The Watershed Tour: The 1949 All-Blacks in Southern Africa

In the winter of 1949, the Springboks and All Blacks clashed on rugby fields across southern Africa. It was a series that would change the course of South African rugby history. The tour was not just a battle for supremacy on the field, but a head-to-head confrontation of nations, rugby styles and emerging political realities. It was the first time the two teams had met since the Springboks’ triumphant 1937 tour of New Zealand and the fourth time the two teams had met in a full series.

The South African side, fielding a team without a single test cap, overpowered New Zealand with their traditional scrummaging power and a new tactic: quick loose forwards moving in tandem with a speedy backline. This innovation shook the rugby world and paved the way for a new style of rugby.

Played out against the backdrop of the implementation of apartheid in South Africa, the tour took on a greater significance. In the years to follow, South Africa became increasingly isolated and rugby reflected and reshaped political events.