In 1956 Hamilton’s Rugby Park was the site of the only provincial win against the touring South African Springbok rugby team. When the Springboks returned 25 years later, local rugby fans hoped for a repeat victory – but the victory belonged to the anti-apartheid protest movement, which invaded the field and forced the cancellation of the game, leading to conflict between protesters and sports fans in the streets.
Listen to a Roadside Story about Rugby Park. Roadside Stories is a series of audio guides to places around New Zealand.
Archival audio sourced from Radio New Zealand Sound Archives. Sound files may not be reused without permission from Radio New Zealand Sound Archives (Reference number sa-d-00944-03-s02-pm).
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