New Zealand brothers recall divisive 1981 Springbok rugby tour

Forty‑five years after the 1981 South African Springbok rugby tour of New Zealand, brothers Lindsay and Bryce Amner reflected on the day the match was cancelled. The tour sparked a nationwide protest movement, with more than 150,000 demonstrators taking part in over 200 rallies over 56 days as New Zealanders opposed apartheid and the decision to host the team.

Lindsay, then 16, paid to watch Waikato play the Springboks, while 18‑year‑old Bryce joined the crowd outside Rugby Park in Hamilton. Both witnessed the first deployment of riot police with batons, shields and tear‑gas. The violent clash and subsequent cancellation of the game left a lasting memory of a society divided by politics and sport.