest member of the touring party. One of Babrow's cross-kicks set up a try for Ferdie Bergh to score. He recalled that some members of the Springbok party were Greyshirt sympathisers, but that he never experienced anti-Semitism on the tour.

Test history

No.	Opponents	Results (SA 1st)	Position	Tries	Dates	Venue
1.	Australia	9–5	Centre		26 Jun 1937	Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney
2.	Australia	26–17	Centre	1	17 Jul 1937	Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney
3.	New Zealand	7–13	Centre		14 Aug 1937	Athletic Park, Wellington
4.	New Zealand	13–6	Centre		4 Sep 1937	Lancaster Park, Christchurch
5.	New Zealand	17–6	Centre	2	25 Sep 1937	Eden Park, Auckland

Personal life and opinions

Babrow was the cousin of Morris Zimerman, the first Jewish Springbok.

Babrow was a lifelong opponent of apartheid, campaigning for the release of Bram Fischer, the radical lawyer, and against the whitewashing of the Steve Biko affair.

In 2004 he said:

"Rugby in South Africa has always had its prejudices and it could take another 20 years until those issues are sorted out in the game. But if you look at the game in the country now, for the first time ever there is not one Jewish player in the Currie Cup [in 2004].

"It used to be a good luck superstition for the Boks to have at least one Jewish player and a policeman in the side. Now there are neither."

In 2004, Babrow voiced concern that rugby was becoming mainly an Afrikaner sport in South Africa.

Professional career

Babrow was an elected member of the Medical and Dental Council for 21 years, and was on the University of Cape Town council for twenty five years.

See also

• List of select Jewish rugby union players
• List of South Africa national rugby union players – Springbok no. 246

Bibliography

• Godwin, Terry The Complete Who's Who of International Rugby (Blandford Press, England, 1987, ISBN 0-7137-1838-2)
• Richards, Huw (2007). A Game for Hooligans: The History of Rugby Union. Edinburgh: Mainstream Publishing. ISBN 978-1-84596-255-5.

External links

• SA veteran concerned for rugby's future
• Book review: The Glory of the Game, about the Ten Jewish Springboks.
• Springbok Rugby Hall of Fame - Louis Babrow