Why the All Blacks’ tour of South Africa matters beyond the big Tests

Almost 30 years ago, I was the youngest player in a Western Province side that faced the touring British & Irish Lions. We were beaten heavily, but the occasion remains one of the great highlights of my career because the Lions team was almost identical to their Test side and the atmosphere was unforgettable.

About 10 minutes after the final whistle, our players had gathered in the changing room. We had reflected on the match, praised the gods of rugby, thanked one another and begun picking apart what had happened.

Then there was a knock at the door.

One of the coaches opened it to find Jason Leonard, the British & Irish Lions Test legend and England’s record-holder for forward caps, standing there with a broad smile. He had a jersey tucked under one arm and two beers in his hands.

He asked: “Can you show me where Bob Skinstad sits?”

I was close enough to answer. “Well, I’m Bob and I can show you!”

Leonard handed me a beer, walked over to my place in the changing room and sat down. He had brought me a present: his Lions jersey from the match. I still have it.

I was starstruck and tried to give him my Western Province shirt in return, but he refused.

“I’m an old fella now and it’s my opportunity to meet young players who are gonna be part of the game for a long time – keep this and as you get older, when you get a chance, pass on the baton. You can give away jerseys in other change rooms around the world, it’s part of the journey, my friend.”

It was an extraordinary lesson, and one that stayed with me. Years later, after I had retired, I sought out Leonard and helped with work for his now-famous Atlas Foundation rugby charity. He has since become a close friend, and we get on like a house on fire.

More importantly, that friendship began with a rugby tour. It is one of the reasons I have always believed tours are so important to the game.

Rugby is unique in the way it combines confrontation and respect. It is the closest thing to a war or fight, with rules, where opponents can try to beat the living daylights out of one another and still share a deep respect afterwards.

The sport spread across the world through boarding schools and army barracks in foreign countries. People serving national service or attending schools far from home discovered rugby and developed a lasting love for it.

Tours carry that same spirit. Players travel away from home, proud to represent their country and ready to compete, but with the opportunity to understand and assess opponents in a way that a single Test match rarely allows.

Traditional tours declined after rugby turned professional. Big-ticket fixtures and play-off-style matches became the priority for national teams, while David and Goliath contests between international sides and provincial teams almost disappeared.

That is what makes Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry so compelling. The schedule is not limited to the headline matches; it includes a sequence of midweek fixtures that brings the visiting team into different communities.

The programme features the All Blacks against the Stormers, the Sharks, the Bulls and the Lions.

Many outstanding players emerge from the provincial system but never receive multiple opportunities to play Test rugby against New Zealand. Some may never represent the Springboks at all. That is not a criticism of teams such as the Stormers, who are a fantastic outfit, but simply a reality of international selection.

This tour changes that. It gives those players the chance to test themselves against some of the best in the world and against South Africa’s greatest rival.

Everyone wants an opportunity to face the biggest obstacle and discover how good they can become. The midweek matches provide exactly that.

A series of Tests can eventually blend into one another in the memory. A tour is different. Its timetable, its travel and its matches in smaller or less familiar parts of South Africa create memories that last.

It gives local supporters access to the All Blacks and to their friendly, genial and fun-loving character. It also gives the All Blacks the opportunity to visit places they might otherwise never see.

A Tuesday or Wednesday night against a spirited local side can become a major occasion in its own right. A local hero landing a series of penalties or racing through for a try can quickly turn what was expected to be a training exercise into a serious contest.

The work required against those teams may prove every bit as demanding as a match against the Springboks.

I am especially pleased to see the tour format return because I have travelled extensively around New Zealand as both a player and commentator and would love to do so again. It is one of the most hospitable, rugby-mad countries in the world and rivals South Africa for the respect and affection shown towards its national team.

Aotearoa offers remarkable hospitality, geographical variety and unforgettable moments. Rugged coastlines, snow-covered mountains and waves breaking along black-sand beaches remain vivid memories from my visits.

I am sure New Zealand supporters are envious of the structure Rassie Erasmus has created around South Africa’s player-development programme. They can see a clear plan, young players becoming modern-day Springboks and a depth chart that gives the country real strength.

This tour will offer them an insight into that system and introduce them to players they may encounter again in the future.

When South Africa eventually return to New Zealand, I will be equally excited to see them play not only the provinces and NPC sides but also the next generation of talent. Perhaps we will meet the next Richie McCaw or Ardie Savea, or discover a brotherly combination in the mould of the Barrett family.

There is plenty to anticipate and enjoy. Supporters should buy their tickets, attend the midweek and provincial matches, and celebrate Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry.

Long live the tour – let’s get at them. Go Stormers!