After the retirement of Willa Delport, the first-choice hooker between 1949 and 1953, when the touring Lions team of 1955 arrived in South Africa, it became a toss-up between Eastern Province’s Colin Kroon and Boland’s Bertus van der Merwe for the hooking position in the four-Test series.

Kroon got the nod for the first Test at Ellis Park, the 23-22 thriller, and he was one of no less than 10 new caps along with a new captain, Stephen Fry, who succeeded the highly successful Hennie Muller.

Other than Jack van der Schyff at fullback, the whole of the backline were making their debut. Sias Swart was on the left wing, Des Sinclair and Tom van Vollenhoven at centre (Sinclair had toured the British Isles and France in 1951-52 without playing a Test), Theuns Briers on the right wing, Clive Ulyate at flyhalf and Tommy Gentles at scrumhalf. Amos du Plooy at prop, Johan Claassen at lock - the first of 28 Tests in a long career - and Daan Retief, number eight, were the other new caps.

The match has become a classic with everything hinging on the last kick of the game, a missed conversion by Van der Schyff, and Kroon became a casualty after the match as the selectors rang the changes, never to play for South Africa again.

- Peter Martin