Meet the South Africans who want the All Blacks to win tonight

National identity isn't the only reason to back a team – and these three proud All Black supporters, all originally from South Africa, prove it. Lauren Marrion talks to them about passion, loyalty and racial tension and finds out why they made the switch.

It’s one of the most iconic rivalries in sport, the All Blacks vs the Springboks. For over a century, the two teams have battled it out on the rugby field, and the tension hasn’t always been just about the game.

During South Africa’s apartheid era, sport was deeply politicised and, for many around the world, the Springboks became a symbol of racial segregation. The situation famously errupted in Aotearoa during the 1981 Springbok tour, with widespread protests against apartheid dividing New Zealand, interrupting some games and completely stopping others.

Fast-forward to today, and an interesting phenomenon has emerged: a growing number of South Africans both living in New Zealand and back in South Africa are choosing to support the All Blacks. A source involved in rugby ticketing in Cape Town (home to the largest All Blacks fan base in South Africa), says demand skyrockets when the ABs come to town. For a stadium with 58,000 seats, up to 300,000 fans register for tickets.

As fans prepare for tonight's match between these two rugby giants at Eden Park, Auckland, I spoke with South African-born All Blacks supporters now living in Aotearoa to find out what drives their loyalty to the men in black.

Danie Westraadt works as an aircraft engineer at Air New Zealand, having moved to New Zealand from Pretoria, South Africa, in 2008. Over 17 years of living in New Zealand with his wife, a nurse, and their now teen daughter, Westraadt has developed a love for his local community and for his adopted country's culture and sports.

Growing up in a sport-mad household, rugby has always been top of the agenda. Although the All Blacks and SA didn’t play lots of internationals against each other, the All Blacks have always been an amazing team and pretty much the benchmark of international rugby. After the 1992 All Blacks tour to South Africa, the admiration grew bigger and bigger.

Moving to New Zealand in 2008 has been an amazing journey for me and my family. You become part of everyday life in New Zealand, and form part of local communities. I wouldn’t say it was a specific game as such. But obviously having players the likes of McCaw, Carter, Muliaina playing for the ABs made the transition easy.

Obviously there has been, and sometimes still is criticism from fellow South Africans. But everyone’s entitled to their own opinion or preference. Mostly it has been in good spirit.

Being a hardcore rugby supporter I’ll watch the games, but wouldn’t get up at 4 in the morning, if that makes sense.

I believe there is no place for politics in sports. The game should be played in the spirit it is intended in. I’m too young to remember the 1981 tour, but it seems evident that politics in rugby divided a nation.

I suppose being humble in everyday life comes from seeing the way Richie McCaw captained and led the All Blacks. It shows in life you don’t have to be the biggest (player size/population) to be successful.

The Silver Fern, that originates from the koru, meaning new life/new beginning, would be symbolic to my adopted country. I’m proud to be called a Kiwi… and an All Black supporter.

Jozaine Josephs only moved to New Plymouth from Johannesburg last year, but he's been passionately cheering for the All Blacks since the iconic 1995 Rugby World Cup. A pastor at the Seventh-day Adventist Church, Jozaine has two daughters and a son who shares his love for the All Blacks.

I was impressed by their inclusion of all ethnic groups within NZ, while SA only had one person of colour in the team – Chester Williams. I could not understand, with all the talent among our people, how only one person of colour could make the Springbok team. That drew me to the All Blacks.

Most of their support comes from the non-white, ‘mixed race’ community, who were previously disadvantaged by our sports policy.

The message passed to me was that we are more than the colour of our skin. We should be judged by our ability and content of character.

It made me dislike our rugby. Yet, it also drove me to never judge people based on their skin colour.

We found the team to be very racial and segregated. His inclusion did not provide us with hope for future children of colour. We knew of many who were of equal calibre to him, or better, who weren’t considered.

Yes, I do. People say apartheid is over and the team is now more representative. But the past cannot be so easily erased. Even today, players of colour experience more scrutiny than their white counterparts. They always have to play to a different bar.

Growing up, every rugby player wanted to be like Jonah Lomu. From his hair to how he ran over others—it was all admirable. He brought countries together to enjoy rugby.

When SA plays teams like the Wallabies, I support them out of patriotism, not because I support the politics around rugby. The national anthem reminds me of the Outeniqua Mountains, the ocean, of the wilderness, the braais and biltong… and that makes me homesick.

Leonie Winter's love for the All Blacks began even before she moved from Rustenburg, South Africa, to New Zealand in 2019. She and her partner have three grown children and are passionate about helping fellow South Africans settle in New Zealand.

The All Blacks’ consistent performance and style of play drew me in. Their emphasis on teamwork, discipline, and innovation resonated with me. As I followed their journey, I found myself naturally gravitating towards them and knew New Zealand would be my home.

They were surprised and amused. Some teased me about ‘betraying’ the Springboks. But I handled it with humour. My appreciation for the All Blacks didn’t diminish my love for South African rugby.

While I understand the importance of promoting diversity, it’s essential that selections balance merit with inclusion. The team’s integrity relies on fair and transparent decision-making.

Follow live updates of the All Blacks v South Africa on 1News.co.nz from 7pm tonight.