All Blacks or Nothing

THERE is a deep-seated love of the All Blacks in Uitenhage. Here flags fly high above houses in the Eastern Cape town famous for its Volkswagen car and Goodyear tyre factories. Some of its residents even have the silver fern tattooed into their skin; their blood is not green and gold. “We have been called unpatriotic and traitors all our lives because we support the All Blacks,” David Koraan says. But, he explains, wearing the silver fern is a form of protest against the history of the Springboks. “Fairness needs to come to rugby in this country. The Springboks are not representative of us. They are 90% white.” He is not alone. Ivor Sias, 60, says: “I’m old now, but I have always fought for the inclusion of mixed-race and African players in rugby.” Sias saw the All Blacks play in East London in the 1970s, against Border. He saw Sid Going, the former All Blacks halfback, play and was mesmerised by his skill. “We had to sit behind the posts in cages to watch the game. “We learnt what apartheid was back then when rugby was played because there were separate leagues depending on your skin colour.” Sias has supported the All Blacks since. David Goliath, 80, went to watch the All Blacks play in the 1960s and 1970s and also remembers being “caged ” with African and coloured supporters at the end of the ground. “If the local team lost to New Zealand we had to run out of the stadium, because they would hit us. Ever since those days I never looked at the Boks again,” he says. “We are proud South Africans, but we are also proud All Blacks supporters. Some of that comes through the political situation, some comes through not being included by the Springboks brand. But our children are free to choose who they support, because we live in a free country,” he says.