Dougie who played for such a long time and with so much distinction for South Africa, was a great kicker-and especially so at place kicking.

He was one of the first "Springbokken" (Springboks) being a member of Paul Roos' side in 1906/07 which toured the UK and France and where, for the first time, the name Springbok was termed.

When the Springboks played against France at Bordeaux in 1912/13 it was the . first time the two countries had met in an international. Dougie scored two tries; one in each half. During the second half a penalty was awarded to South Africa in their own half of the field. Thinking that it was an unfair decision, the captain, Billy Millar, told Dougie to kick the ball away.

Instead of punting Dougie drop-kicked at goal. It soared through the posts, the crowd roared and they all poured onto the field, wanting to touch this miraculous man.

Many stories, some true, some probably not, are told about that kick. The one which probably has the best foundation is that, after the match, his boots were stripped off and taken to a museum for display purposes.

As a forward pure and simple, Dougie had his moments of versatility. He played as fullback against North of England on the 1912/13 tour.