| Boy Morkel | |
| Birth Name: | William Herman Morkel |
| Birth Date: | 2 January 1885 |
| Birth Place: | Somerset West, Cape Colony |
| Death Place: | Worcester, Cape Province. South Africa |
| Height: | 1.85m |
| Weight: | 89kg |
| Ru Position: | Forward |
| Amatteam1: | Diggers RFC |
| Amatteam2: | Somerset West RFC |
| Ru Provinceyears1: | 1908–1914 |
| Repteam1: | South Africa |
| Repyears1: | 1910–1921 |
| Repcaps1: | 9 |
| Reppoints1: | 6 |
| School: | Hottentots Holland High School, Somerset West |
William Herman "Boy" Morkel (2 January 1885 – 6 February 1955) was a South African rugby union player and 14th captain of the South Africa national rugby union team.[1]
Morkel was born in Somerset West, but he played for Diggers Rugby Club in Johannesburg at the start of his career before returning to the Cape in 1908, joining Somerset West Rugby Club. He made his debut for in 1908 and later became captain.[2] He was the captain of Western Province when the team won the Currie Cup in 1914.[3]
Morkel made his test debut for during the third test against the British Isles on 3 September 1910 at Newlands in Cape Town. He was then selected for Springboks on the tour to Europe of 1912–13. Alongside Morkel in the team were his cousins Dougie, and the brothers Jacky and Gerhard. After 1914 Morkel relocated to the Transvaal where he farmed in the district of Potchefstroom. While farming and only occasionally playing some rugby, he was recalled to join Theo Pienaar's 1921 touring team to New Zealand. He was then 35 years old and yet, after the injury suffered by Pienaar, he led the Springboks in all three tests against the All Blacks.[4]
During his rugby career, Morkel played 9 Test matches for South Africa, scored two tries and also played 22 tour matches and scored five tries in the tour matches.[5]
| No. | Opponents | Results (SA 1st) | Position | Tries | Dates | Venue | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 21–5 | 3 Sep 1910 | Newlands, Cape Town | ||||
| 2. | 16–0 | Forward | 1 | 23 Nov 1912 | Inverleith, Edinburgh | ||
| 3. | 38–0 | Forward | 30 Nov 1912 | Lansdowne Road, Dublin | |||
| 4. | 3–0 | Forward | 14 Dec 1912 | Cardiff Arms Park, Cardiff | |||
| 5. | 9–3 | Forward | 4 Jan 1913 | Twickenham, London | |||
| 6. | 38–5 | Forward | 1 | 11 Jan 1913 | Le Bouscat, Bordeaux | ||
| 7. | 5–13 | Number 8 (c) | 13 Aug 1921 | Carisbrook, Dunedin | |||
| 8. | 9–5 | Number 8 (c) | 27 Aug 1921 | Eden Park, Auckland | |||
| 9. | 0–0 | Number 8 (c) | 17 Sep 1921 | Athletic Park, Wellington |