Mr Pearce Says No Change In Policy

Press, Volume CIV, Issue 30934, 15 December 1965, Page 22

Mr Pearce Says No Change In Policy

(New Zealand Preu Aliociationi AUCKLAND, December 14. If New Zealanders thought that the cancellation of the 1967 All Black tour of South .Africa .because Maoris could no be included would cause a change of the South African Government’s policy they were deluding themselves, said Mr T. H. Pearce, president of the New Zealand Rugby Union today.

Mr Pearce has returned from a short world tour which included his appearance as guest speaker at the Rand Sports writers’ dinner at Johannesburg on December 2.

Basically, there had been no change in the tour situation, said Mr Pearce.

The Sooth African Rugby Board, which decided unanimously some months ago to seek a fully representative New Zealand team, had not changed its view and was still unanimous. “They met the Minister of the Interior, Senator J. J. de Klerk.” Mid Mr Pearce, “but he only reiterated the past Government policy which does not allow mixed-blood teams." “There is no change in their attitude. “I spoke to a lot of people while in South Africa and they were all upset at the situation and at the possibility

that there would not be an All Black tour. “But there are other factors in the glib talk about cancellinr the tour,” said Mr Pearce. “This is a big problem, and not only in Rugby. “The principle that there will be no tour if Maoris will not be accepted before the team is chosen applies to all sports tours from New Zealand to South Africa. Mr Pearce denied that he had said at the sportswriters’ dinner, as a report quoted, “that if politicians get into sport, sport will get into politics and some fine heads will roll.” This was a revival of a statement he had made in 1960 while manager of the All Black tour of South Africa. “What I did say,” said Mr

Pearce, “is that sport must not enter politics just as much as politicians must not make a political shuttlecock of sport —they have too much to put right in their own sphere themselves.”