After watching another nerve-wracking game between the AB’s and the Boks’ (no matter what team you support) this morning (UK time) in Townsville, Queensland, Australia, I thought I would give further detail to an occasion which the Otago Daily Times wrote about recently on an event 40 years ago.
The Springbok tour of New Zealand in 1981.
The last game before the first Test match at Lancaster Park, Christchurch was against Otago at Carisbrook in Dunedin.
Despite a fairly conservative attitude to the up-and-coming game, Dunedin hosted the oldest University in the country. Otago University which as well as a great campus also was (like most Uni’s) very active in supporting the rights of majority and minority groups where voices could be freely expressed without much ado and negative response from others. For example, a colleague of mine who was a top Boxer and I was surprised to see was the sole demonstrator of Royalty visiting the Campus. Though a Kiwi he came from Irish decent and I enjoyed the non-violent demonstration he was showing and the ‘his right’ to do so attitude even from those that did not agree with him. Everything was cool like that democratic right of freedom of speech etc etc….
This is despite that in History and Sociology of Sport (I was studying Physical Education) we were always told that sport and politics always had and always will be mixed.
In saying that, Otago University had produced more All Blacks than any other Club in the History of Rugby in NZ. And a lot of my peers and colleagues would say that sport and politics should never mix.
This was going to be interesting and this idealistic rather naïve mind and heart of mine, was in for a rude awakening soon after.
Though I played football (soccer) at School and through to my first year at Uni (1979) I had played 3 games for the Rugby First Fifteen in my last year at Massey High School. This was due to myself playing for the school soccer team in the morning and the soccer club in the afternoon. However some club games were cancelled or did not take part for some reason. Maurice Trapp the school rugby coach who went on to coach a very successful Auckland senior rugby team with other coaches eg All Black legend Brian Williams and was later President of the NZRFU had always wanted me to try rugby. So when he or I had the opportunity I would go in. The captain was Kurt Sherlock who went on to play for the AB’s and turn to Rugby League after. (I played against Kurt for Wellington and we beat Auckland at Athletic Park 1986 when that great Wellington team went through unbeaten under flamboyant coach Earl Kirton to take the National Title).
Anyway the next year, I played for Arana Hostel (One of the University Halls of Residence at Otago University in 1979 – under self selected rugby coach Jamie Mackay- now radio station owner) and in 1980 was picked for the Otago Uni U/20 Gold team under former Zingari-Richmond and Otago player John Hornbrook. John went onto be Secretary of the ORFU in later years. We were the second team as Otago Uni Blues were the first but played in the same Dunedin U/20 club competition. We ended up coming out with the title and I played for the Otago age group rep team etc. What a team! It was captained by Graeme Patterson who went on to become AB’s team Doctor. After Uni the next time I bumped into him was when we hosted the AB’s at the Cafe Royal in London when I was with the National Sporting Club in about 2005. I saw him and and reintroduced and he said he would never have recognised me if I hadn’t. Amazing what a haircut, shave the moustache off and 25 years can do to me.
My second full season of rugby (1981) I decided to go to Zingari Richmond as John Hornbrook had encouraged me along with Duncan Robertson the former Zingari, Otago and All Black who I played indoor basketball with (bit of a physical rough player for a diminutive physique…in Indoor basketball and thank god I did not play rugby against or with him!). I went with a few of my Uni peers including Steve Baker (don’t go for a run with him as he will say we will do a lap of the Logan Park but it will be about three!)), Mike O’Leary, and Wayne Tacon. We did well as we were in the bottom 6 teams from the season before and in 1981 won every game until we were very convincingly beaten by Lawrie Mains Southern in the final. I was also picked as Dunedin Club Rugby Player of the year.
The Club Rugby season had ended and it was also end of term university holidays. The rep season was about to begin and apart from other B games for Otago I was not involved (though knocking on the door maybe?).
It was Ski season, not that I could ski, and myself and mates who could, went away for a week and returned to Dunedin midweek as it was still the University holidays.
I had missed the Tuesday meet of the Māori Club (more political than cultural) which I had joined as I wanted to know more about their interests’/ issues as my Mum was actively getting involved and I had a need to know more (and still do).
