Cecil Blazey
Cecil Blazey was the chairman of the New Zealand Rugby Football Union during the controversial 1981 Springbok Tour. Blazey worked for many organisations before the NZRFU and so had extensive knowledge of how they worked. In 1966 Blazey told the South African Rugby Board that the NZRFU would not contemplate an invitation that disqualified Maori from touring with the All Blacks in 1967. Cecil Blazey and NZRFU again invited South Africa to send a team for a tour in 1981. This tour surrounded by controversy went ahead.
Blazey came under huge scrutiny and pressure to call off the tour. However through all this Blazey never refused to do an interview but declined giving personal opinion on the issue instead only stating the policy decisions of the NZRFU. Blazey resigned as chairman of the New Zealand Amateur Athletic Association when the members made it clear that his chairmanship with the rugby union conflicted with the NZAAA's stand of being against apartheid in sport.
Blazey believed the politics had no place in sport and this is way he believed the the tour should go ahead. It was a game of rugby not a big political battle in his mind. He stated, "The primary purpose of the tour was to play rugby football. This was achieved." The Rugby Union then refused to authorise players to tour as individuals. When an unofficial team, the Cavaliers, defied the union and toured in 1986, Blazey felt they had betrayed the union and undermined its authority. Blazey retired from his role as chairman of the NZRFU in 1986.
Blazey came under huge scrutiny and pressure to call off the tour. However through all this Blazey never refused to do an interview but declined giving personal opinion on the issue instead only stating the policy decisions of the NZRFU. Blazey resigned as chairman of the New Zealand Amateur Athletic Association when the members made it clear that his chairmanship with the rugby union conflicted with the NZAAA's stand of being against apartheid in sport.
Blazey believed the politics had no place in sport and this is way he believed the the tour should go ahead. It was a game of rugby not a big political battle in his mind. He stated, "The primary purpose of the tour was to play rugby football. This was achieved." The Rugby Union then refused to authorise players to tour as individuals. When an unofficial team, the Cavaliers, defied the union and toured in 1986, Blazey felt they had betrayed the union and undermined its authority. Blazey retired from his role as chairman of the NZRFU in 1986.