ABSTRACT
Rugby was imported into Natal in the 1870s. It was initially disseminated by the secondary schools of the interior that served the farming population of the Midlands and the children of the colony's capital, Pietermaritzburg. It gradually spread to the coast and the principal port, Durban. By 1915 rugby had effectively displaced soccer as the major winter ball sport among the settlers. However, the spread of rugby was contested by proponents of other sports. Its success in becoming the premier settler winter team sport reflected not just organizational efficiency and love for the game, it was the realization of the class power of the gentry. A group of men with a particular race, class and gender agenda promoted rugby. The project was pioneered by the colony's gentry primariiy located in the capital, Pietermaritzburg, and in the farming areas surrounding it. While race was the major social signifier in the colony, class difference was also important. Location in the economy was significant in determining class place, but the issue was complicated by other factors such as length of residence in the colony and class origin in England. The Natal gentry engaged in a programme of creating and maintaining class cohesion and hence distancing itself from other classes.
