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Hero image for My Old Man's an All Black - performed by Howard Morrison & Billy T James

My Old Man's an All Black - performed by Howard Morrison & Billy T James

Television (Excerpts) – 1990

'My Old Man’s an All Black' was a big hit for the Howard Morrison Quartet in 1960. The song subverted 'My Old Man's a Dustman' to mock an apartheid South African decree banning Māori players from the touring All Blacks. In this 1990 performance, Morrison and Billy T James (months after heart surgery) update the song’s lyrics for a more recent controversy: the dropping of popular All Black captain Wayne 'Buck' Shelford. Howard ribs rugby’s supposed amateurism, and Billy T explains why Buck isn’t packing down in the scrum. The final haka includes an unexpected guest...

They couldn't take those Māoris to South Africa in 1960. They can now...'cause they get paid! Oh sorry...
– Howard Morrison continues the song's subversive tradition, by poking fun at the debate over professionalism in rugby

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