SOUTH AFRICA ON THE RWC STAGE
Twenty years on from their stunning Rugby World Cup win, South Africa fell victim to the biggest shock in the tournament’s history when they lost their opening game to Japan at England 2015.
Fortunately for the Springboks that 34-32 defeat in Brighton did not define their tournament and they rallied well to win the bronze medal at the expense of Argentina.
Since making their RWC debut in 1995, the Springboks have always featured in the knockout stages and are one of three teams to have lifted the Webb Ellis Cup more than once.
The first time, in 1995, was a truly momentous occasion as it signified the dawning of a new era – not just for rugby but for the world.
With apartheid consigned to the darkest chapters of history, the South African people came together as one as the reborn ‘Rainbow Nation’ hosted rugby’s flagship event after years in the international wilderness.
Awarding tournament hosting rights to South Africa was a bold move but it was one that paid dividends, not only for the marvellous spectacle that followed but for the way the Rugby World Cup helped the country put the past behind them.
On the day of the final President Nelson Mandela chose to wear the Springbok jersey, regarded by some as the ultimate symbol of the regime that imprisoned him. It inspired the South Africa team to victory over the All Blacks, and eventually the creation of a Hollywood blockbuster in the form of Clint Eastwood’s Invictus.
Outside the political ramifications of the tournament, there was certainly no shortage of drama on the pitch for the script-writers to consider. Having opened the tournament with a 27-18 defeat of defending champions Australia – the most points any one side would score against them – South Africa went on to record victories over Romania, Canada and Western Samoa on their way to a semi-final showdown with France. Torrential rain threatened the fixture in Durban but a monumental effort by the ground staff ensured the game went ahead and South Africa went on to win 19-15 in the worst conditions imaginable.
And so onto the first Rugby World Cup final to go to extra-time. As was to be the case eight years later in Sydney, a sweetly struck drop goal from a fly-half decided the destiny of the Webb Ellis Cup.
New Zealand and South Africa were tied at 9-9 after 80 minutes, forcing the kicking duel between Joel Stransky and Andrew Mehrtens to continue for another 10 minutes each way. Stransky ultimately had the final say, but it was the lasting impression of President Mandela presenting the Webb Ellis Cup to Francois Pienaar, while wearing his green number six jersey, that will forever symbolise RWC 1995.
South Africa’s defence of the trophy four years later lasted until their semi-final exit at the hands of Australia. Initially based in Edinburgh, the Springboks had quietly gone about their business outside the main glare of the tournament. Wins over Scotland, Spain and Uruguay had hardly set the world alight, unlike flame-haired fly half Jannie de Beer whose record five drop goals in the quarter-final win over England is going to take some beating.
RWC 2003 was South Africa’s most disappointing tournament to date. The Springboks were beaten by England in the pool stage and eventually lost 29-9 to New Zealand in the last eight, the first Rugby World Cup when they hadn’t managed to make at least the semi-finals.
Jake White then presided over a wonderfully successful period for South African rugby, lifting the Springboks from number six in the world to number one, a run that also saw them become the second team, after Australia, to be crowned world champions for the second time.
Winger Bryan Habana was to be the star of RWC 2007, scoring eight tries – including four in one match against Samoa – as South Africa went on to beat England in the final, having already overwhelmed the same opposition 36-0 in the pool stages.
After edging out Wales by the narrowest of margins (17-16) in their opening match of RWC 2011, South Africa maintained their ever-present record in the knockout stages with wins over Fiji, Namibia and Samoa.
In the quarter-final against Australia they threw everything at the Wallabies, but to no avail. South Africa were unable to convert their massive territorial and possession supremacy into a single try, and they fell to a 11-9 defeat. Despite exiting the competition prematurely South Africa’s goal kicker Morné Steyn still finished as the tournament’s top points scorer with 62.
At England 2015, South Africa had a week to recover from the shock of losing to the Brave Blossoms before taking to the field again, against Samoa in Birmingham. JP Pietersen ran in a hat-trick as the Boks got back on track with a 46-6 win.
Pietersen crossed again as South Africa defeated Scotland on their first visit to St James’ Park since they played Northumberland there in 1906. Habana then matched Jonah Lomu’s record of 15 Rugby World Cup tries when he crossed for South Africa’s second hat-trick of the tournament in a 64-0 victory over the USA.
Suddenly, it didn’t look quite so far-fetched to assume South Africa were in with a chance of becoming the first team to lose a pool match and go on to claim the coveted trophy.
Heyneke Meyer’s team were getting stronger as the tournament progressed and that was certainly the case at Twickenham against Wales, a 75th-minute try from scrum-half and captain Fourie du Preez saving their skin in an epic quarter-final.
That 23-19 victory set up a semi-final against New Zealand, also at Twickenham, and the Springboks were in with a shot of making their third final when they led 12-7 at half-time thanks to four penalties from the boot of Handré Pollard.
South Africa had not lost to the All Blacks in 21 tests when leading or level at half-time, but that record was to end after Dan Carter’s drop goal and Beauden Barrett’s try within 11 minutes of the restart turned the tide in the world champions’ favour. Pollard slotted over one more three-pointer and Pat Lambie added another but South Africa fell just short, losing 20-18.
Habana had one last opportunity to break Lomu’s record in the bronze final against Argentina, but it was tries from Pietersen and Eben Etzebeth that gave veteran second-row Victor Matfield the send-off he deserved, in a 24-13 win at The Stadium, Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.
RECORD BREAKERS
Bryan Habana scored five tries at RWC 2015 to pull level with Jonah Lomu at the top of the all-time Rugby World Cup try-scoring charts with 15.
Jannie de Beer’s five drop goals against England – a record for a single RWC match – put South Africa into the RWC 1999 semi-finals.
HIGH POINTS
Winning Rugby World Cup 1995 meant everything to South Africa. The achievement of Francois Pienaar and his team-mates stretched far beyond normal sporting boundaries. As the Springbok captain famously said on the Ellis Park pitch after referee Ed Morrison had blown the final whistle to signal a 15-12 win, “We did not have 63,000 fans behind us today, we had 43 million South Africans.”
LOW POINT
Losing to Japan in the first-ever test match between the nations.
QUOTE, UNQUOTE
“When Nelson Mandela walked into the changing room wearing that Springbok rugby jersey, it was done. We had to win that game. Everybody expected him to wear a suit and tie. It changed the attitude and spirit of the team — and it changed the whole mindset of the nation.” – Chester Williams on ‘the Mandela effect’.
STATS-AMAZING
Former World Rugby Junior Player of the Year Handré Pollard has kicked more penalties (23) than any other Springbok in Rugby World Cup history. Pollard overtook the record held by Percy Montgomery during RWC 2015, in which he bagged a total of 93 points – only four fewer than golden boot winner Nicolás Sánchez.
The pool draw for Rugby World Cup 2019 takes place in Kyoto, Japan, on 10 May, 2017. Join the Front Row HERE to be the first to receive all the latest news and ticketing updates for Japan 2019 and follow @RugbyWorldCup.