1981 South Africa Rugby Union Tour Of New Zealand
The 1981 South African rugby union tour of New Zealand (known by many in New Zealand as the Springbok Tour, and in South Africa as the Rebel Tour) was a controversial tour of New Zealand by the South Africa national rugby union team, known as "the Springboks". The South African government's policy of racial segregation polarised opinions and sparked controversy throughout New Zealand. The decision to proceed with the tour inspired widespread protests across New Zealand.
South Africa's policy of racial apartheid had made the nation an international pariah, and other countries were strongly discouraged from having sporting contacts with it. However, rugby union was (and is) an extremely popular sport in New Zealand, and the Springboks were considered to be New Zealand's most formidable opponents. Therefore, there was a major split in opinion in New Zealand as to whether politics should interfere with sport in this way and whether the Springboks should be allowed to tour.
Despite the controversy, the New Zealand Rugby Union decided to proceed with the tour. The government of Prime Minister Robert Muldoon was called on to ban the tour, in view of the commitments it had made under the Gleneagles Agreement, but decided not to interfere due to their public position of "no politics in sport". Major protests ensued, aiming to make clear many New Zealanders' opposition to apartheid and, if possible, to stop the matches taking place. This was successful in two cases, but also had the effect of creating a 'law and order issue'. For many people the issue became whether a group of protesters could be allowed to prevent a lawful game of rugby taking place. The dispute was similar to that involving Peter Hain in the United Kingdom in the early 1970s, when Hain's Stop the Tour campaign clashed with the more conservative 'Freedom Under Law' movement championed by barrister Francis Bennion. The violent police response to the protests also became a focus of controversy. Although the protests were among the most intense in New Zealand's recent history, no deaths resulted.
After the Springbok tour, no official sporting contact took place between New Zealand and South Africa until the early 1990s, when apartheid had been repealed. The tour has been credited with leading to a decline in the popularity of Rugby Union in New Zealand, until the 1987 Rugby World Cup.
Read more about 1981 South Africa Rugby Union Tour Of New Zealand: Background, The Tour, The Protest Movement, The Rugby, Aftermath, In New Zealand Culture
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