The greatest rugby rivalry of the amateur era

A little piece of history from today's Dominion newspaper (Wellington) The funeral service for Bill Freeman, the man who coached Wellington to its greatest ever rugby victory, will be held at Old St Paul’s, Murphy Street at 10am on Friday morning. Freeman, 90, coached the Wellington team to a 23-6 victory over the Springboks at Athletic Park on July 3, 1965. The 1965 humiliation of the Springboks still ranks as the province’s finest ever rugby outing. Under Freeman’s guiding hand, not only was the win achieved against the ultimate international rugby opponent, South Africa, but it was also obtained with control in the backline and ruthless power in the forwards.By 1965 Wellington had recorded notable victories on Athletic Park over the Anglo-Welsh (1908), Great Britain (1930) . . . But none of these victories could match the Freeman coached Wellington team’s victory over the old foe South Africa. Freeman’s tenure as coach also saw his side demolish the touring British Isles side by 20-6 in 1966. Freeman held on to the Wellington coaching job until the end of the 1970 season, the same year his late understudy Ivan Vodanovich coached the All Blacks in South Africa.

Ian,you keep bringing up '87.Well,,as Danie Craven said, while attending that WC, the AB's would win the tournament,even with the Springboks there.And don't bring up the defeat of the Cavaliers as evidence of any SA superiority.The AB team that took the field in '87 was quite different to the '86 side. btw the constant excuse of quotas etc hampering the boks is wearing a little thin.You have been back in international rugby since 1992.You should have got your act together by now.

1949, well before my time, but my father treasured his collection of Terry Mclean books of that era, and had great respect for the players in those post-war years. Dad stayed on in Japan until late 1949, always rated those teams I think because some had been players for NZ Army, and also of course because so many young/potential ABs died in the 39-35 years. News of the rugby team playing in distant SA, whether losing or winning, would have been a welcome distraction in those (from what I am told) bleak days in rural NZ where the family lived, and so many farm families suffered losses.

Some cheddar with that Biltong :-)

Nice post Chivas, and very true.

If SARU had their act together we wouldn't have the following scenario's The appointment of PDV without merit Sharing our television revenue equally with OZ and NZ The Lions and Kings fiasco A reduced and marginalised Currie Cup Out of 14 provinces only 3 with money etc. etc.

Too many if's Ian. If the refs hadn't been paid from South African coffers, if the food was better in the AB hotel. If South Africa wasn't a tough environment maybe they wouldn't be so tough. You can spin this one a thousand ways. It is what it is. If Mary was a he.... One might wonder if you need some cheese with that whine :-). It is the way it is and making excuses for South Africa's ability to win now is a bit sad. The structures are a hurdle in South Africa, but if people want to play the victim card aren't there better people to voice those concerns to? Every country has their own issues. The past is great but we are in 2013 a long way from those days. I'm interested in what the future holds and how teams overcome their internal issues and rise to the top. Maybe it is too hard for South Africa and they will only have past glories to refer to. I don't know. I don't think so and certainly hope not, because there's nothing better than sticking it to a side that is patriotic, proud and fiercely competitive.

"By the time the bumbling SA Rugby officials, and government had got their act together, the AB’s had taken the lead." The way you've phrased that indicates they have now got their act together - doesn't seem to be helping much....

I'm not arguing they were dominant, but they were ahead. By the time the bumbling SA Rugby officials, and government had got their act together, the AB's had taken the lead. There's no arguing that the AB's have been the best team of the professional era, but I suspect if the roles had been reversed and the AB's had to cope with the problems the SA team had with interference in team selections, and the infamous quota system being enforced, the Boks would still be ahead. Pity about '87...

It was 20-15 with 2 draws. The Boks had hosted 3 more matches than NZ, which is significant given each team's home winning %. Even taking that into account, the Boks were ahead, but hardly dominant. I'd forgotten the 95 RWC, but that sounds inspirational - someone should make a film about it.

Prior to 1992 (the Springboks return) their record against the AB's was 21-15. Due to politics, and isolation of 10 or so years, the first few back were disastrous. And yet, somehow, they managed to win the '95 WC. It would have been fascinating if they had played in '87...

