SA Rugby magazine looks back at the 1999 World Cup, in which the Wallabies claimed their second title.
Wales was the official host nation of the 1999 World Cup, although only nine out of 41 matches were played on its soil. The rest were shared among Europe’s other four major rugby nations, with both semi-finals being played at Twickenham.
The Boks were based in Edinburgh for the pool stage where World Cup fever never caught on. There were 10 000 empty seats for their key Pool A match against Scotland, which they won 46-29, and almost empty stadiums for their matches against Uruguay and Spain. Considering the lack of atmosphere, it’s not surprising the Boks produced listless performances, beating Spain 47-3 and Uruguay 39-3.
Jonah Lomu brought back memories of the 1995 World Cup as New Zealand smashed England 30-16 in Pool B’s biggest game. The giant wing scored a 55m try at Twickenham, shrugging off four England defenders on his way to the line.
In Pool C, Fiji joined France in the quarter-finals, and in Pool D, Wales beat Argentina 23-18, with both teams progressing to the last eight. The Wallabies topped Pool E after outplaying Ireland 23-3 in Dublin.
Having finished last in the Tri-Nations and struggling to get going in the pool stage, few expected the Boks to overcome England (who had comfortably beaten Fiji in their quarter-final playoff) in Paris.
However, no one banked on Jannie de Beer, who replaced the injured Henry Honiball, playing the game of his life. The Free Stater won the match for the Boks with a world-record five drop goals, struck between the 43rd and 74th minutes.
In addition, Joost van der Westhuizen and Pieter Rossouw scored tries, and the Boks won 44-21.
In the other quarter-finals, Australia knocked out hosts Wales 24-9, New Zealand cruised past Scotland 30-18 and France saw off Argentina 47-26.
The Boks’ semi-final against the Wallabies at Twickenham was a thriller. Although De Beer failed to reproduce his drop-goal heroics of Paris, he slotted a pressure last-minute penalty from a difficult angle to make it 18-18 and take the match into extra time.
However, with the scores locked at 21-21, flyhalf Stephen Larkham claimed possession inside the Bok half and kicked his first drop goal in Test rugby (he would only ever kick one more in his 102-Test career). The Wallabies went on to win 27-21 and break Bok hearts.
The other semi-final, between New Zealand and France, was expected to be one-way traffic, as the former had been in top form all year.
The All Blacks led 24-10 at half time, but in a devastating 13-minute period in the second half France scored 26 points, including tries by Christophe Dominici and Richard Dourthe.
The French claimed their fourth try in the 74th minute through Philippe Bernat-Salles to cap off a brilliant 43-31 win.
The third-place playoff between the Springboks and All Blacks was always going to be an anticlimax, especially for John Hart’s side, who had been expected to lift the trophy. In the end, it was a try by Breyton Paulse that gave the Boks a 22-18 win and the bronze medals.
The decider, between Australia and France in Cardiff, was largely forgettable. Matthew Burke’s boot gave the Wallabies a 12-6 lead at the break, and tries by Ben Tune and Owen Finegan sealed France’s fate. Australia won 35-12 to clinch their second World Cup title in four attempts.
1999 Player of the Tournament
Wallabies centre Tim Horan scored the quickest try of the 1999 World Cup, against Romania (after two minutes), and was the bright spark in his side’s pool win against Ireland.
However, Horan saved his best for the semi-final against the Springboks. He spent the entire Friday before the game sick in bed and felt terrible going into it. But he still somehow managed to produce one of his best performances in a Wallabies jersey and was named Man of the Match.
1999 Playoff results
Quarter-finals
Australia 24 Wales 9
South Africa 44 England 21
New Zealand 30 Scotland 18
France 47 Argentina 26
Semi-finals
Australia 27 South Africa 21
France 43 New Zealand 31
Third-place playoff
South Africa 22 New Zealand 18
Final
Australia 35 France 12
By Simon Borchardt