The reporter from The Irish Times was suitably impressed:
It was one of those magnificent episodes which make football matches worth going to see. It raised the hopes of the Irish from the dull slough of despair to the biggest pinnacle of ambition.
From the South African kick-off, Maclear nearly repeated the trick. As the crowd continued to celebrate his try, he received the ball and ran at speed towards the South African defence. Like before, using his pace and a series of his trademark handoffs, he evaded numerous tackles. It seemed that he was about to score again, but was finally pushed into touch. From this position Ireland continued to pressurise, and moments later Harold Sugars crossed the line to level the score at 12 points all. Many in the crowd probably hoped that the full-time whistle would follow, but South Africa had a response in store. Winger Anton Stegman crossed the line for the final score of the match, which meant that South Africa won by 15 points to 12. A converted try was worth 5 points, and the narrow margin of victory ended one of the most dramatic games ever witnessed in Ireland.
As the spectators headed for their trains and trolleybuses there was much talk about what might have been. It had been a bittersweet occasion. Defeat was at least tempered by the fact that they had witnessed a moment of genius from Basil Maclear. Understandably, he was singled out for much praise by the press. One reporter wrote:
Basil Maclear stood out as the commanding figure, and his try obtained after running three-fourths the length of the ground, would in itself have sufficed to have made the match memorable in the annals of great games.
The South African match marked Maclear’s eighth International game for Ireland, and his fourth try for the national team.
His route to becoming an Irish international was not a conventional one, and had things been different he would have worn an English shirt. He was not Irish by birth, having been born in Portsmouth on 7 April 1881 to Henry and Mary Maclear. He did have some Irish blood, however, as his grandfather, Sir Thomas Maclear, the famous Astronomer Royal at the Cape Town Observatory, was born in Newtownstewart in County Tyrone.One of five brothers, Basil Maclear was educated at Bedford Grammar School, where his ability in sport first became apparent. The young student was a natural athlete and excelled at many sporting disciplines. At one sports day in 1898 he triumphed in eight different athletic events, and won prizes for hurdling and sprinting. He developed a love of cricket, which was encouraged at the school, and with his pace was a promising fast bowler. He captained the school eleven, and they remained undefeated for a season. He was also handy with the bat, and on one occasion made 133 runs. Rugby was another early love, and his talent was spotted by the London club Blackheath, which selected him when he was just fifteen. Even as a raw teenager he was viewed as ‘strong and fast and a resolute tackler’.
Such was his talent that the school sent word to officials of the English Rugby Football Union, letting them know about Maclear’s ability. Popular, likeable and well thought of by the teaching staff, he was made deputy head boy. Away from sport he had time for music, and was accomplished on the penny whistle, as well as being a keen actor in school productions.
As the youngest son of an army major, Basil Maclear was always destined for a career in the army, so after Bedford Grammar School he went to the Royal Military College at Sandhurst. He excelled in his new surroundings, and in his spare time continued to play rugby and cricket. Quick to learn new skills, he was regarded as a model student, and on passing out in 1900 was awarded the ‘Sword of Honour’.
In the summer of that year, organised county cricket was just beginning in Bedfordshire, and Maclear was chosen to play in the county team’s opening game against the Surrey second eleven. The match was held at a pitch at the grammar school, so the debutant felt at home. He showed few nerves, and in his first innings knocked up a creditable score of 20 runs. He followed this in the second innings with 39 runs, which was the second highest batting score. It was an excellent county debut and sparked glowing tributes in the local press, which described his performance as ‘admirable’, one correspondent saying that his fielding was ‘exceptionally smart’.
Maclear was nineteen years old, and was enjoying his sport. In the summer he alternated between playing cricket for his college and for Bedfordshire. In the winter he concentrated on the game of rugby, and he invariably got a match with a club team, or played with his friends at Sandhurst. He was young and fit and was enjoying life to the full. His carefree days, however, would soon come to an end.
In August 1900 life got a little more serious for the student soldier when he left the comfortable confines of Sandhurst upon being commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Royal Dublin Fusiliers.
Britain was at war in South Africa, and by December 1900 Maclear served during the Boer War. He saw action in the Cape Colony, the Orange Free State and in the Transvaal. He had established himself as a natural leader, and in 1903 was involved in battles in the hinterland of Aden. His war efforts were rewarded, and he became a lieutenant in 1904, the same year he returned to Britain.
Back in England he quickly resumed his rugby career, and turned out regularly for the Bedford and Blackheath clubs. His pace, strength and goal-kicking began to attract the attention of the press, and soon the English international selection committee decided they would watch him in action.
In January 1905 he played for Old Bedfordians against Old Paulines at Richmond. In the crowd was one of the most influential men in the game of rugby, Sir Rowland Hill. From the Rugby Football Union, he was there to see Maclear play and assess his potential. By all accounts the young soldier had a good game, reportedly converting eleven tries and scoring two. His point-scoring extravaganza, however, did not impress Sir Rowland, who said that Maclear was ‘not good enough; no opposition to test his true ability’.
His decision that Basil Maclear was not worthy of an English trial would come back to haunt the English rugby official. Maclear was playing brilliant rugby and getting great reviews, but Hill’s decision appeared to have ended any chance of an international career.
By 1905 Maclear was stationed in Fermoy in County Cork with the 2nd Battalion of the Royal Dublin Fusiliers, and began playing rugby for the Cork County club. When on army duties in Dublin, he also turned out for the Monkstown rugby team.
The Irish selectors were soon made aware of Maclear’s talent, and instantly knew that he would be an ideal addition to their back line. He was watched closely to see if he was of international standard, and this time the result was favourable. He got his chance in the 1905 Four Nations Championship, and with a beautiful turn of irony Basil Maclear made his Ireland debut against England.
The match in February was the first ever international to be played on a pitch at Mardyke, which was the new ground in Cork, and 12,000 spectators paid a record gate of £900. The contest captured the imagination of the sporting public and that day’s Irish Independent printed a special feature under the headline ‘Shamrock v Rose: Today’s Great Struggle’. The article came complete with caricatures of the players, and Basil Maclear was featured wearing his army uniform.
The Cork ground boasted a pretty pavilion, and a new grandstand built for the occasion was packed to capacity. In front of a certain Sir Rowland Hill, the president of the Rugby Football Union who had rejected him the month before, Basil Maclear did not disappoint the home crowd. Ireland began the game in style with Maclear as the lynchpin of the Irish attack as he ran at speed, tackled well and created numerous chances. England could not cope with the pace of the Irish backs; their defence looked disorganised and at times threadbare. By half-time Ireland had scored two tries, and England had yet to score. In the second half the game followed a similar pattern, and Ireland were in control of the ball for large passages of play.
Maclear