The Unexpected Love of South Africans for Rugby's All Blacks

When the New Zealand All Blacks face the Irish in this Saturday's Rugby World Cup quarter-final, Dylan Moodaley, a 32-year-old South African, will slip on the legendary black jersey adorned with the iconic silver fern. This favor for the All Blacks, historic South African Rugby rivals, is endorsed by a significant minority of South Africans, including Moodaley. Their reasons span family tradition, politics, and an admiration of New Zealand's rugby fervor.

Moodaley's support for the All Blacks, contrary to his countrymen backing the Springboks, reflects a deeper-rooted narrative. The native love for the New Zealand squad can trace its origins back to the apartheid era, where the national rugby team - filled almost entirely by white players - served as a symbol of the white segregationist regime.

For nine decades, non-white or player categorized as "coloured" under the racial classification system of apartheid were relegated to secondary championships, barred from international play. Researcher Sebastian Potgieter with the University of Otago in New Zealand explains, “Support for the All Blacks among black and colored South Africans was largely viewed as a symbolic defeat of the white South Africans and apartheid.”

All Blacks' supporter Heston Botha, 64, fondly recalls the All Blacks match in 1970, a time of segregation when they were grouped separately from white fans. Seeded in that crowd, Botha witnessed the All Blacks fielding Maori and Pacific Island players - an act seen as defiance against apartheid.

Half a century later, apartheid has ebbed away, and the Springboks have evolved. They've worked toward diversity within the national team, leading to Siya Kolisi being named the first black player captain in a test match in 2018. However, for some ardent All Blacks supporters like Dylan Moodaley, their loyalty is less politically motivated and more inspired by family tradition and the dominant prowess of the team.