New Zealand legend’s verdict on SA Rugby’s proposed apology to Māori All Blacks

Legendary All Blacks winger Sir Bryan Williams has welcomed the proposed formal apology from SA Rugby for the historic exclusion of the Māori players during the country’s apartheid era.

Last week, SA Rugby president Mark Alexander revealed that plans are in place to welcome the Māori All Blacks to South Africa in 2026, and that his organisation are hoping to formally apologise for Māori players’ historic exclusion during South Africa’s apartheid era.

Māori and Pasifika players were barred from touring with the All Blacks to South Africa in 1949 and 1960, while the likes of Williams, who is of Samoan heritage, Sid Going and Billy Bush were infamously given ‘honorary white’ status for the 1970 and 1976 tours.

Alexander revealed the negotiations with NZ Rugby at the launch of ‘Scrumming Against All Odds’, a book that recognises the fight for justice and equality of players who were denied the opportunity to represent South Africa during apartheid.

“We must also acknowledge that the injustice of apartheid extended beyond our borders,” he was quoted as saying by Keo.co.za.

‘That exclusion was a stain on our history’

“The Māori All Blacks – a team rich in heritage and pride – were denied the right to tour South Africa for decades, simply because they were not white. That exclusion was a stain on our history and it is long overdue that we confront it with humility and remorse.

“I am pleased to share that the South African Rugby Union is currently in discussion with our counterparts in New Zealand to host the Māori All Blacks for two matches on South African soil next season.”

Williams was recently interviewed by Michael Laws on the The Platform NZ podcast and was asked for his views about the upcoming apology.

“I think of just the history of All Black rugby and George Nepia in 1928, and Johnny Smith in 1949, and other Maori players who were denied the opportunity to go to South Africa,” he replied.

“I’m sure for their whanau (extended family group), that’ll be well received.

“And you could say, you know, there’s already been some apologies and why keep apologising, but I don’t think you can ever apologise enough for those sort of awful events.”

Due to the segregation laws to South Africa’s different races during apartheid, most of the country’s black and coloured spectators usually supported teams like the All Blacks when they faced the Springboks, who were an all-white side during the time that Williams faced them.

‘A stain on our history’ – SA Rugby to issue ‘overdue’ apology to Māori All Blacks

“We became their boys. I guess they saw us as representing the so-called coloured races,” he said.

“I’ll just tell you a little story, which just indicated the stupidity of apartheid. And when we arrived at Johannesburg airport, we climbed off the plane and walking through the terminal, and believe it or not, I spotted one of my cousins, my dad’s sister, her daughter, who was living in South Africa at the time with her hubby.

“And I leant across to give her a peck on the cheek, and she actually pulled away from me.

“And later on, she apologised. She said ‘Listen, Brian, I’m really sorry I had to do that’. But she said ‘We can’t take anything for granted. We can’t be too sure about this apartheid’.

‘It was tearing people apart, really’

“And it really just hit home to me what apartheid was about. It was tearing people apart, really.”

Williams is regarded as one of New Zealand’s greatest ever players and made his All Blacks Test debut against the Springboks on the controversial South Africa tour in 1970 as a 19-year-old.

His international rugby career lasted from 1970 to 1978 in which he played 113 matches (including 38 Tests) and scored 66 tries in all matches as an All Black (10 tries in Tests), which was a record eventually beaten by Sir John Kirwan.

Although he is regarded as one of the All Blacks’ greatest players, Williams revealed that he was not the first rugby player of Samoan heritage to represent New Zealand.

“There were a couple of Solomon brothers, Dave Solomon and Frank Solomon, who were first selected way back in the 1930s,” said the 74-year-old.

“So there had been some Samoan players. There’d been some other Pacific Islanders, George Skudder, Arthur Jennings in 1967, and another Tongan chap by the name of Walter Batty, way back also in the 1930s.

“So I wasn’t actually the first, but I guess because of the significance of being one of those, the first to go to apartheid South Africa, it certainly created some publicity.”

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