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The 1981 Springbok rugby tour

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 12:00:00 +1200

A country divided

Anti-tour protesters at Palmerston North

Sport in New Zealand 1940-1960

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'Listen...it's a goal!'

War and sport

South African War 1899-1902

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New Zealand in the South African ('Boer') War

South African War art

All Blacks versus Springboks - 1981 Springbok tour

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A long tradition of rugby rivalry

Politics and sport - 1981 Springbok tour

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‘Politics and sport don’t mix’

In South Africa before 1948 the white minority enjoyed a privileged position, reinforced by a number of laws and practices that ensured there was extensive segregation of the races. When Daniel Malan’s Nationalist Party came to power that year, this separation was intensified with a policy known as ‘apartheid’ (‘apartness’ in Afrikaans) that aimed to strictly divide the races.

Stopping the 1973 tour - 1981 Springbok tour

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 12:00:00 +1200

Stopping the 1973 tour

Gleneagles Agreement - 1981 Springbok tour

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From Montreal to Gleneagles

The All Blacks accepted an invitation to tour South Africa in 1976 – a time when world attention was firmly fixed on the republic because of the Soweto riots. Hundreds were killed as the authorities ruthlessly suppressed protests. An All Blacks’ tour under such conditions was not only intolerable to many New Zealanders but also attracted international condemnation. Black African nations boycotted the 1976 Montreal Olympics in protest, firmly putting sports and politics back onto the same stage.

Battle lines are drawn - 1981 Springbok tour

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 12:00:00 +1200

1981: a divided New Zealand

Opinion on the Springbok tour

Tour diary - 1981 Springbok tour

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‘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 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.

Impact - 1981 Springbok tour

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 12:00:00 +1200

Impact of the 1981 Springbok tour

A taste of things to come?

In Hamilton the protesters occupying the pitch had chanted, ‘The whole world is watching’. The same applied to New Zealand as a nation. Some believed the tour was an opportunity to address the issue of racism in New Zealand while showing solidarity with the oppressed black majority in South Africa.