Apartheid and Sporting Bans Wallabies 1993 v South Africa

   In 1992 the Wallabies [and the All Blacks] travelled to South Africa to play matches against the post apartheid Springboks who then came out here in 1993!! Sporting bans played their part in keeping pressure on the South African government as evidenced by rugby and cricket 'rebel tours. South Africans had been quoted as saying that the 1987 and 1991 Rugby World Cup Champions were not genuine because they hadn't played the Springboks.
   You'll notice as evidenced on this t-shirt: the very 1990s Wallaby logo but also the addition of the Protea with a Springbok leaping over them. The Springbok was in many ways associated with apartheid and the government was keen to move on and create a game that all South Africans could get behind.
   History records the 1995 Rugby World Cup winners as the Springboks, with the tournament and team harnessing this effort to create the story of the 'Rainbow Nation.' The Wallabies were a team past their best at that tournament but who were also overwhelmed by the momentum behind Nelson Mandela and his team.

So, the lead up in 1993 the Springboks and Wallabies played a 3 game series here in Oz. Thanks wikipedia!!

21 August 1993	Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney	19 – 12	Australia	1993 Tour
14 August 1993	Ballymore Stadium, Brisbane	28 – 20	Australia
31 July 1993	Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney	12 – 19	South Africa

   The rugby was tough and it was clear that the defending world champions and the new challengers were going to belt each other all winter. It was my first season as Captain Coach of Wanderers 4th Grade side and our team were Minor Premiers. As a rooky coach I wasn't happy with some of my decisions and my own contribution in the Finals series where our nervous inexperienced team were bundled out losing our semi and final to the damn Slime.
   This t-shirt was worn that summer as I began a fitness campaign to fix one of the things I had control over for next season. I trudged from my old fibro flat opp. Howzat Indoor Sports, down to Bar Beach, along to Merewether and back... eventually adding the walk up the hill and down into Cooks Hill then by the end of summer down Watt St, along Hunter and down Darby St back home.
   At a tumultuous time in my life I did become a little obsessed, with a diet of Coles self serve melon balls and chicken salad rolls, topped off by sometimes doing that walk during the day then again anytime after 10 at night.
   In part this did yield back to back 4th Grade Premierships v University in 1994/5 winning the GF in the last 30secs both years [after seasons as deserved Minor Premiers on the way]. In January 1995 I had a foot blow out walking in Adelaide from an inner city suburb to the CBD and back daily whilst at our UCA national youth event... That restricted my walking, followed by the beginnings of my patella tendonitis and I was never as fit again through the late 1990s and into being more  a team reserve or first half player as my rugby wound down to 2003's career ending injuries. I coached through to 2005 with some very successful teams winning a number of Premierships and filling all those years with many fond memories.
   I attended the second of those Sydney Football Stadium games in 1993 enjoying the Wallaby series win and setting up the rivalry that continued through 1995 and created the Tri Nations Rugby including the All Blacks in 1996!! 
The Springboks are my darkhorse team for the 2015 Rugby World Cup in England, though if the Wallabies can't win it I'll be cheering for France!!

POSTSCRIPT
I was driving up the hill heading to work this morning when the radio conversation about the future of the Holden motor car making in Australia was interrupted by the press conference announcing the death of Nelson Mandela... and tonight  I caught the last 30mins of the movie 'Invictus' which is about the harnessing of the 1995 Rugby World Cup by Mandela to unite the nation... new flag, new vigour, new idea of who they could be... let's face it they edged the All Blacks 15-12 in extra time to a Joel Stransky field goal and the country went wild in celebrations. RIP Nelson Mandela [Madiba] an amazing leader, someone offering forgiveness for 27 years in prison and uniting the country for a better post apartheid future... with problems but working to solve them together!!