1949 Rhodesia vs New Zealand rugby union match
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| Event | 1949 New Zealand rugby union tour of South Africa | ||||||
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| Date | 27 July 1949 | ||||||
| Venue | Hartsfield Rugby Ground, Bulawayo, Southern Rhodesia | ||||||
| Attendance | 10,000 | ||||||
In 1949, Rhodesia played a rugby union match against New Zealand (colloquially known as the All Blacks) as a part of the 1949 New Zealand rugby union tour of South Africa. The match was played on 27 July 1949 at Hartsfield Rugby Ground in Bulawayo, Southern Rhodesia. The final result was Rhodesia 10–8 New Zealand.[1][2] As of 2019, this is the only time the All Blacks have been beaten by a non-Test nation and makes Rhodesia one of only eight countries to have won against the All Blacks.[2]
Rugby in Northern and Southern Rhodesia was governed on an all-Rhodesia basis by the Rhodesia RFU but they were treated as a province of South Africa for rugby reasons and their players were eligible for selection by the South African team.[3][4][5] In 1949, the All Blacks visited Rhodesia as a part of their tour of South Africa. The New Zealand team's management for the tour had been troubled due to sailing to South Africa on a ship with little space to train, the team not bringing any Māori players due to South Africa's recently introduced apartheid laws and the fact there was no formal tour coach.[5][6] The team also travelled with only ten capped players and were led by Fred Allen.[4] As a result of there being no Māori players, the All Blacks did not perform their traditional haka before any match in protest with manager Jim Parker explaining "The war cry is a creation of the Māoris and as we have no Māoris with us we are not giving the war cry."[7]
