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The Star
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Star
Rugby World Cup 1995: How Os Du Randt went from unknown to cornerstone of the Springboks' triumph
A year out from the 1995 Rugby World Cup, Os du Randt was a 21-year-old diesel mechanic. He did not have the faintest clue that months later he would be wearing a World Cup-winners medal. How did he go from rugby unknown to anchor of the Springboks' World Cup-winning scrum? Let's look at the making of a Bok legend. Pieter du Randt was a farm boy from remote Elliot in the Eastern Cape, the same rural town that produced Mark Andrews, Du Randt's tight-five teammate in the '95 team. Natural strength ran in the Du Randt family. It was developed by tough, physical labour on the land the family has farmed for generations. Handling livestock and hauling bags of mealies around was part of a day's work. That was the young Os' 'gym' workout. He has said that his family didn't have a television until he was 13 and PlayStation-type games were banned by parents who preferred a more old-fashioned way of life. Instead, Os amused himself outdoors with his brothers— fishing, hunting, and climbing trees was their life. In his autobiography Os, he tells of taking apart electrical appliances to see what they looked like inside and trying to successfully put them together again. He once created his own motorbike from the scraps of broken ones. The steering didn't work too well and he sometimes crashed into the ditches of farm roads. The absence of a TV in his younger days meant he didn't get to watch much sport and while he enjoyed rugby at school, he didn't have a burning passion to become a rugby star. He says he had no sporting heroes. Os recalls that rugby grew on him as he continued to grow into, well, an ox. He hadn't been overly big at primary school, but at high school, he had a growth spurt that earned him his nickname. The story goes that a bunch of senior bullies tried to initiate him and that would include pinning him down and shaving his nether regions. They discovered that it was easier said than done because Du Randt did an impersonation of Bruce Banner and transformed into The Hulk. 'They could not pin me down,' Du Randt smiled. 'They called me an 'Os' and that has been my name ever since.' Os was at school at Adelaide Gimnasium and in 1990 played SA Schools but, curiously, fell off the rugby radar when he was called up for army national service in Bloemfontein. Du Randt's love of things mechanical was fostered at the School of Armour and after national service, he remained in Bloem and worked as an apprentice at Barlows Caterpillar, a company specialising in earth-moving equipment. It was when he was playing for the Free State under-20s that his career suddenly took off like a runaway train. He was called up to the senior Free State side when Ollie le Roux was picked for the Boks in June 1994. Os had played just nine Currie Cup games before he himself was picked for the Boks later that year when Argentina toured. He then also played on the Boks' end-of-year tour to the UK. In the space of a season, he went from the Free State Under-20s to the Cheetahs and the Boks, leapfrogging Le Roux in the latter two teams. Almost overnight, Os became a fixture in the Bok front row under Kitch Christie, who had taken over as coach in 1994 from Ian McIntosh. Kitch had listened wisely when the influential Transvaal and Bok hooker Uli Schmidt told him that he had played against this kid called Os and wanted him alongside him in the Bok front row. Schmidt didn't make it to the '95 World Cup but he was right about Os. He was just 22 when he came of age in the semi-final against France when the front row of Os, Chris Rossouw and Balie Swart held out against the fearsome French during a frantic finale of set scrums. The Bok front row did not budge, the French were kept at bay, and passage to the final against New Zealand was secured. Likewise, in the final, the unsung heroes against the All Blacks were the front row, who denied the Kiwis the solid platform that would have given the likes of Jonah Lomu dangerous front-foot ball. It is apt that Andrews, the lock who pushed behind Os in so many scrums, best sums up one of the greats of the game: 'The fact that he is larger than most other props is not the extraordinary thing about Os. At six foot three and 128kgs he was able to tackle like Henry Honiball on steroids and run and pass like a loose forward. That gave him an almost unfair advantage over his opponents. 'What makes any Test player special is his ability to do what his position requires of him, yet is consistently able to do what is not expected of him with the same ease. For me, that sums up Os.' Mike Greenaway is the author of best-selling books The Fireside Springbok and Bok to Bok.
