Background
The Springboks and New Zealand's national rugby team, the All Blacks, have a long tradition of intense and friendly sporting rivalry. From the 1940s to the 1960s, the South African apartheid policies had an impact on team selection for the All Blacks: the selectors passed over Māori players for some All Black tours to South Africa. Opposition to sending race based teams to South Africa grew throughout the 1950s and 60s. Prior to the All Blacks' tour of South Africa in 1960, 150,000 New Zealanders signed a petition supporting a policy of "No Maoris, No Tour". The tour occurred however, and in 1969 Halt All Racist Tours (HART) was formed. During the 1970s public protests and political pressure forced on the New Zealand Rugby Union (NZRU) the choice of either fielding a team not selected by race, or not touring the Republic. However, South African rugby authorities continued to select Springbok players by race. As a result, the Norman Kirk Labour Government prevented the Springboks from touring during 1973. In response, the NZRU protested about the involvement of "politics in sport".
In 1976 the All Blacks toured South Africa, with the blessing of the then newly-elected New Zealand Prime Minister, Robert Muldoon. Twenty-five African nations protested against this by boycotting the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal. In their view the All Black tour gave tacit support to the apartheid regime in South Africa. The All Blacks again failed to win a series in South Africa (they would not do so until 1996, after the fall of apartheid). The 1976 Tour contributed to the Gleneagles Agreement being adopted by the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in 1977.
Read more about this topic: 1981 South Africa Rugby Union Tour Of New Zealand
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