1992 South Africa vs New Zealand rugby union match
 |
|||||||
| Event | 1992 New Zealand rugby union tour of Australia and South Africa | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|||||||
| Date | 15 August 1992 | ||||||
| Venue | Ellis Park Stadium | ||||||
| Attendance | 72,000 | ||||||
In 1992, South Africa played a rugby union test match against New Zealand, which later became known as the Return Test. It was a rugby union test match between the South African national rugby union team (colloquially known as the Springboks) and New Zealand national rugby union team (colloquially known as the All Blacks) at Ellis Park Stadium in Johannesburg on 15 August 1992. It was named as the Return Test as it was South Africa's first test match since the International Rugby Board (IRB) had banned them due to apartheid.
Between 1984 and 1992, South Africa were isolated from playing test rugby due to pressures on the IRB from groups such as "Halt All Racist Tours" against South Africa's apartheid policies. They had played a number of unofficial tests against rebel teams such as the New Zealand Cavaliers but these were condemned by rugby's organising bodies and players that took part in them often received bans from national selection.
In 1990, President F.W. de Klerk started negotiations to end apartheid in South Africa with Nelson Mandela's African National Congress (ANC). During negotiation, the white South African Rugby Board and the non-racial South African Rugby Union merged to create the South African Rugby Football Union. Rugby at the time was seen by black South Africans as a symbol of white supremacy. The ANC demanded that the new SARFU improve development of black players. This was because the Springboks team consisted solely of white players at the time, though black players were eligible for selection for the Springboks following the merger of the two governing bodies. Following the yes vote in the South African apartheid referendum in March 1992, the IRB lifted restrictions on tours of South Africa. It was announced that the return test would be against New Zealand. This was criticised in South Africa as the Springboks had not played full international rugby for 11 years and it was felt it would not be competitive however New Zealand were invited because it was felt appropriate after the events around the 1981 South Africa rugby union tour.
...
Wikipedia