In 1976, Simon Williams was a seven-year-old living in Cape Town. South Africa was divided by apartheid, and black kids had little hope of ever being seen as equals with their white countrymen.
Bryan Williams was an All Black when they toured South Africa in 1976, and seeing a man of colour playing for his country, not just as an equal, but as a revered member of the team, gave Simon Qilliams hope.
He began supporting the All Blacks and dreamed of travelling to New Zealand to meet his hero.
On the weekend, he did.
In New Zealanders' minds, apartheid and the Springboks will always be linked. All Black teams were criticised and shunned for travelling to South Africa.
"I saw him when I was seven years old, and when I came to New Zealand, one of the first things that I wanted to do it to meet this man," says Simon. "He stole my heart during that time of apartheid because here he was, somebody of the same colour as me, playing for the All Blacks. Anything is possible."
From that point on Simon wanted nothing more than to live in New Zealand where as he saw it, blacks and whites were equal.
Two years ago he moved here to teach maths at Onehunga High School in Auckland.
"I just asked the question, 'Why did you choose New Zealand, of all places?'" says his friend Ben Corbett, "and then I was just blown away. He told me about how he was inspired by seeing Bryan Williams playing rugby as a kid, and I thought, 'Wow, what an incredible story of inspiration,' and to have finally made it here."
So Ben wrote to Campbell Live to see if we could get Simon and his hero together.
"I didn't know anything about it," says Simon. "I was taken aback, surprised, overwhelmed. I didn't think it would happen. I really wanted to meet Bryan and wow, I'm at a loss for words really. I can't explain how I feel."
A few days later, Simon got his wish. At the Ponsonby Rugby Club grounds he finally met the man he has been thinking about for three decades.
Bryan is the director of football at the club, and has inspired many young players here and in South Africa.
"I was one of the first players with dark blood allowed to tour South Africa," he says. "I think it gave hope to a lot of people, and when we returned in '76 you saw gradual signs of change."
The segregation in South Africa was abhorrent to Bryan, but he was fighting against apartheid in his own way.
"As I say, it was a two pronged approach - the protesters, but also for our perspective we were able to show people what was possible… I wanted to be a good All Black and I wanted to win, and prove a point."
Thirty-three years later Simon walks beside a man he never dreamed he'd meet. He meets Bryan's family and introduces his son Joshua, who seems unaware just how big this moment is for his dad.
And there's always time for a chat about the test
match.
source: newshub archive