In regard to the Māori Club, I was really pleased to see and meet the people I was with, including high profile individuals who were on Scholarships and other adult courses.
It was no surprise that they were demonstrating against the forthcoming tour of New Zealand by the Springboks and I agreed with their anti-Apartheid stance. I cannot say that I agreed or disagreed with their methods as it did not involve me and I did not know of any non-peaceful actions that were being planned if there was any.
The ORFU on the Wednesday before (the Otago game was the following Tuesday), asked for rugby club volunteers to go on a vigil at Carisbrooke to stop people invading the ground during the evening and damaging the pitch, I was told that they were putting the Boks in Squash courts as the Anti tour protesters had stopped one game tearing down the fence and making the pitch unplayable. So security for the visiting team was becoming a major logistical issue and things were starting to heat up (but not as yet in my cozy corner of the world….. just yet)
Someone asked me if I wanted to be in his team to do our bit and guard Carisbrooke. I said no problems as it sounded like it could be a bit of fun and I had the job on radio at HQ and my mates went out (not exactly every hour but you know when they could to make sure there was no hanky panky with people breaking into the ground).
It involved them with a radio and reporting in. There was a dog roaming around on the ground and we were told on a couple of times by the owner don’t go on the pitch as he will have your hand off…. I think the boys brought him to the office at one stage to say hi or whoof!
The next day was Thursday and we left Carisbrooke at 12.00 night. We had done our 4-hour shift!
It all went well and the only complaint was that the next team taking over said that the HQ had smelled of booze, there were several empty beer cans and all the booze had been drunk from the booze cabinet and there was none left for them. I had a team talk with the team later and they said they had not seen or heard of anything. I did not believe them!
That Thursday morning (late morning) I decided to go to the Uni Cafe five-minute walk away (flat was at 38 Clyde St). I walked in and as usual walked to the front where the PE crew usually hang out but it was quiet and I could see that the few students that were there about thirty (usually a couple of hundred but because of holidays) were the Art students, well I thought they were, as they dressed a bit different to us PE types (track suits trainers etc) and they had trendy haircuts, dyed hair and wore fashionable trendy lefty clothes…they all wear power suits now and are ambassadors in the New Zealand High Commissions based somewhere in the world!
On entering a few were turning their heads and I could tell they were chatting about me. I am thinking – oh hell have I been pissed somewhere and made an arse of myself and can’t remember?
After getting my meal (chips or ‘fries’ in the UK) I went toward the back of the Cafe as some arty farties had taken it on themselves to sit at the front two tables which were for the PHYS EDDERS! God dam you!
There were people sitting in different places, in different groups, some I knew not very well and some not at all, turned to me and said ‘congratulations’ and I said ‘why?’ and they said you have been picked for the Otago against the Boks on Tuesday.
I thought they were taking the piss and then two others said the same thing and I smiled and said thanks. Still not that convinced, someone I knew said the same thing and I asked ‘where did you hear that?’ and she said ‘on the radio about an hour ago’.
I knew that there was some truth in this now and my heart was pounding as I did not want to show emotion as it felt I had 30,000 people watching me eat every bloody chip as slow as possible in the Café. When I did finish, I slowly headed toward the empty Tray cabinet slid it in and said thanks to a couple more people who said congrats (I had never been so popular with people that were academics) before the sprint back to my place to catch the 12.30 news or 1.00pm news, whatever time it was!
I went straight passed our landlord who lived next door and he wanted to have a chat. I said that I was busting to go to the toilet and sprinted passed him and all I remember him saying as I slammed the door after finally getting my key in was ‘well that is what I wanted to have a chat with you about, can you tell the boys to stop peeing outside as it smells on sunny days!’ (We had an outside toilet and when it rained my three flat mates would pee outside the back door).
Inside the flat I rushed to turn on my flat mate Charlie’s stereo Hifi system and waited ten minutes with eager anticipation and then sports commentator at the time Bill Francis confirmed ‘Mark Hudson the 21-year-old in his second year of rugby has been selected to replace Gary Seer at number eight for Otago against the Springboks on Tuesday at Carisbrooke’
Shiiiit its true!