From controversy to closure as Roger Bourgarel reflects on his historic rugby journey

More than 50 years ago French rugby player Roger Bourgarel rewrote history as the first black player to be allowed to play against the Springboks as his country toured South Africa in 1971 — as the racially divisive system of apartheid gripped South Africa.

Bourgarel was recently in South Africa for the filming of a documentary centred around his rugby-playing days. That tour from 54 years ago is an integral part of his story, hence he had to return to the country that left him with a lifetime of mixed emotions.      

Selection fiasco

Bourgarel was initially selected, but then he was told that he would not be travelling with the team after all. This was due to the apartheid government’s ban on black athletes competing against official South African national teams. These teams were made up of only white athletes. 

However, Bourgarel was reinstated in the French team after the presidents of French Rugby and South African Rugby both pushed back on the government’s stance. Albert Ferrasse and his South African counterpart Danie Craven ensured that Bourgarel would not be left behind. 

But pressure from the people of France also played a part in the decision to eventually greenlight the historic participation of the speedy and skilful winger known as La Flèche Noire (The Black Arrow). French followers of rugby protested against the exclusion of Bourgarel — who was a popular player in that amateur era of the sport.  

Mixed emotions 

Now, a half-century from that controversial inclusion, Bourgarel is still not certain how he feels about that period in history. The former wing is 78 years old and is the mayor of the small French town of Prunet (Haute-Garonne).

Speaking during a visit to the Alliance Française offices in Johannesburg during the month of October, the Frenchman remembered how othered he felt upon his arrival. White people stared at him because he was with a group of white people. As did the black people. 

“I never really felt black until I arrived in South Africa,” Bourgarel said. “I also felt like the chaos with the selection and me being reinstated was because I was black, instead of the fact that I was a quality rugby player.

“Before I arrived in South Africa I did not understand all the furore around my selection. It’s only when I arrived that the reality of the country hit me,” the Frenchman added. 

“When I arrived in the country, the black people were staring at me. They could not understand what was happening. Why a single black man was fraternising with a group white of people. Their gaze was strange.”

Move with the group

Despite that initial apprehension about his presence, Bourgarel does not remember any particular negative moment after he settled in South Africa and stepped on the field. He was just another rugby player attempting to do his best for his country.

Even when the team went out on social outings during the tour, Bourgarel had no real issues — as long as he stayed with his teammates. But there was one incident that demonstrated to him just how tough black people had it in South Africa at the time. 

“There was one night when we went out with my teammates. When we got to the club entrance, they pushed me to lead the way. ‘Not accepted!’ was the response from the club,” Bourgarel remembered.

When the management of the entertainment venue realised who he was and who he was with, he was eventually allowed into the venue.

Life-changing tour

On the field, France and the Springboks played twice. The first match, played in Bloemfontein, ended in a 22-9 win for the hosts. The French fought valiantly to earn an 8-8 draw in the Durban-hosted second game. The visitors also played seven matches against the South African provincial sides and South West Africa (Namibia). They won all of them.       

All these years later, it’s difficult for Bourgarel to pinpoint the exact impact of the tour on him. Although he says he felt like a “token black” because of the whole controversy, he is also cognisant of the fact that his inclusion sparked debate. But did he leave a different person?

“That’s a difficult question to answer. Yes and no. I was still myself, but there was a subtle change. I did not become an activist or anything like that. But there was an internal change that happened because of the experience. I cannot pinpoint the exact change,” Bourgarel told Daily Maverick. 

Another fact that would have left the Frenchman with mixed emotions is that the apartheid government used his inclusion in the tour as an example that things in the country were not as horrendous as they were made to seem. At this time, a number of South African sports were banned from the international stage due to the racially discriminatory laws of the country — to the chagrin of the racist regime.

The Bourgarel story

The idea for Bourgarel to return to South Africa for the first time since that tumultuous tour was borne out of pure coincidence. French production company Cinquillo Films did a documentary on the late former English footballer Cyrille Regis, working with director Jérémie Magar. 

“When we presented this [Regis] film at different festivals, someone told us about Roger Bourgarel and his story. So, we decided to look into it and we found it fascinating,” Magar told Daily Maverick.

“We then decided to write a documentary where we bring him back to Johannesburg 54 years later. Not to just talk about his journey, but to for him to actually return to South Africa.” 

Now they have turned the documentaries into a series of portraits of different athletes from the past whose origins can be traced back to French Caribbean islands. 

At peace now

The Bourgarel story is a chapter in this series, and Magar said filming the documentary had been emotional, particularly the return to South Africa.   

“For Roger, coming back here was a very powerful moment. This gave him closure for his story [with South Africa],” said Magar. “When he came in 1971, it was problematic. Remember, he was originally selected on merit, then he was removed from the squad because he was black. Then he was selected again to create a political statement,” the filmmaker stated.   

“So, when he was here he was never really at ease with the fact that he was here as the first black. He did not know what to make of it. Now, 54 years later, he acknowledges that a seed [for change] was planted.”  

Bourgarel says he is not too much of a fan of modern rugby, but he enjoys watching his former club Stade Toulousain and their star player Antoine Dupont. 

“I’m not a massive fan of the new type of rugby gameplay. It’s mostly about strength. We used to make the ball circulate much more. These days it feels like it’s combat on a rugby field,” Bourgarel said.

He may not be fond of battles on the rugby field, but his presence during that 1971 tour helped expose the evils of apartheid in its own little way. DM