NZRU and SARU apology to maori

So both the South African and NZ rugby unions have now apologised for excluding maori players from tours to SA. I'm afraid it is pretty meaningless - too late and with the world cup coming up it is obvious the NZRU just want no waves leading up to and during the tournament. But notwithstanding that, it is a positive that the actual apology has been made.

From Stuff

"Today, on behalf of the New Zealand Rugby Union, we wish to say sorry first and foremost to those Maori players who were not considered for selection for teams to tour South Africa or to play South Africa," the statement said.

"We apologise to the families of those players and to the wider Maori community who were affected directly or indirectly by the decisions taken to not include Maori players for those teams and tours.

"It was a period in which the respect of New Zealand Maori rugby was not upheld and that is deeply regretted."

I think that should read "It was a period when the respect of Maori was not upheld and that is deeply regretted."

"The NZRU first set out to consider this issue in 2009 as we prepared for the centenary of New Zealand Maori in 2010 and believed it was right to ask for advice from the NZMRB.

Jeepers only started thinking about it last year - epic fail.

The SARU have also widened their apology.

"A number of Maori rugby players became innocent victims of the racist ideology of our former government, a policy that oppressed the daily lives of all black South Africans," Hoskins said in a statement.

"Those policies also denied thousands of talented black sportsmen and women the opportunity to compete for selection for South Africa's national sports teams.

"As the current guardians of the game of rugby union it is therefore appropriate that we take this opportunity to apologise to those Maori players who may have been excluded from selection and to the offence this may have caused to the Maori community.

"But, even more importantly, this is the opportunity to apologise on behalf of rugby to black South Africans who were denied the opportunity to represent not only their country but also their provinces throughout those long dark years because of the connivance of our predecessors in the systematic suppression of the majority."

They are sorry and we can be thankful for that and I hope it goes someway to creating a farier and more just society there and here.