item details
NameTwo members of St John's College run onto Rugby Park, Hamilton, while two supporters of Springbok Rugby Tour try to stop them, 1981
ProductionPeter Black; photographer; 1981; Waikato
Classificationgelatin silver prints, black-and-white prints, black-and-white photographs, works of art
Materialssilver, photographic paper, photographic gelatin
Materials Summaryblack and white photograph, gelatin silver print
Techniquesblack-and-white photography
DimensionsImage: 161mm (height), 240mm (length)
Registration NumberO.003025
Credit linePurchased 1983 with New Zealand Lottery Board funds
Overview
This photograph shows a dramatic moment before the Springboks versus Waikato rugby game at Rugby Park in Hamilton on 25 July 1981. About 350 anti-tour protesters invaded the field. There were violent scenes as rugby supporters scuffled with protesters and pelted them with bottles, and the game had to be abandoned.
The cross was carried on to the field by two students from St John’s Theological College in Auckland. In this image, two rugby supporters are trying to hold them back.
The cross was a powerful symbol of the Christian churches’ protest against apartheid, although the protest act itself was unsanctioned. Like other institutions, church congregations were divided over the tour.