IOL News
3 days ago
- Sport
- IOL News
Rugby World Cup 1995: How Os Du Randt went from unknown to cornerstone of the Springboks' triumph
South Africa scrum coach Os du Randt has insisted the world champions can bounce back from their shock 21-17 loss to Scotland. South Africa scrum legend Os du Randt has a special place in Springbok history. | Archives A year out from the 1995 Rugby World Cup, Os du Randt was a 21-year-old diesel mechanic. He did not have the faintest clue that months later he would be wearing a World Cup-winners medal. How did he go from rugby unknown to anchor of the Springboks' World Cup-winning scrum? Let's look at the making of a Bok legend. Pieter du Randt was a farm boy from remote Elliot in the Eastern Cape, the same rural town that produced Mark Andrews, Du Randt's tight-five teammate in the '95 team. Natural strength ran in the Du Randt family. It was developed by tough, physical labour on the land the family has farmed for generations. Handling livestock and hauling bags of mealies around was part of a day's work. That was the young Os' 'gym' workout. He has said that his family didn't have a television until he was 13 and PlayStation-type games were banned by parents who preferred a more old-fashioned way of life. Instead, Os amused himself outdoors with his brothers— fishing, hunting, and climbing trees was their life. In his autobiography Os, he tells of taking apart electrical appliances to see what they looked like inside and trying to successfully put them together again. He once created his own motorbike from the scraps of broken ones. The steering didn't work too well and he sometimes crashed into the ditches of farm roads. The absence of a TV in his younger days meant he didn't get to watch much sport and while he enjoyed rugby at school, he didn't have a burning passion to become a rugby star. He says he had no sporting heroes. Os recalls that rugby grew on him as he continued to grow into, well, an ox. He hadn't been overly big at primary school, but at high school, he had a growth spurt that earned him his nickname. The story goes that a bunch of senior bullies tried to initiate him and that would include pinning him down and shaving his nether regions. They discovered that it was easier said than done because Du Randt did an impersonation of Bruce Banner and transformed into The Hulk. 'They could not pin me down,' Du Randt smiled. 'They called me an 'Os' and that has been my name ever since.' Os was at school at Adelaide Gimnasium and in 1990 played SA Schools but, curiously, fell off the rugby radar when he was called up for army national service in Bloemfontein. Du Randt's love of things mechanical was fostered at the School of Armour and after national service, he remained in Bloem and worked as an apprentice at Barlows Caterpillar, a company specialising in earth-moving equipment. It was when he was playing for the Free State under-20s that his career suddenly took off like a runaway train. He was called up to the senior Free State side when Ollie le Roux was picked for the Boks in June 1994. Os had played just nine Currie Cup games before he himself was picked for the Boks later that year when Argentina toured. He then also played on the Boks' end-of-year tour to the UK. In the space of a season, he went from the Free State Under-20s to the Cheetahs and the Boks, leapfrogging Le Roux in the latter two teams. Almost overnight, Os became a fixture in the Bok front row under Kitch Christie, who had taken over as coach in 1994 from Ian McIntosh. Kitch had listened wisely when the influential Transvaal and Bok hooker Uli Schmidt told him that he had played against this kid called Os and wanted him alongside him in the Bok front row. Schmidt didn't make it to the '95 World Cup but he was right about Os. He was just 22 when he came of age in the semi-final against France when the front row of Os, Chris Rossouw and Balie Swart held out against the fearsome French during a frantic finale of set scrums. The Bok front row did not budge, the French were kept at bay, and passage to the final against New Zealand was secured. Likewise, in the final, the unsung heroes against the All Blacks were the front row, who denied the Kiwis the solid platform that would have given the likes of Jonah Lomu dangerous front-foot ball. It is apt that Andrews, the lock who pushed behind Os in so many scrums, best sums up one of the greats of the game: 'The fact that he is larger than most other props is not the extraordinary thing about Os. At six foot three and 128kgs he was able to tackle like Henry Honiball on steroids and run and pass like a loose forward. That gave him an almost unfair advantage over his opponents. 'What makes any Test player special is his ability to do what his position requires of him, yet is consistently able to do what is not expected of him with the same ease. For me, that sums up Os.' Mike Greenaway is the author of best-selling books The Fireside Springbok and Bok to Bok.
