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IOL News
3 days ago
- Sport
- IOL News
Rugby World Cup 1995: Remembering the Springboks' fallen heroes
New Zealand winger Jonah Lomu is tackled by South African scrumhalf Joost Van der Westhuizen during the Rugby World Cup final in 1995. Photo: Mark Baker/Reuters GAME CHANGING MOMENT: New Zealand winger Jonah Lomu is tackled by South African scrumhalf Joost Van der Westhuizen during the Rugby World Cup final in 1995. Photo: Mark Baker/Reuters It is a tragic postscript to the monumental achievements of the 1995 Springboks that, 30 years later, there are just 10 survivors of the team that started the final against the All Blacks. The New Zealanders have also suffered a loss, with Player of the Tournament Jonah Lomu passing away in Auckland in 2015 because of kidney failure. He was 40. The list of Springboks who have died makes for a sad reading because they were household names that contributed enormously to the rich history of the game in South Africa James Small, Joost van der Westhuizen, Chester Williams, Ruben Kruger, and Hannes Strydom were hugely popular public figures and their deaths at relatively young ages remains keenly felt. The first member of the tightly-knit squad to die was Kitch Christie, the coach who engineered an 'ambulance job' by taking over the team only months before the World Cup. He succumbed to leukemia in Pretoria in 1998. He was 58. The latest squad member to perish was lock Strydom. He was in a tragic car accident two years ago. He was also 58. Strydom, a pharmacist, formed a formidable second row partnership with Transvaal teammate Kobus Wiese. The first '95 hero to pass on was the warrior flank Ruben Kruger. The tough Blue Bull scored a crucial try in the semi-final against France in monsoon conditions in Durban and to this day his teammates swear he scored in the final. Kruger seemed to have got over the line but referee Ed Morrison was unsighted and did not award it. If there had been a TMO, Kruger would have scored. Kruger blacked out during a game in 2000 and tests revealed he had a brain tumor. Surgeons removed the tumour but it resurfaced. After fighting the disease for a decade, Kruger died in January 2010 aged 39.
IOL News
26-05-2025
- Sport
- IOL News
On this day: Samoa shocked Italy, Wales overwhelmed Japan and the All Blacks suppressed Ireland
The All Blacks' Jonah Lomu began his rampage at the Rugby World Cup 1995 against Ireland 30 years ago. Photo: AFP The All Blacks were overwhelming favourites to reclaim the title they had won in 1987 — the inaugural World Cup — but lost to the Wallabies in England in 1991. After the Springboks had opened the 1995 World Cup by defeating the Wallabies on Thursday May 25, the tournament took off on the Saturday when most of the favoured teams flexed their muscles, notably New Zealand and Wales. They played Ireland at Ellis Park and were made to work hard for their 43-19 win. In this era, Ireland were not respected and not feared, and the Kiwis sweated before Jonah Lomu put up an emphatic hand and scored two tries to quell the usual Irish fervour. The Tongan-born Lomu had announced himself on the 1995 World Cup stage and he never left it. Tries were added by the wonderful All Blacks Frank Bunce (centre), flank Josh Kronfeld and fullback Glen Osbourne. Flyhalf Andrew Mehrtens did the rest of the damage with his boot. For the gallant Irish, tries were scored by flank Dennis McBride and No 8 David Corkery, with flyhalf Eric Elwood adding two conversions and a penalty. In Durban, fancied England were almost upset by Argentina, a country that has no love for the English. At that time, the Pumas were not a recognised as a world force but they almost won. In fact, England could not score a try and all their points were scored by flyhalf Rob Andrews. He kicked an impeccable six penalties and two drop goals. The South Americans had the satisfaction of scoring the game's two tries — one by prop Patricio Noriega and the other by flyhalf Lisandro Arbizu. The Free State Stadium hosted Wales versus Japan. This was time when Wales was a force and Japan were still making their way into the top tier of rugby. The Japanese naively tried to run everything against their bigger opponents and while they won the crowd's support, they were always going to be found out. Wales wing Gareth Thomas, on debut, scored three tries while the brilliant kicker Neil Jenkins filled his boots in the 57-10 romp. In East London, Italy and West Samoa were expected to run each other close but in the battle of the teams wearing blue, it was the sky blue Azzurri who were punished by the darker blue of the pacific island team. The Samoans had been the surprise package of the 1991 World Cup when they beat Wales, but Italy were on an upward trajectory mostly because of their brilliant flyhalf Diego Dominguez. However, Samoa bulled the Italians into submission, with their famous wing Brian Lima leading the charge.
