Interesting article in the New Zealand Herald this morning states that New Zealand Maori rugby side is in line to play a historic series in South Africa later this year.

According to the article Rugby News reports that the Maori will play two matches against a “shadow” Springbok side after the World Cup. The article then further states:

The matches will be part of the benefit for Bakkies Botha and Victor Matfield, who will represent the Springboks for the last time.

One of the fixtures is expected to be played in Soweto while the other will take place in either Cape Town or Pretoria.

The South African Rugby Union paved the way for the fixtures last year after apologising to New Zealand Maori for the disservice done to them in the past.

Talks took place between the two nations about the Maori playing the Springboks in Soweto in 2009, as a build-up to 2010’s British and Irish Lions tour of the Republic.

Plans were shelved because SARU said the Maori were selected on racial lines.

The NZRU also approached SARU last year about the possibility of a South Africa team playing the Maori during their centenary celebrations but were told it couldn’t happen for the same reason.

However on December 4 the SARU amended their rules, opening up the possibility of a game, or even a tour, in the near future.

“The [General] Council agreed to adopt the policy pertaining to the New Zealand Maori, which now paves the way for matches between South African teams and the Maoris [sic],” SARU said in a statement.

SARU president Oregan Hoskins added: “South Africa will play against any team which has the official blessing of its national governing body.”

The change came on the back of a surprise apology last year made to Maori players prevented from touring South Africa with the All Blacks in 1928, 1949 and 1960.

The Maori played the Springboks when they toured New Zealand in 1921, 1956, 1965 and 1981. A Maori team also played a pre-season tournament in South Africa in 1994.

Well I’m glad all that nit picking is sorted and that we can get on with it. I hope that this is a sign that the extreme post-apartheid sensitivity about racism is slowly starting to fade away in the South African society.

Rules – like all religions have experienced over the last few centuries – are a funny thing because life is not always black and white, to use the pun. This hair-splitting about racism and the Maori team not being allowed to play in South Africa reminds one of the pedantry that went on a few decades ago about whether women should wear a hat to church or not.

Race, in general, is a vague concept and it seems to me that the term racism is used far too easily in South Africa to get rid of somebody; to win an argument; to explain or argue against selections whenever the plotter has no firm ground to base his / her arguments on.

Note also the bold sentences in the article above. Firstly, the amendment to the rules now allows the possibility of a Maori team touring to South Africa but secondly the amendment only pertains to the Maori or any team that has the blessing of its national governing body.

Does this mean that if Namibia constructs a Khoi (Boesman) or Herero rugby team and such a team has the blessing of the Namibia rugby board that they can tour South Africa?

Rational thinking would probably be at order when it pertains to these issues. One would for example not try and push the issue by constructing an all-white South African team and apply for SARU’s blessing to tour to another country.

Lastly, the Maori’s did play last year – as part of their centenary celebration – against an international team namely England… and won the match. Considering the SA / Maori history and the whole issue about the 1956 Maori allegedly being told to hold back against the Springboks as well as the 1981 Colin Beck drop goal, one can be sure the Maori will want to prove a point.

For New Zealand society it will be the Louis Luyt argument – that New Zealand didn’t win the World Cup in 1987 (the first World Cup tournament) because it was no real World Cup without South Africa, who didn’t participate – in reverse. In this case they could argue that the 1928, 1949 and 1960 tours were no real All Black tours because there were no Maori’s in those teams. The implication of that would then of course be that South Africa has only really won three series (1937, 1970 and 1976) with two draws (1921 and 1928) out of 12 played against the All Blacks.