The 1971 Springboks: 'Coming between these blokes and their sport was the most dangerous thing I've done'

In this extract from his book Pitched Battle, Larry Writer details how Australia became a nation at war with itself when the apartheid-era all-white South African rugby team touredIn 1971, when the racially selected all-white South African rugby team toured, Australia became a nation at war with itself. There was bloodshed as tens of thousands of anti-apartheid campaigners clashed with governments, police, and rugby fans. Following games in Perth, Adelaide, and Melbourne, the Springboks moved to true rugby territory: Sydney.On 6 July, a cold, clear day, 300 police ringed the perimeter fence of…