The South African
26-05-2025
- Sport
- The South African
Ranked: Five greatest Springbok games of all time
Trying to settle on the greatest Springbok games of all time is an almost impossible task, with four World Cup titles having been won over the last three decades alone. Nevertheless, we have attempted to rank the five games that truly stand out. 1995 Rugby World Cup final With sporting isolation a thing of the past, the Springboks came into the 1995 World Cup with very few expectations, but a courageous team of warriors managed to progress through to the final. Entering the title decider, it was still the mighty All Blacks who were overwhelming favourites despite South Africa's home ground advantage. The virtually unstoppable Jonah Lomu was expected to lead New Zealand to triumph, but instead the home side delivered one of the most iconic team efforts to keep him and his teammates at bay, while the match-winning drop goal from Joel Stransky will forever be etched in Springbok history. 2009 British & Irish Lions, second Test Coming into this series as world champions, the Springboks claimed an impressive victory in the first Test at Kings Park, but no one could have predicted what a fierce backlash it would spark. In one of the most physical and bloody battles in modern Test history, the two teams went toe to toe as Jaque Fourie scored one of the greatest tries of all time. However, it still required a sensational 50m last-minute penalty kick from Morne Steyn to ensure the Springboks came away with one of their most iconic victories of all time (28-25). 2018 Wellington win After a period of struggling performances, the Springboks claimed their first-ever victory over the All Blacks at Wellington's Wespac Stadium in Rassie Erasmus' first year in charge. It was widely credited as the game that gave the team belief that World Cup glory could be possible a year later, and what an epic it was as Aphiwe Dyantyi scored two tries and made a game-defining last-minute intervention to help secure a 36-34 win. Among the records that tumbled, no All Blacks team had previously conceded 36 points against any team on home soil since their first Test match in 1903. It was also their first loss against the Springboks in seven matches at the Westpac Stadium, while the five tries conceded was also a record against South Africa at that venue. 2019 World Cup final After battling Wales in the semi-finals, the Springboks came into the 2019 final needing to produce a vastly-improved performance against a highly fancied England team that had just knocked out the All Blacks. What transpired was one of the most clinical and classy performances in a knockout game of such magnitude, with the Springboks dominating on defence and at scrum time before pulling away to claim a 32-12 victory. And of course, who could ever forget the epic tries scored by Makazole Mapimpi and Cheslin Kolbe in a victory for the ages. 2023 World Cup quarter-final There were so many games in the 2023 World Cup that were absolute thrillers, including the title decider against arch-rivals New Zealand, which the Springboks won by a solitary point. However, it's impossible to overlook the quarter-final win against hosts France in a match that undoubtedly had one of the most electric atmospheres in the history of world rugby. After just managing to stay in the game after a frightfully fast start from France, the Springboks scored some stunning tries through Eben Etzebeth, Kurt-Lee Arendse, Damian de Allende and Cheslin Kolbe, who also completed one of the most iconic charge-downs. Eventually triumphing 29-28, it was undoubtedly one of the most iconic matches of all time. Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 0211. Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.
Otago Daily Times
23-05-2025
- Sport
- Otago Daily Times
Runit craze should be nabbed in its infancy
Dumber than the film Dumb and Dumber, the 'Runit' craze is crass and brainless. It's the new 'sport' where two people run at each other to 'dominate' the collision. On every level, it's stupid. No wonder there's been an outcry as it reached these shores this week. No wonder neurologists are appalled. It does not require much in the way of brains to know this activity is wrong. Runit started recently in Melbourne, endeavouring to ape the collision impacts of rugby, rugby league and American Football. It describes itself as the world's fiercest new combat sport. Unsurprisingly, participants are sometimes knocked out, although Runit feebly claims that's a possible side effect and not a feature, unlike other combat sports. Runit also touts the vetting of participants, the presence of doctors and strict rules. Legitimate sports have been recognising the dangers of repeated head knocks, head injuries and CTE (chronic traumatic encephalopathy). Various protocols, stand downs, and rule changes have been introduced. Yet, this raw, crude pastime surges in popularity, attracting many millions of online views. This week, Runit hosted competitions in Auckland, attracting big names, and rival organisations had plans. Run it Straight 24's two events in South Auckland were cancelled after it failed to secure a venue. A clip from one of its Australian challenges is dumbfounding in its horror. A big crowd, including scores of children, cheered as a contestant was knocked out. He twitched on the ground in an apparent fit. Up the Guts NZ was entering the fray using a Jonah Lomu image in its advertising. Sickeningly, it claims the event will raise mental health and suicide awareness. Instead, it's more likely to cause long-term mental distress, given the connection between repeated head knocks and rapid head acceleration and CTE. CTE is linked with dementia and mental