The Springboks have welcomed Hamilton as the venue for  Saturday’s crucial Tri-Nations Test against the All Blacks as a  means of showcasing SA’s progress since the end of apartheid.

The showdown between the two Titans of world rugby is being  played on the same ground where anti-apartheid protestors stormed  the field in 1981 to force the abandonment of the Springboks’ match  against the provincial Waikato side.

It was an era when contact with predominantly white SA teams was discouraged.

Springbok captain John Smit said the significance of the protest  in the republic’s rugby and political history has not been lost on  his mixed-race side and their first black coach Peter de  Villiers. “Now we’ve got an opportunity to celebrate how far we’ve come  since 1981 as a country, and to celebrate that in no better way  than using rugby playing for our country against the All Blacks who  are our greatest foe,” he said.

“So it’s a wonderfully positive thing to be able to do so and  see how far as a country we’ve come in a short period of time.”  The Springboks go into the match with a nine-point lead in the  Tri-Nations championship and even if they lose but get a bonus  point for finishing within seven of the All Blacks it should be enough for them to secure the crown.

The All Blacks, however, need bonus point wins against SA and again against Australia in the final match next weekend  to have a chance of retaining the title they have held for the past  four years.

But Smit said looking back at the history of the Springboks at  Waikato Stadium will not be used as a pre-match motivating factor. “Saturday will certainly only be about rugby. I think what’s  helped us go forward as a country is that we’ve focused on all the  positive things and all the things we can have an effect on now, in  the present, and try and make sure we go forward in a positive way.

“By focusing solely on the game and on each other and on  representing our country that will be a testament to the direction  we’ve taken as a country since that time.” The Springboks, who delayed their arrival in Hamilton until  Thursday evening, visited the stadium on Friday for their final  training run before the Test. — Sapa-AFP