Springboks’ arrival sets pulses racing …
Fifty years ago the South African rugby team came to Masterton.
It was on a Tuesday, August 31, 1965.
Other headlines in the Wairarapa Times-Age that week spoke of a Greek premier resigning, the Beatles’ influence on international fashion, and a South Vietnam military leader saying peace negotiations were not yet possible.
United States President Lyndon Johnson was, however, claiming victory in the space race and, closer to home, the region was sending flyers around New Zealand to advertise top-level athletics festival the Masterton Golden Games, which had debuted in 1963.
It was a few years before the Wairarapa and Bush rugby unions came together, and Wairarapa-Bush was only formed for significant matches, such as this one.
The Times-Age write-up the day before kicked off in grand style, saying every rugby player’s ambition “must be to some day play against the redoubtable Springboks, and tomorrow at Memorial Park, Masterton, another set of representatives will make history for Wairarapa-Bush”.
The Boks had arrived by train from Wellington on the Sunday morning beforehand, with a crowd of 500 greeting them with an official welcome at the Masterton train station.
The Mayor of Masterton, Norm Tankersley, said Wairarapa folk “yielded to no one as a rugby-loving community, and their pulses had been considerably quickened as a result of the Springboks’ arrival”.
Mr Tankersley doubted much work would be done in the town on the day of the game.
An exception to this was the work of the Transport Department, which called in all available traffic officers as well as bringing in extras from the Hutt Valley, Palmerston North and Dannevirke.
The Masterton Magistrates Court was keeping its caseload to a minimum, “to free traffic and police officers”, and was expected to be finished by midday.
Besides the main grandstand a scaffolding grandstand had been erected the full length of the field on the other side of the field
The team was captained by Brian Lochore, then at 24 already a veteran of 18 All Blacks Tests.
The game was the first international for halfback Brent Elder, who was 20 at the time – one of the youngest and certainly the lightest of the team at just 58kg.
Mr Elder remembers the privilege of playing in an international match.
“It was pretty special, I think – the first time you put on a jersey against an international … we were pretty respectful of that. You played accordingly … the crowd was phenomenal.”
According to the Wairarapa Times-Age at the time: “The slight but resilient Brent Elder at halfback emerged from his first ‘big’ game with a greatly enhanced reputation. His courage in the face of the Springbok forwards was strong, and he served his backs faithfully.”
Wairarapa and Bush were separate unions then, but fielded a combined team against the Springboks and the Lions.
“We (Wairarapa) had a good team, and Bush were reasonably strong,” Mr Elder said
The Times-Age also reported that someone had stolen the Springbok flag some time on the day of the match – a crime of which Mr Elder professed ignorance.
Wairarapa-Bush had played the Springboks twice previously. In 1921, South Africa won 18-3. In 1956, the visitors won 18-9.
The Wairarapa-Bush team for the 1965 match was was: Ian McHardy, Gordon Humphrey, Ronald Hoskin, Ronald Walker, William Fleming, Ross Mills, Brent Elder, Brian Lochore, Kevin Keegan, Robert Meadows, Neville Mears, George Mahupuku, J McAlley, Anthony Udy, Michael Peachey.
Reserve backs: Barry McTamney, Kerry Crossman, A McDougal. Reserve forwards: David Oliver, Ian Turley, Ronald Horton.
Unfortunately on the day, the home team failed to gain any points and the Springboks managed seven tries.
The final score: South Africa 36: Wairarapa-Bush 0.
By Gerald Ford – Wairarapa Times-Age
