Errol Tobias: Pure Gold

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Errol Tobias. Errol Tobias: Pure Gold

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Errol Tobias: Pure Gold

The South African Rugby Federation had strong leadership in Cuthbert Loriston and his committee. The decision to move closer to the SA Rugby Board was historic and life-changing. It demanded integrated school, club, provincial and national competitions, with integrated trials and merit selections. It was a difficult path but the SA Rugby Federation’s faith in its people and quality of its rugby was not misplaced.

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Such opposition from players was no longer strange by this point. The All-Black scrumhalf Chris Laidlaw regularly made public statements to express his opposition to South Africa’s racial policies after the tour of 1970. Welsh players such as Carwyn James, John Taylor and Gerald Davies also refused to play against the Springboks. In 1968 Davies experienced apartheid first-hand as a member of the Lions touring team. It caused him to decide that he would stay out of South Africa in 1974, when the Lions – despite increasing opposition at home – came to tour in South Africa once more.

After the Australian tour, the doors for South African sport began closing ever faster. The Springbok cricket tour to Australia was cancelled and Gough Whitlam, Australian premier, broke all sporting ties with South Africa in 1972. The Springboks and Wallabies would only compete again in 20 years. The Springboks were only welcomed into Australia in 1993. New Zealand was also no longer prepared to host the Springboks in 1973.

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