1949 New Zealand rugby union tour of South Africa
Summary
P W D L
Total
25 15 04 06
Test match
04 00 00 03
Opponent
P W D L
 South Africa
4 0 0 4

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."[1] Smith's official All Black profile now acknowledges "the unforgivable weakness shown by New Zealand rugby".[2]

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".[3] 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."[4]

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".[3]

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.[1]

Matches

Scores and results list New Zealand's points tally first.
Opposing TeamForAgainstDateVenueStatus
Western Province Universities11931 May 1949Newlands, Cape TownTour Match
Boland854 June 1949Boland Stadium, WellingtonTour Match
South Western Districts2138 June 1949Oudtshoorn Ground, OudtshoornTour Match
Eastern Province6311 June 1949Crusader Ground, Port ElizabethTour Match
Border0915 June 1949Recreation Ground, East LondonTour Match
Natal8018 June 1949Kingsmead, DurbanTour Match
Western Transvaal19322 June 1949Kruger Park, PotchefstroomTour Match
A Transvaal XV6325 June 1949Ellis Park, JohannesburgTour Match
Orange Free State9929 June 1949Kroonstad Ground, KroonstadTour Match
Eastern Transvaal562 July 1949PAM Brink Stadium, SpringsTour Match
Western Province639 July 1949Newlands, Cape TownTour Match
South Africa 11 1516 July 1949Newlands, Cape Town First Test
Transvaal13323 July 1949Ellis Park, JohannesburgTour Match
Rhodesia81027 July 1949Hartsfield, BulawayoTour Match
Rhodesia3330 July 1949Old Hararians' Ground, SalisburyTour Match
Northern Transvaal636 August 1949Loftus Versfeld, PretoriaTour Match
South Africa 6 12 13 August 1949 Ellis Park, Johannesburg Second Test
Northern Universities17317 August 1949Loftus Versfeld, PretoriaTour Match
Griqualand West8620 August 1949De Beer's Stadium, KimberleyTour Match
North-Eastern Districts28324 August 1949Aliwal North Ground, Aliwal NorthTour Match
Orange Free State14927 August 1949Springbok Park, BloemfonteinTour Match
South Africa 3 93 September 1949 Kingsmead, Durban Third Test
Border6610 September 1949Recreation Ground, East LondonTour Match
South Africa8 11 17 September 1949 Crusader Ground, Port Elizabeth Fourth Test
Cape Town Clubs111121 September 1949Newlands, Cape TownTour Match

References

  1. 1 2 Palenski, Ron (2003). Century in Black: 100 years of All Black test rugby. Auckland, N.Z.: Hodder Moa Beckett. p. 184. ISBN 1-86958-937-8.
  2. ↑ Knight, Lyndsay. "Johnny Smith". allblacks.com. Retrieved 2 August 2015.
  3. 1 2 Smith, Tony (25 March 2021). "Our Truth, Tā Mātou Pono: Māori All Blacks' hurtful and racist exclusion from South African rugby tours". Stuff. Retrieved 25 March 2021.
  4. ↑ "The blackest year in All Black history". Stuff.co.nz. 25 July 2009. Retrieved 9 October 2023.
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