There were a huge range of social and political causes behind the 1981 Springbok tour protests. The ultimate cause was the Apartheid regime, which New Zealanders felt they had to oppose due to racial segregation behind the legislation. However there were a number of contributing factors that led to the Springbok tour protests. The cancellation of the 1973 Springbok tour was a major contributing factor as tensions regarding it had built up among those who wanted the tour to go ahead, however the cancellation of that tour gave anti-tour protesters an incentive. The Gleaneagles agreement meant New Zealand had signed an agreement not to partake in sporting action with South Africa further emphasizing the idea that the anti-tour protesters were right in their actions. Previous protest action meant that groups were already formed surrounding the tour and there was already public opinion brewing about racially selected teams and the Apartheid regime. All of these factors contributed to causing the Springbok tour protest actions. No one would have imagined the amount of chaos that was going to follow on from these causes of the protests.