Mint
21-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Mint
Mentor Yuvraj Singh's candid confession: ‘I get nervous when Abhishek Sharma, Shubman Gill are batting'
It's been eight years Yuvraj Singh has last played wearing an Indian jersey, but the former all-rounder is still contributing to Indian cricket, courtesy Abhishek Sharma and Shubman Gill. Hailing from Punjab, its a no secret that both Abhishek and Gill share a very special relationship with Yuvraj and consider him as their mentor. In fact, the the duo of Abhishek and Gill have been vocal about Yuvraj's contribution in their respective games in recent time. The 43-year-old also doesn't spare a chance to praise the two youngsters publicly. However, in a recent interview with Curly Tales, Yuvraj revealed that he gets nervous when he watches the duo play on television. 'I get nervous when Abhishek and Shubman are batting,' said the two-time World Cup-winners with the Men in Blue. During the same interview, Yuvraj's mother Shabnam Singh revealed how a lot of cricketers are terrified with his son. "A lot of people are scared of him like Shubman Gill, Abhishek Sharma. 'After their games are over, in the evening he will call them and be like 'what shot did you play?. They get petrified of him,' she added with her son sitting by her side. Stay updated on all the action from the IPL 2025. Check the IPL 2025 Schedule, track the latest IPL 2025 Points Table, and follow the top performers with the Orange Cap and Purple Cap. First Published: 21 Apr 2025, 02:53 PM IST
New York Times
01-04-2025
- Business
- New York Times
New Zealand Rugby and Sir Jim Ratcliffe's INEOS reach settlement over sponsorship dispute
Manchester United's minority owners INEOS has settled a sponsorship dispute with New Zealand Rugby (NZR). Sir Jim Ratcliffe's petrochemical firm had been seeking to renegotiate their performance partnership with the governing body, which was stated as being worth £22million ($27m) when the six-year deal was announced in 2021. Advertisement On Monday evening, NZR and INEOS released a joint statement to announce the parties had reached an agreement to the dispute. 'New Zealand Rugby and INEOS can confirm that a settlement has been reached between the two parties,' it read. 'Whilst the details remain confidential, both organisations are satisfied with the outcome and acknowledge a desire to now move forward.' The sponsorship agreement between INEOS and NZR saw the company's branding appear on jerseys and other official clothing of all seven New Zealand rugby teams, including the senior men's team the All Blacks and senior women's side the Black Ferns — three and six-time World Cup-winners respectively — alongside the nation's Maori team and sevens teams. In mid-February, NZR alleged that INEOS had cut short their six-year long agreement by three years when they failed to pay the first instalment of their 2025 sponsorship fee. The body immediately signalled their intention to take the matter to court. 'Having learned of INEOS' decision to walk away three years early, we have moved to protect the interests of New Zealand Rugby and the wider game,' an NZR statement to The Daily Telegraph read. 'We have been left with no option but to launch legal proceedings to protect our commercial position.' In their own counter-statement, INEOS blamed a change in 'trading conditions' caused by high energy costs and said it had hoped to find a 'managed solution' to the issue. 'Trading conditions for our European businesses have been severely impacted by high energy costs and extreme carbon taxes, along with much of the chemicals industry in Europe, which is struggling or shutting down,' the INEOS statement read. 'As a result, we have had to implement cost-saving measures across the business. We sought to reach a sensible agreement with the All Blacks to adjust our sponsorship in light of these challenges.' Advertisement INEOS acquired a minority stake in Manchester United in February 2024. The Glazers remain majority owners of the club but INEOS controls football operations. Ratcliffe's company also own Swiss club Lausanne and has a 17 per cent minority stake in Ligue 1 side Nice. INEOS has further sporting ventures outside of football too, owning one-third of the successful Mercedes F1 team and the INEOS Grenadiers Tour de France-winning cycling team. However, it is looking for a co-sponsor for their INEOS Grenadiers cycling squad and in January split with Sir Ben Ainslie's America's Cup sailing team. (Seb Daly/Sportsfile via Getty Images))