I have always been a great admirer of the 1937 Springobks. The great names spring easily to mind for me - Danie Craven, Boy Louw, Gerry Brand and Tony Harris. The great chroniclers of New Zealand rugby, Rod Chester and Neville McMillan considered Tony Harris to be the finest in his position ever to tour New Zealand - equal to Jack Kyle of the 1950 Lions - but greater than even Barry John, Mark Ella and Hugo Porta. Personally I consider the Springboks to be our greatest rivals with the 1996 series victory against the world champion Springboks on SAF soil as our greatest ever achievement above both RWC victories and even the Invincible tour of the NH in 1924.

I also happen to have a copy of The Battle for the Rugby Crown by Terry McLean. The dubious tactics I was referring to were the illegal play/ gamesmanship. Skinner was selected for the third test, and the SA front row did not get away with those dodgy tactics again. Koch was in the habit of getting offside in the ruck. Skinner, the gentleman that he was, warned him to cease and desist. Koch then tried to knock Skinner's block off. But he missed. Skinner knew how to avoid punches.The ref saw and Don Clarke kicked the penalty. Then the great Kevin Skinner switched to the loose head to deal with Bekker. Skinner was immensely strong. He prevented Bekker from using the same tactic he had been using with Ian Clarke to prevent the hooker, Hemi, seeing the ball coming in. After the game, the Boks took out their anger at losing on Skinner. McLean described Skinner as: "This very great player, one of the finest forwards in the history of New Zealand Rugby." The description of the first test, you quoted, dadiggle, was not relevant to the final two. . I like it when McLean he writes in his report of the third test: "All this time, the All Black forwards were hammering and beating the Springboks back into their own area..." And I love this: "Hemi carried the ball onward, at toe and at speed, Mysteriously he chopped it back in field. And now, terrible of eye, all rage from the continuous blasting of war in his ears, Jones charged forward......when Jones crossed to score the try, Skinner on the field waved his arms above his head...." McLean analyses the Boks and says that many NZers would agree with him that the Boks were potentially a great team. He writes about the failings of both sides but concludes "the South African failings were the greater". Then McLean, who turned rugby reporting into literature, wrote: "With all their reputation, the Springbok forwards had too few strings to their bow...."

Thanks for that personal account mate.

Too right Chivas and Chris. What 'rent a crowd' is Emric talking about? For me this experience was very real. Our family identify as Maori and this ripped our immediate and extended family apart. My partner was pro, I was anti. We were at loggerheads throughout the duration of the tour. He went to the Waikato game with his father while his brother and two sisters were being jeered at and pelted with bottles in the middle of the pitch, I was at home in the BoP cheering on the protesters. I didn't go to any of the games. My Dad was pro my Mum was anti. Her youngest brother (about 5 years older than me) was an established AB at the time. He played in the tests. He was also one of the Cavaliers. I could not fathom that he would allow himself to be seen to be supporting a regime that did not allow Maori to tour SA because of their colour, or in later years were afforded the status of 'honorary whites' in order to enter the republic.'The arguments and debates that took place amongst her brothers and sisters, as well as everyone else in the local community had huge follow-on effects in the way we were relating to each other. News items each night rekindled and kept the debates going. I think everyone was glad when the Boks eventually left. Minto and co may have had other agendas re. the power of the NZRFU, however I believe many rugby loving people temporarily put their love of the game aside for what they saw as a moral and humanitarian cause that surpassed a game. Looking back now, many in NZ (both pro and anti) would agree and feel proud that in some small way, the events that took place then contributed to the realisation, at government level in SA, that things in SA needed to change.

