SA Rugby magazine looks back at the 1995 World Cup, which was won by the Springboks on home soil.
Having been excluded from the first two World Cup tournaments due to apartheid, South Africa were awarded the right to host the 1995 event less than three years after returning to international rugby.
The Springboks were scheduled to play the world champion Wallabies in the opener at Newlands, knowing that victory would help them avoid England and the All Blacks in the early knockout stages.
Australia dominated at first, but the Boks took control when Pieter Hendriks ran around David Campese for his side’s first try. Another five-pointer from Joel Stransky in the second half helped seal a 27-18 victory.
The Boks then beat Romania 21-8 before travelling to Port Elizabeth for their final pool match, against Canada. In what became known as the ‘Battle of Boet Erasmus’, an enormous brawl resulted in Bok hooker James Dalton being sent off, along with two Canadians. Hendriks was cited after the match and given a ban that also ended his World Cup campaign.
Meanwhile, England topped Pool B by beating Argentina, Italy and Samoa; New Zealand overpowered Ireland, Wales and Japan to take pole position in Pool C and France finished first in Pool D, beating Tonga, the Ivory Coast and Scotland.
Chester Williams had injured himself on the eve of the World Cup, but came back into the squad for the suspended Hendriks. The Bok wing made an immediate impact, scoring four tries in South Africa’s bruising 42-14 quarter-final win against Samoa. However, seven Boks were injured at Ellis Park, including André Joubert, who left the field with a broken hand after being shoulder-charged. The fullback had an operation and, incredibly, played in the remainder of the tournament.
In the other quarter-finals, France claimed a 36-12 win against Ireland, New Zealand cruised past Scotland 48-30, and a last-minute drop goal by flyhalf Rob Andrew gave England a 25-22 victory against Australia.
The Springboks’ semi-final against France came close to being called off when torrential rain flooded Kings Park in Durban. The French would have progressed to the final based on the Boks’ poor disciplinary record, but the game controversially went ahead after a 90-minute delay.
A try from Ruben Kruger and excellent kicking from Stransky saw the Boks lead 19-15 with three minutes to go, only for a French kick to fall into the hands of Abdelatif Benazzi, who slid over the tryline. However, referee Derek Bevan ruled the flank had been stopped short of the line and the Boks were through to the decider.
The other semi-final, at Newlands, was a one-man show, with Jonah Lomu’s four tries destroying England, so all the talk in the build-up to the Ellis Park final was about how the Boks would stop the juggernaut. The match was just 12 minutes old when the wing broke through the Bok defence, but Joost van der Westhuizen brought him to ground with a textbook tackle around the ankles. That set the tone for a game that went into extra time, with the teams level at 9-9 after 80 minutes.
All Blacks flyhalf Andrew Mehrtens missed a sitter of a drop goal just before full time that would have won it and in the end, it was a drop by Stransky that secured a famous 15-12 victory for the Boks. Nelson Mandela, dressed in a Bok No 6 jersey, presented Pienaar with the trophy and the mother of all parties began.
1995 Player of the Tournament
With just two Test caps to his name, Jonah Lomu was the surprise inclusion in the All Blacks World Cup squad. However, seven tries in five matches made him an instant superstar and the obvious choice for Player of the Tournament.
Lomu began with two tries against Ireland and also set up Josh Kronfeld’s score with a spectacular 80m run. Who knows what damage he would have done had he played against Japan (a match the All Blacks won 145-17).
The highlight of Lomu’s World Cup campaign came in the semi-final against England at Newlands. It took the wing just two minutes to grab his first try when he handed off Rory Underwood, beat captain Will Carling for pace and trampled over Mike Catt. Lomu crossed the line another three times and was called ‘a freak’ by a shell-shocked Carling in the post-match interview.
1995 Playoff results
Quarter-finals
France 36 Ireland 12
South Africa 42 Samoa 14
England 25 Australia 22
New Zealand 48 Scotland 30
Semi-finals
South Africa 19 France 15
New Zealand 45 England 29
Third-place playoff
France 19 England 9
Final
South Africa 15 New Zealand 12
By Simon Borchardt