In a significant move towards reconciliation, South Africa Rugby president Mark Alexander has confirmed plans to host the Māori All Blacks for two matches in 2026.
The tour will serve as both a celebration of rugby and a long-overdue formal apology for the historic exclusion of the Māori players during South Africa’s apartheid era.
‘Injustice of apartheid’
Speaking this week, Alexander said, “We must also acknowledge that the injustice of apartheid extended beyond our borders.
“The Māori All Blacks – a team rich in heritage and pride – were denied the right to tour South Africa for decades, simply because they were not white.
“That exclusion was a stain on our history, and it is long overdue that we confront it with humility and remorse.”
The announcement follows discussions between the South African Rugby Union and their counterparts in New Zealand to arrange the Māori All Blacks’ first full tour of South Africa.
The two games will be part of a broader reconciliation effort, marking a moment of reckoning for the country’s troubled racial history.
“These games will not only be a celebration of rugby excellence, but they will also be a moment of recognition and reconciliation. We intend to use this occasion to formally apologise for the discrimination they endured,” Alexander added.
Discriminatory laws
The Māori All Blacks were barred from touring South Africa in 1949 and 1960, with players of Māori and Pasifika descent excluded from these tours due to apartheid policies.
In 1970 and 1976, the players were controversially granted “honorary white” status, an arrangement forced upon them under South Africa’s racially discriminatory laws at the time.
The 2026 matches will coincide with the All Blacks’ first full tour of South Africa since 1996, which will be dubbed “The Greatest Rivalry.”
The tour will include three Tests and five midweek games, culminating with a fourth Test at Twickenham in London later that year.
In addition to this, NZ Rugby has hinted at a potential role for the Black Ferns in the 2026 tour, although details are still forthcoming.
Gesture of goodwill
The Māori All Blacks’ history with South Africa’s rugby scene dates back to 1994, when the team visited shortly after the end of apartheid, following Nelson Mandela’s election.
This tour was organised as a gesture of goodwill by then-president of SARU, Louis Luyt, marking a new chapter in the country’s efforts to move past its divisive past.
This upcoming tour is set to be a pivotal moment in South African rugby, marking a turning point in the country’s long journey of healing and reconciliation after the dark era of apartheid.
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