1981 Third Test vs Springboks (Auckland)
The 1981 Springbok tour that polarised New Zealand and brought barbed wire to Eden Park.
The 1981 South African rugby tour, known in New Zealand as the 1981 Springbok Tour and in South Africa as the Rebel Tour, polarised opinion and inspired widespread protests across New Zealand. The controversy also extended to the United States, where the South African team continued its tour after leaving New Zealand.
Quick Facts
- Year
- 1981
- Touring side
- South Africa (Springboks)
- Aftermath
- Tour continued in the United States
Lore & Background
Apartheid had made South Africa an international pariah, and other countries were strongly discouraged from sporting contact with it. Rugby union was, and is, an extremely popular sport in New Zealand, and the Springboks were among the All Blacks' fiercest rivals. Police guarded a barbed-wire perimeter around Eden Park near Kingsland railway station.
More in Iconic Matches
Elsewhere in New Zealand All Blacks
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