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1960 New Zealand rugby union tour of Australia and South Africa
Series of rugby union matches From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The 1960 New Zealand rugby union tour of South Africa, was a series of rugby union matches played by the New Zealand national rugby union team (the All Blacks) in South Africa and Rhodesia.
It was a very controversial tour, because the South African authorities imposed the exclusion of Māori players from the team. This racist policy created much controversy in New Zealand. (See Halt All Racist Tours and History of rugby union matches between New Zealand and South Africa.)
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Later tours
New Zealand Rugby Union then refused any other tour for the succeeding ten years until Māori and Samoan player participation was accepted in 1970. On that occasion South African authorities, gave them the title of "Honorary Whites", but controversies remained.[2][3] In 1976, all the African countries boycotted the Olympic Games in protest at the All Blacks' tour of South Africa.
Then, the 1981 Springboks' tour, was contested by a large part of New Zealand public opinion, with riots and demonstrations.
In 1985 public opinion convinced NZRU to cancel another tour in South Africa. Only with the end of apartheid, in 1992 did the controversy end.
Also outside the political troubles, the results of the tour weren't good in any case for All Blacks, that lost the series with only a victory and a draw in the four-match series against the Springboks
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Results
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In Australia
No test match was played.
Scores and results list All Blacks' points tally first.
In Africa
Scores and results list All Blacks' points tally first.
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Cultural reaction
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The Howard Morrison Quartet released "My Old Man's an All-Black", a parody of My Old Man's a Dustman, which noted the absence of Māori players from the touring side:
Oh, my old man’s an All Black,
He wears the silver fern,
But his mates just couldn’t take him
So he’s out now for a turn.
Fi Fi Fo Fum, there’s no Horis in this scrum.[4]
American satirist Tom Lehrer was touring New Zealand in April 1960 when Prime Minister Walter Nash officially refused to intervene in the New Zealand Rugby Football Union's plans to tour South Africa with only white players. On introducing his own song "Fight Fiercely, Harvard" in the Auckland Town Hall, he said "At this juncture of the evening's symposium, I wish to pay tribute to the New Zealand Rugby Football Union--for not allowing a little thing like human dignity to interfere with the great principles of the game."[5] He would go on to pen original lyrics on the subject, which were published in the Auckland Star:
When the early missionaries first brought Rugby to New Zealand,
It became the state religion right away,
And to the ten commandments has been added an eleventh,
And it says: No matter what -- thou shalt play!
CHORUS:
Oh, Mr Nash, why so rash?
Is the Rugby Union so hard up for cash?
Though you talk about the Maori
In your phrases sweet and flow'ry
I'm afraid you've missed the point, Mr Nash.
When the team goes to South Africa, we all must act politely,
So to all their local problems, let's be mute.
It might be a friendly gesture as a token of affection
If we brought along some blacks for them to shoot.
CHORUS: Oh, Mr Nash, etc.
No, it doesn't really matter what New Zealand may have lost,
As long as Kiwi Rugby players are supreme,
And just think how glad they'd make us if they came back with the title
Of the World's Greatest Non-Pigmented Team!
CHORUS: Oh, Mr Nash, etc.[6][7]
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