Springbok no. 387 · Eighthman

Tommy Bedford

Thomas Pleydell Bedford · Sharks

25Tests

1Tries

5Tours

22Age at debut

Test career

196319671971

First test

13 Jul 1963, age 22 · Flank v Australia, Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria

Last test

19 Jun 1971, age 30 · Eighthman v France, Kings Park, Durban

Biography

Tommy Bedford was a mobile, intelligent loose forward who played 25 Tests between 1963 and 1971. Born in Bloemfontein on 8 February 1941 and educated at CBC Kimberley, he played for Natal and was a Rhodes Scholar.

He scored a try on debut against Australia in 1963 and captained South Africa three times in 1969. He toured widely, including Britain and Ireland in 1969–70. He was outspoken, which did not always win him favour with officials.

Test history

25 tests · 3 as captain · 3 points

Date	Opponent	Venue	Position	Result	Province
13 Jul 1963	Australia	Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria	Flank	W 14–3	Sharks
10 Aug 1963	Australia	Newlands, Cape Town	Flank	L 5–9	Sharks
24 Aug 1963	Australia	Ellis Park, Johannesburg	Flank	L 9–11	Sharks
07 Sep 1963	Australia	Boet Erasmus, Port Elizabeth	Flank	W 22–6	Sharks
23 May 1964	Wales	Kings Park, Durban	Flank	W 24–3	Sharks
25 Jul 1964	France	P.A.M. Brink Stadium, Springs	Flank	L 6–8	Sharks
10 Apr 1965	Ireland	Aviva Stadium (Lansdowne Road), Dublin	Eighthman	L 6–9	Sharks
19 Jun 1965	Australia	Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney	Eighthman	L 11–18	Sharks
26 Jun 1965	Australia	Brisbane Stadium (Lang Park), Brisbane	Eighthman	L 8–12	Sharks
08 Jun 1968	Britain	Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria	Eighthman	W 25–20	Sharks
22 Jun 1968	Britain	Boet Erasmus, Port Elizabeth	Eighthman	D 6–6	Sharks
13 Jul 1968	Britain	Newlands, Cape Town	Eighthman	W 11–6	Sharks
27 Jul 1968	Britain	Ellis Park, Johannesburg	Eighthman	W 19–6	Sharks
09 Nov 1968	France	Parc Lescure, Bordeaux	Eighthman	W 12–9	Sharks
16 Nov 1968	France	Stade Olympique, Colombes, Paris	Eighthman	W 16–11	Sharks
02 Aug 1969	Australia	Ellis Park, Johannesburg	Eighthman	W 30–11	Sharks
16 Aug 1969	Australia	Kings Park, Durban	Eighthman (C)	W 16–9	Sharks
06 Sep 1969	Australia	Newlands, Cape Town	Eighthman (C)	W 11–3	Sharks
20 Sep 1969	Australia	Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein	Eighthman	W 19–8	Sharks
06 Dec 1969	Scotland	Murrayfield, Edinburgh	Eighthman (C)	L 3–6	Sharks
20 Dec 1969	England	Twickenham, London	Eighthman	L 8–11	Sharks
10 Jan 1970	Ireland	Aviva Stadium (Lansdowne Road), Dublin	Eighthman	D 8–8	Sharks
24 Jan 1970	Wales	Millennium Stadium (Cardiff Arms Park), Cardiff	Eighthman	D 6–6	Sharks
12 Jun 1971	France	Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein	Eighthman	W 22–9	Sharks
19 Jun 1971	France	Kings Park, Durban	Eighthman	D 8–8	Sharks