health deterioration. Its event today was also cancelled, the organiser citing the backlash to Runit. Up the Guts has under-18s, light heavyweight and super heavyweight divisions. What could go wrong? Let's injure teenagers as well. The presence of prominent sportsmen is deeply disappointing. Runit matched former English rugby league star George Burgess against rugby's Nemani Nadolo, a former Crusader. Sporting stars in New Zealand and Australia are associating with Runit. It reflects poorly on them. After preliminaries this week, the NZ finals in June boast a $200,000 first prize. The Runit league will later move to the United States, Saudi Arabia and Britain. New Zealand Rugby has condemned it, and rugby league should do likewise. Players and ex-players should be discouraged from any role in supporting events. Brutal MMA (mixed martial arts) and boxing already feature in the sporting world. Both, like Runit, appeal viscerally to basic instincts. All three are invitations to brain damage. The rise of another harmful combat sport is distressing. Runit and its counterparts have been labelled dumb. That hits the mark. ★★★ On to a genuine sport and more on the "misuse" of words. A "despairing cricket tragic" in an email let loose a bouncer (bumper in older parlance) on "nab" as used by ODT sports journalists and others for "take", as in "he came on to bowl and nabbed Smith's wicket". "Nab only means to catch a thief or to make a theft. "Why can't they simply use 'take/took' or use precise language such as 'bowled' or 'had Smith stumped' or 'had Smith caught in the gully'?" From the Collins Dictionary, the first two meanings, "to arrest" and "to catch (someone) in wrongdoing", agree. The third, "to seize suddenly; snatch", perhaps provides a little wriggle room. The dictionary's list of examples includes two from football, goals being nabbed rather than scored. This is another example of words changing meaning and language losing precision. Nab has swung a long way from its 16th to 17th century use as thieves' slang. civis@
The South African
12-05-2025
- Sport
- The South African
A legend at 50: Remembering All Blacks great Jonah Lomu
All Blacks and world rugby superstar, Jonah Lomu, would have turned 50 on Monday, 12 May 2025. Thirty years ago, when he turned 20, he was on the cusp of becoming rugby's greatest star. He had debuted for the All Blacks a year earlier when playing two Tests against France, a less-than-memorable start to a Test career that, due to a kidney illness, was brief but stratospheric compared to anything that had gone before. Little did anyone suspect that when he was one of All Blacks coach Laurie Mains' final selection choices for the 1995 Rugby World Cup, in the recently restored democracy of South Africa, that his actual arrival in the game would occur when rugby jumped the Rubicon of amateurism and became professional. As compelling as Jonah Lomu's play was at the World Cup, who will ever forget his four tries in the semi-final against England. While the All Blacks fell in an extra-time final to hosts South Africa, the synchronicity of his emergence and the earth-shattering opening of the game was a perfect storm. Lomu gave rugby a face in the rugby world that surpassed anything that could have been pre-arranged to launch the game as worthy of a place among sports competing for the public's attention around the globe. Who needed a swept-up publicity campaign for the newfound form of rugby to capture the attention of world sports fans? A ready-made star, whose impact, skill and power emerged at the perfect time, could only have been maximised in the commercial environment that the change to professionalism allowed. It had potential benefits for Lomu the individual, but had greater value for rugby overall. For seven years, he was a lightning rod for rugby's advance into the uncharted waters of a money game that had to be shared, finally, by players who had seen the monetary rewards for their labours go into the bank accounts of those controlling rugby unions, which held those finances in iron fists. Jonah Lomu gave New Zealand, one of the smallest and most vulnerable of rugby's nations, an advantage in competing for the vital sponsors' dollars to establish themselves in a position to maintain their station at the top of the rugby world order. The move to professionalism was expected to disadvantage New Zealand and the All Blacks, who were frequently described as 'the most professional amateur side' in the world game. Not for monetary reasons, but for the attitude with which they played the game. That hasn't happened, and the more time advances since that day in 1995 when the monetary floodgates opened, the more it is apparent that Lomu was a key factor in ensuring the All Blacks remained among the most competitive of sides. Their place in the game didn't reduce; it improved. And Lomu continued to perform despite coping with the ravages of that kidney illness. The illness forced Lomu from the game earlier than was wanted. He played his final Test, his 63rd, having scored 37 tries, in 2002. He played his last first-class game in 2006, ending a career in which he scored 126 tries, shared in a World Cup Sevens title and won a gold medal in Sevens at the 1998 Commonwealth Games. But in spite of his death at the age of 40 in 2015, the marvels of modern technology have ensured that his dominant skills are forever available through video memories on any number of platforms on the internet. Jonah Lomu was a flashing comet across the sporting sky, but in his trail he left indelible memories scattered in his wake, a genuine All Blacks phenomenon. Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1 Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.
