 Tobias received his call-up to the national team's tour to New Zealand in 1981 from Dr Danie Craven via telephone.Before the ill-fated Springbok tour, managed by Johan Claassen and coached by Nelie Smith, Tobias prepared to play on the rain-soaked rugby fields that he expected to encounter by turning his back yard into a mud-bath.His selection was controversial at home and abroad, with some critics suggesting that he was included as a token Black player.