Meant to comment yesterday but time got away. Most Roarers have focused on latter years of the rivalry, so I'll concentrate on 1949. Even I wasn't around then, but my father and a couple of uncles filled me in. Four excellent All Blacks, all backline players, were unavailable for that tour. One, Wally Argus, a pakeha (white) winger, had to stay home to build up his market garden business on the southern outskirts of Christchurch. Ben Couch, according to my dad who played against him, was easily the best first-five (five-eighth/flyhalf) in New Zealand at that time. Vince Bevan was regarded as the best halfback in the world at the time. And Johnny Smith was regarded by many New Zealanders as the best (outside) centre to lace on a boot at any time, anywhere. So why then were these three latter worthies not on the tour? Because of their Maori blood. The South African Government let it be known it didn't want to host a team with Maori players, and the South African rugby authorities were happy to toe the government line. In New Zealand, the gutless government and rugby administrators meekly accepted this criminal corruption of sport by politics. And so an all-white All Black team, critically weak in certain positions, toured South Africa and duly lost all four Tests. Poetic justice, you might say.

A long time between drinks though. The formidable Bok packs. I find it hard to believe that the AB's really thought they would outgun the Bok but it makes for good drama. With scrummaging we just needed close to parity, but when were the Bok ever pushed off their ball. I wouldn't hang off Terry Mc'cleans pumped up version. Even the best AB forward packs struggled with the big Bok packs and being pushed backwards is nothing particularly new in any era.

Greatest backline with Michael Lynagh at 10? Larkham Horan Little Tune Roff Burke Geez that is one awesome line up but different era. The game is much different now. Back in the amateur era these guys played for free and for fun and they would play with missing fingers stitched up knocked broken arms the works. Medics gave you a panado headache tablet and up you go. Todays guys might be bigger fitter and play differently but it would have looked like a hospital in WWII if they played back in that era.

The Springbok forwards surprised everyone and were without a doubt the better team in the scrum pushing the All Blacks on repeated occasion’s meters back in the scrum. South Africa won the scrum count 12-21. Reg Sweet wrote: “ New Zealand’s pack, astonishing sight, was attempting to heel at times while obviously on the back pedal. ” Dubious? In your dreams maybe. Again let me prove you wrong Terry Mclean in an outstanding piece on this match in his book ‘Battle for the rugby crown’ writes as follows about the Springbok pack: “. . . Van der Merwe was beating the daylights out of Hemi in the scrums, Walker and Bekker were crunching Irwin and Clarke, Claassen was playing with divine inspiration and du Rand was extracting the last possible ounce of fury and fire out of the pack as a whole. " Pre-match faith in the power of the All Black forwards to lick the daylight out of the Springboks had produced a degree of superiority complex even among the All Blacks; and what they felt when the found themselves being ignominiously pushed back yards and yards can only be imagined. South Africa were so dominant that they pushed the so called "great NZ pack" back with only 6 men in the 2nd half. You want further proof and videos? http://blogs.sport24.co.za/mclook/2011/12/11/1956-springbok-tour-first-test/ Enjoy. Just google McLOOK. He wrote brilliant articles of SA matches against NZ. I will see if I can get him to come write a piece on here but he uses a unbias view into it and write it all according to merit without excuses.

In 1939 the SACRB (South African Colored Rugby Board) chose a team to go on an internal tour. The team played 9 matches and lost just two. This touring team was called the Springboks. Its colours were green and gold and its blazer badge carried a leaping springbok withthe words '1st National Team 1939'. The second world war dashed the SACRB's hopes of sending the team abroad. The Proteas Rugby team. One of our native teams like the NZ Moari's http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proteas_(rugby_union) Met by anti apartheid protesters at the airport as well despite them being a colored team. They played against the NZ ALL Blacks in 76 as well and lost 25 - 3. Apartheid had nothing to do with sport. Sport and politics didn't mix. Non-white players and coloured teams began to face white sides in the1970s, with Tobias and Avril Williams progressing through the ranks to become the first non-whites to play for South Africa. Tobias recalls Doctor Danie Craven, the then head of South African rugby, praising the non-white sides, telling them, "you guys are on the right track". What kept Non white players from playing in white leagues was rules made by their irrespective boards. They will be permanent banned if they did so. Avril Williams and Errol Tobias were not very popular in some of colored community for playing for SA. Even Basil De Oliviera was not liked by the colored community. He was used as a pawn as a weapon for others further political gains. Used to get politics mixed into sport.