The 1971 South Africa rugby union tour of Australia was a controversial six-week rugby union tour by the Springboks to Australia. Anti-apartheid protests were held all around the country. The tour is perhaps most infamous for a state of emergency being declared in Queensland.In total, around 700 people were arrested whilst the Springboks were on tour.
Overview The first games were then played in Adelaide and Perth, which were disrupted mainly by youth-led protesters. The third match was set to take place in Melbourne. A 5,000 strong crowd, made up mostly of university students, gathered in the streets of Melbourne to march on Olympic Park in protest. Police had set up a wall of units around the stadium, around 650 policemen many armed with batons and some on horseback.
In Sydney, several people, including the Secretary of the New South Wales Builders Labourers Federation, attempted to saw down the goal posts at the Sydney Cricket Ground prior to the match. In addition, a gigantic anti-apartheid effigy was hung from the Sydney Harbour Bridge but subsequently cut down.
Queensland premier Joh Bjelke-Petersen declared a month-long state of emergency. Protests at the Tower Mill Motel where the South African team were staying were responded to by police. The game was instead played at the Exhibition Ground, being moved from its original venue at Ballymore, as it was deemed easier to erect barricades at the Exhibition Ground. A two-metre chain wire fence was erected to separate players and spectators, backed up by police in full riot gear standing ten meters apart and facing the spectators.
According to Meredith Burgmann and Peter McGregor, both leading firebrands, the rugby tour was a crucial target but to stop the summer's cricketing visit was the ultimate goal.Burghmann 2008.James Middleton, Breaking the rules: the campaign in Australia against apartheid, Greenleft Weekly, 17 November 1993. Retrieved 30 July 2024. This was an extensive interview conducted by Middleton with McGregor from the documentary Political Football, which concerned the anti-apartheid protests in Australia during the early 1970s. They were successful in this regard as the cricket tour was called off due to security reasons.
Seven players of the Australia national rugby union team – Jim Boyce, Tony Abrahams, Paul Darveniza, Terry Forman, Barry McDonald, James Roxburgh and Bruce Taafe – who had previously toured South Africa for three months in 1969 and seen the effects of the "ruthless" apartheid system "both in everyday life in South Africa and within the rugby stadiums themselves", declared "their opposition to the continuation of sporting ties with the South African Republic".Wallabies hooker among ‘Anti-Apartheid Seven’ was eminent neurologist, The Sydney Morning Herald, 13 June 2024. Retrieved 30 July 2024. Dubbed the "Rugby Seven" and the "Anti-Apartheid Seven", their non-violent action was an "unprecedented stance in refusing to play against the Springboks".Spiro Zavos, How the Wallabies battled against apartheid in South Africa, The Sydney Morning Herald, 30 September 2016. Retrieved 30 July 2024.
The anti-apartheid protests had influenced the cancellation of the South African cricket team tour in Australia in 1971–72.
Fixtures Scores and results list South Africa's points tally first.Tour details Opposing Team F A Date Venue Western Australia4418 26 June 1971 Perry Lakes Stadium, Perth South Australia430 30 June 1971 Norwood Oval, Adelaide Victoria500 3 July 1971 Olympic Park Stadium, Melbourne Sydney2112 6 July 1971 SCG, Sydney New South Wales253 10 July 1971 SCG, Sydney New South Wales Country193 13 July 1971 Wade Park, Orange 1911 17 July 1971 SCG, Sydney Australian Capital Territory343 21 July 1971 Manuka Oval, Canberra Queensland3314 24 July 1971 Brisbane Exhibition Ground, Brisbane Junior Wallabies3112 27 July 1971 Brisbane Exhibition Ground, Brisbane 146 31 July 1971 Brisbane Exhibition Ground, Brisbane Queensland Country4514 3 August 1971 Gold Park, Toowoomba 186 7 August 1971 SCG, Sydney
Touring group
Manager Flappie Lochner Coach Johan Claassen
Hookers
Piston van Wyk Robbie Barnard
Props
Hannes Marais (capt) Sakkie Sauermann Martiens Louw
Locks
Frik du Preez John Williams Johan Spies
Loose forwards
Tommy Bedford Morne du Plessis Jan Ellis Piet Greyling Thys Lourens Albie Bates as replacement
Fullbacks
Ian McCallum Tonie Roux
Wings
Syd Nomis Gert Muller Hannes Viljoen Andy van der Watt as replacement
Centres
Peter Cronje Joggie Jansen Peter Swanson
Flyhalves
Piet Visagie Dawie Snyman
Scrumhalves
Joggie Viljoen Dirk de Vos
Test matches South Africa won the Test Series 3–0
17 July 1971 – Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney, South Africa 19–11 Australia South Africa: McCallum, Nomis, Cronje, Jansen, Viljoen, Visagie, J Viljoen, Du Plessis, Ellis, Greyling, Williams, Du Preez, Marais (c), Van Wyk and Sauermann
Tries by Hannes Viljoen, Joggie Viljoen and Jan Ellis. Ian McCallum 2 conversions and penalty and Piet Visagie drop goal.
Australia Captain Greg Davis
31 July 1971 – Brisbane Exhibition Ground, Brisbane, South Africa 14–6 Australia First try: Piet Visagie 7 August 1971 – Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney. South Africa 18–6 Australia
See also 1981 South Africa rugby union tour of New Zealand
References
Further reading Larry Writer, Pitched Battle: In the Frontline of the 1971 Springbok Tour of Australia, Melbourne: Scribe Publications, 2006.
External links Breaking the rules: the campaign in Australia against apartheid - Green Left Weekly, 7 December 2005 History Of The Game, rugby.com.au - includes match image Arielle Bernhardt, Australians block cricket and impede rugby tour of apartheid South Africa, 1971, The Commons Library Meredith Burgmann, The Sydney Morning Herald, "The day apartheid was hit for six", 23 August 2008 Mild in the streets. The Sydney Morning Herald, 29 April 2005 Springbok Tour Protests Remembered, 1 July 2001 Focus on Springboks tour on eve of anniversary - University of Wollongong media release, 2001 Sport at Exhibition Grounds - Environmental Protection Agency, Queensland Springboks 1971 - Radio National's The Sports Factor with Amanda Smith, 29 June 2001 TV Programs worth watching, The Guardian, 9 November 2005 - review of the ABC documentary, Political Football Go Home Springboks - Radio National's Hindsight with Claudia Taranto, 7 September 2003