1949 New Zealand rugby union tour of South Africa


1949 saw the second full tour of South Africa by a representative New Zealand rugby union team. The All Blacks achieved a record of 13 wins, 7 losses and 4 draws, and they lost the test series 4–0.
The New Zealand union left Maori players out of the 30-man tour squad to meet apartheid conditions set by South Africa. "Johnny Smith, Ben Couch and Vincent Bevan... were not considered for the South African tour because they were Maori. All three would surely have otherwise gone to South Africa." Smith's official All Black profile now acknowledges "the unforgivable weakness shown by New Zealand rugby".
As this tour took place, a simultaneous Australia tour to New Zealand led to the unusual situation of two All Black tests on 3 September 1949, in Durban and Wellington. The All Blacks lost both. One reason for New Zealand affording the Australian series test status was to allow Maori players excluded from South Africa to earn caps.

Matches

Opposing TeamForAgainstDateVenueStatus
Western Province Universities11931 May 1949Newlands, Cape TownTour Match
Boland854 June 1949Boland Stadium, WellingtonTour Match
South Western Districts2138 June 1949Oudtshoorn Ground, OudtshoornTour Match
Eastern Province6311 June 1949Crusader Ground, Port ElizabethTour Match
Border0915 June 1949Recreation Ground, East LondonTour Match
8018 June 1949Kingsmead, DurbanTour Match
Western Transvaal19322 June 1949Kruger Park, PotchefstroomTour Match
A Transvaal XV6325 June 1949Ellis Park, JohannesburgTour Match
Orange Free State9929 June 1949Kroonstad Ground, KroonstadTour Match
Eastern Transvaal562 July 1949PAM Brink Stadium, SpringsTour Match
Western Province639 July 1949Newlands, Cape TownTour Match
South Africa 11 1516 July 1949Newlands, Cape Town First Test
Transvaal13323 July 1949Ellis Park, JohannesburgTour Match
Rhodesia81027 July 1949Hartsfield, BulawayoTour Match
Rhodesia3330 July 1949Old Hararians' Ground, SalisburyTour Match
Northern Transvaal636 August 1949Loftus Versfeld, PretoriaTour Match
South Africa 6 12 13 August 1949 Ellis Park, Johannesburg Second Test
Northern Universities17317 August 1949Loftus Versfeld, PretoriaTour Match
Griqualand West8620 August 1949De Beer's Stadium, KimberleyTour Match
North-Eastern Districts28324 August 1949Aliwal North Ground, Aliwal NorthTour Match
Orange Free State14927 August 1949Springbok Park, BloemfonteinTour Match
South Africa 3 93 September 1949 Kingsmead, Durban Third Test
Border6610 September 1949Recreation Ground, East LondonTour Match
South Africa8 11 17 September 1949 Crusader Ground, Port Elizabeth Fourth Test
Cape Town Clubs111121 September 1949Newlands, Cape TownTour Match