Skip to main content

Kōrero: Sport and the nation

'Don't mention the tour'

Image
'Don't mention the tour'

The presence of the South African Springbok rugby team in New Zealand in the winter of 1981 sparked a fierce national debate and protest within New Zealand. This cartoon suggests the strength of the feelings on both sides.

Te whakamahi i tēnei tūemi

Alexander Turnbull Library

Reference: B-144-109

by Eric Heath

Permission of the Alexander Turnbull Library, National Library of New Zealand, Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa, must be obtained before any re-use of this image.

Ngā whakaahua me ngā rauemi katoa o tēnei kōrero

Me pēnei te tohu i te whārang

Jock Phillips, Sport and the nation – Sport and national debate, 1970 to 1990, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/mi/cartoon/41216/dont-mention-the-tour (accessed 4 June 2026).

He kōrero nā Jock Phillips, i tāngia i te 26 March 2013.