1960 New Zealand rugby union tour of Australia and South Africa

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.

1960 New Zealand rugby union tour of Australia and South Africa
Summary
P W D L
Total
31 25 02 04
Test match
05 02 01 02
Opponent
P W D L
 South Africa
4 1 1 2
Rhodesia[1]
1 1 0 0

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.)

Later tours

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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

Results

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In Australia

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No test match was played.

Scores and results list All Blacks' points tally first.

Opposing Team For Against Date Venue Status
New South Wales 27 0 14 May 1960 Moore Park, Sydney Tour match
Queensland 32 3 14 May 1960 Moore Park, Sydney Tour match
Victoria-South Australia 30 6 17 May 1960 Wade Park, Orange Tour match
New South Wales Country 38 6 17 May 1960 Wade Park, Orange Tour match
Western Australia 57 0 21 May 1960 Leederville Oval, Perth Tour match

In Africa

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Scores and results list All Blacks' points tally first.

Opposing Team For Against Date Venue Status
Northern Universities 45 6 28 May 1960 Olen Park, Potchefstroom Tour match
Natal 6 6 31 May 1960 Kings Park, Durban Tour match
Griqualand West 21 9 4 June 1960 De Beers Stadium, Kimberley Tour match
SW Africa 27 3 8 June 1960 South West Stadium, Windhoek Tour match
Boland 16 0 11 June 1960 Boland Stadium, Wellington Tour match
West. Prov. Universities 14 3 15 June 1960 Newlands, Cape Town Tour match
Northern Transvaal 27 3 18 June 1960 Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria Tour match
South Africa 0 13 25 June 1960 Ellis Park, Johannesburg Test Match
A Rhodesian XV 13 9 29 June 1960 Kitwe Tour match
Rhodesia 29 14 2 July 1960 Slamis Stadium, Salisbury Test Match
Orange Free State 8 9 6 July 1960 Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein Tour match
Junior Springboks 20 6 9 July 1960 Kings Park, Durban Tour match
Eastern Province 16 3 13 July 1960 Boet Erasmus, Port Elizabeth Tour match
Western Province 20 8 16 July 1960 Newlands, Cape Town Tour match
SW District 18 6 19 July 1960 Oudtshoorn Tour match
South Africa 11 3 23 July 1960 Newlands, Cape Town Test Match
Central Universities 21 12 27 July 1960 Border RU Ground, East London Tour match
Eastern Transvaal 11 6 30 July 1960 PAM Brink, Springs Tour match
SA Combined Services 3 8 3 August 1960 Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria Tour match
Transvaal 19 3 6 August 1960 Ellis Park, Johannesburg Tour match
Western Transvaal 28 3 9 August 1960 Olen Park, Potchefstroom Tour match
South Africa 11 11 13 August 1960 Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein Test Match
North-Eastern Districts 15 6 17 August 1960 Aliwal North Tour match
Border 30 3 20 August 1960 Border RU Ground, East London Tour match
South Africa 3 8 27 August 1960 Boet Erasmus, Port Elizabeth Test Match
A Transvaal XV 9 3 3 September 1960 Ellis Park, Johannesburg Tour match

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]

Notes

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  1. ^ not officially recognized by NZRU as a test match
  2. ^ Reid, Neil (9 May 2010). "Bee Gee: I never felt I was an honorary white". Sunday News. Retrieved 7 October 2016.
  3. ^ Brown, Michael (18 April 2010). "Rugby: Once was hatred". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 7 October 2016.
  4. ^ "My old man's an All Black". New Zealand History. Retrieved 30 October 2023.
  5. ^ Berry, John (1964). Seeing Stars - A Study of Show Folk in New Zealand. Wellington: Seven Seas. p. 76.
  6. ^ Berry, John (16 April 1960). ""Oh, Mr Nash," says Tom Lehrer". Auckland Star.
  7. ^ Berry, John (1964). Seeing Stars - A Study of Show Folk in New Zealand. Wellington: Seven Seas. p. 77.
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