Tour diary - The 1981 Springbok Tour
Interactive map of the tour
The Gisborne game
Game cancelled, Hamilton
Molesworth Street, Wellington
First test, Christchurch
Third test, Auckland
Anti-tour badge
'A war played out twice a week'
The Springboks were officially welcomed to New Zealand on the Poho-o-Rawiri Marae in Gisborne (just as they had been in 1965) on 19 July 1981. Despite all the pre-tour rhetoric and debate, few could have anticipated that the country was about to descend into near civil war, 'a war played out twice a week' as the Springboks moved from game to game.
22 July, Gisborne — the scene is set
The first game against Poverty Bay on 22 July saw tour supporters and anti-tour protestors confront each other, face to face, for the first time. On the field the visitors won 24-6. As was to be the case for the entire tour, however, the real action was taking place on the streets surrounding the venue. See related film clip and more about the Gisborne game.
25 July, Hamilton — game cancelled
The game against Waikato is called off in front of a full-house at Rugby Park. A pitch invasion by several hundred anti-tour protestors and rumours that a light aircraft had been stolen from Taupo and is headed for Rugby Park prove too much for the authorities. See related film clip and more about the Hamilton cancellation.
29 July, Molesworth Street, Wellington — an 'eruption of violence'
The Springboks defeated Taranaki in New Plymouth, but the real action that day occurred on Molesworth Street outside Parliament in Wellington. Police used batons on anti-tour protestors for the first time. Former Prime Minister Norman Kirk's prediction almost a decade earlier that a tour would result in the 'greatest eruption of violence this country has ever known' was realised. See related film clip and more about the Molesworth Street protest.
15 August, first test, Christchurch
The All Blacks won the first test 14-9. Protest action at the ground and around the country led one policeman to recall that it was 'sheer luck' that nobody was killed that day. See related film clip and more about the Christchurch test.
12 September, third test, Auckland
The All Blacks won the deciding third test 25-22. It was a game when 'all hell broke loose' as protestors fought with police outside the grounds and flour and smoke bombs were dropped from a Cessna aircraft inside. See related film clip and more about the Auckland test.
Itinerary of games
| Date | Game | Score |
| July 22 | v Poverty Bay at Gisborne | 24-6 |
| July 25 | v Waikato at Hamilton | Cancelled * |
| July 29 | v Taranaki at New Plymouth | 34-9 |
| August 1 | v Manawatu at Palmerston North | 31-19 |
| August 5 | v Wanganui at Wanganui | 45-9 |
| August 8 | v Southland at Invercargill | 22-6 |
| August 11 | v Otago at Dunedin | 17-13 |
| August 15 | v All Blacks at Christchurch | 9-14 |
| August 19 | v South Canterbury at Timaru | Cancelled * |
| August 22 | v Nelson Bays at Nelson | 83-0 |
| August 25 | v New Zealand Maoris at Napier | 12-12 |
| August 29 | v All Blacks at Wellington | 24-12 |
| September 2 | v Bay of Plenty at Rotorua | 29-24 |
| September 5 | v Auckland at Auckland | 39-12 |
| September 8 | v North Auckland at Whangarei | 19-10 |
| September 12 | v All Blacks at Auckland | 22-25 |
* The games scheduled for Hamilton and Timaru were called off for security reasons.
You can also find out more about each of the games on our interactive map.
Remembering the '81 tour
Next page: Impact of the Tour 
