Rugby is New Zealand's no. 1
sport. And
it is an important component in this country’s national identity. The All
Blacks are very popular across New Zealand and even further. They are next to
the South African Rugby team the best team in the world. But rugby didn't always have a positive connotation. There
came a point in history where the sport suffered.
All Blacks performing "haka"
In the
summer of 1981, a large civil disturbance developed and 150,000 New Zealanders
expressed their displeasure in more than 200 demonstrations.
This
annoyance arose from people supporting the domination of the white population
in South Africa by choosing the team influenced by South Africa's apartheid
policy.
When the
Springboks, South Africa's rugby team, came to visit New Zealand, some
opponents advertised the end of arranging the team on the basis of apartheid
criteria in South Africa. They used the slogan: "No māoris, no tour."
to express their opinion.
"No Māori, no tour."
Five
years before the 1981 Springboks tour some Māori players of the All Blacks
refused to play in South Africa because of the apartheid policy.
Some people tried to force the
politics to make a decision on either forbidding Māoris to play in South Africa
or cancelling the games in South Africa.
One of
the pro tour arguments in 1981 was that sport and politics should remain separate.
Moreover, some people were of the opinion that rugby contact with a
multinational country like New Zealand could promote change for the better in
South Africa.
As a result, the tour has led to a decline in the popularity of rugby as
a sport in New Zealand at least until the 1987 Rugby World Cup. After the tour
had ended, no official contact in sport events developed between New Zealand
and South Africa until the early 1990s, after apartheid had been abolished.
Has the Springbok tour influenced New Zealand’s reputation in the world?
Some people say that New Zealand lost its innocence as a country and that the
tour was a watershed in their view of themselves as a county and people.
Sources:
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