1949 saw the second full tour of South Africa by a representative New Zealand rugby union team (the New Zealand national rugby union team). The All Blacks achieved a record of 13 wins, 7 losses and 4 draws, and they lost the test series 4–0.
Non-selection of Māori players
As they had in 1928 and would do again in 1960, the New Zealand union left Māori players out of the 30-man tour squad to meet apartheid conditions set by South Africa. Particularly notable omissions were "Johnny Smith, Ben Couch and Vincent Bevan... All three (and Ron Bryers) would surely have otherwise gone to South Africa." Smith's official All Black profile now acknowledges "the unforgivable weakness shown by New Zealand rugby".
Kiwi Blake (who was of African American heritage but played for the Māori All Blacks) is quoted as saying that after a trial match he, Bevan and Smith were told by a selector that "If you had been eligible, you would have all gone". Researcher and historian Malcolm Mulholland wrote the All Blacks captain Fred Allen "later mourned the loss of Smith and, in particular, Bevan...as one of the main reasons for the All Blacks' four-nil series drubbing". The squad that did go refused to perform the traditional haka before any match on the tour in protest with Jim Parker citing: "The war cry is a creation of the Māoris and as we have no Māoris with us we are not giving the war cry."
In 2010 the rugby unions of New Zealand and South Africa, and the South African government, apologised for this selection policy which was implemented at the South Africans' request by the NZRFU, which at the time had said that it "did not want to subject them [i.e. Māori] to possible reprisals".
As this tour took place, a simultaneous Australia tour to New Zealand led to the unusual situation of two All Black tests on 3 September 1949, in Durban and Wellington. The All Blacks lost both. One reason for New Zealand affording the Australian series test status was to allow Māori players excluded from South Africa to earn caps.
Matches Scores and results list New Zealand's points tally first. Opposing Team For Against Date Venue StatusWestern Province Universities 11 9 31 May 1949 Newlands, Cape Town Tour MatchBoland 8 5 4 June 1949 Boland Stadium, Wellington Tour MatchSouth Western Districts 21 3 8 June 1949 Oudtshoorn Ground, Oudtshoorn Tour MatchEastern Province 6 3 11 June 1949 Crusader Ground, Port Elizabeth Tour MatchBorder 0 9 15 June 1949 Recreation Ground, East London Tour Match 8 0 18 June 1949 Kingsmead, Durban Tour MatchWestern Transvaal 19 3 22 June 1949 Olën Park, Potchefstroom Tour MatchA Transvaal XV 6 3 25 June 1949 Ellis Park, Johannesburg Tour MatchOrange Free State 9 9 29 June 1949 Kroonstad Ground, Kroonstad Tour MatchEastern Transvaal 5 6 2 July 1949 PAM Brink Stadium, Springs Tour MatchWestern Province 6 3 9 July 1949 Newlands, Cape Town Tour MatchSouth Africa 11 15 16 July 1949 Newlands, Cape Town First TestTransvaal 13 3 23 July 1949 Ellis Park, Johannesburg Tour MatchRhodesia 8 10 27 July 1949 Hartsfield, Bulawayo Tour MatchRhodesia 3 3 30 July 1949 Old Hararians' Ground, Salisbury Tour MatchNorthern Transvaal 6 3 6 August 1949 Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria Tour MatchSouth Africa 6 12 13 August 1949 Ellis Park, Johannesburg Second TestNorthern Universities 17 3 17 August 1949 Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria Tour MatchGriqualand West 8 6 20 August 1949 De Beer's Stadium, Kimberley Tour MatchNorth-Eastern Districts 28 3 24 August 1949 Aliwal North Ground, Aliwal North Tour MatchOrange Free State 14 9 27 August 1949 Springbok Park, Bloemfontein Tour MatchSouth Africa 3 9 3 September 1949 Kingsmead, Durban Third TestBorder 6 6 10 September 1949 Recreation Ground, East London Tour MatchSouth Africa 8 11 17 September 1949 Crusader Ground, Port Elizabeth Fourth TestCape Town Clubs 11 11 21 September 1949 Newlands, Cape Town Tour Match
References
External links 1949 Tour in Details