South Africa prop Jannie du Plessis is a student of the long and intense rivalry between the All Blacks and Springboks, so he is fully prepared for the hype ahead of the Rugby World Cup semi-finals.
No other team has a better percentage of games won against the All Blacks, nor commands as much respect from New Zealand players.
In both nations, rugby transcends sport, and there is a mutual respect for the national teams after 90 Tests dating back to 1921. The All Blacks have won 52 of those, and there have been three draws.
Photo: Reuters
“I can name most scores of matches between the Springboks and the All Blacks from years ago and I am very aware of the rich history,” the 32-year-old Springboks prop said on Monday, two days after South Africa rallied to beat Wales 23-19 with a late try in their quarter-final.
“I grew up with VHS tapes of the 1981 tour and of many tours,” he said.
The 1981 Springbok tour to New Zealand was controversial, with two matches canceled for security reasons and violent, bloody clashes between anti-apartheid protesters and police becoming more frequent as the series continued.
Photo: AFP
New Zealand won the three-Test series 2-1, but the tour was more widely remembered for off-field violence and was the last bilateral series involving the teams until after South Africa’s international sanctions were lifted.
The All Blacks won the first Test after South Africa’s return in 1992 and won two and drew one in 1994, all building up to the famous 1995 World Cup final.
The Springboks beat the highly favored All Blacks 15-12, with Joel Stransky kicking a drop-goal in extra time, to claim their first World Cup title — the first they had contested and the only time they have hosted the quadrennial tournament.
The 1995 squad were on a roll at that tournament, beating defending champions Australia in the tournament opener and France in the semi-finals, before closing with the win over New Zealand, culminating with then-South Africa president Nelson Mandela presenting the trophy to then-South Africa captain Francois Pienaar.
However, this year, the Springboks lost their opener to Japan in the biggest upset in Rugby World Cup history, but recovered to top their group and advance to the semi-finals.
While New Zealand are in fine form, coasting through the group stage before trouncing France by a record 62-13 in their quarter-final, France upset the All Blacks in both previous World Cups held in Britain, coming back to win their 1999 semi-final and the 2007 quarter-final, which was held in Cardiff.
“They didn’t just stick the knife in, they put it in and turned it, and the French felt the full wrath,” Du Plessis said of New Zealand’s win on Saturday.
South Africa have a 2-1 record against New Zealand at World Cups — following up the 1995 win with a 22-18 victory at Cardiff in 1999, before New Zealand won 29-9 in 2003 in Australia, so Du Plessis — part of the World Cup-winning squad in 2007 — is prepared for a hard, physically and mentally draining contest on Saturday.
“Playing for the Springboks with their incredible history and heritage is amazing, but history can be a millstone ’round your neck, because you play with added pressure,” he was quoted as saying. “You have to go out and play for each other and South Africa regardless of the burden ’round us.”
“If you play for yourselves, there is a wonderful thing of synergy,” he said. “The team is doing well, and everyone gives a little bit more.”
Bologna on Thursday advanced past Empoli to reach their first Coppa Italia final in more than half a century. Thijs Dallinga’s 87th-minute header earned Bologna a 2-1 win and his side advanced 5-1 on aggregate. Giovanni Fabbian opened the scoring for Bologna with a header seven minutes in. Then Viktor Kovalenko equalized for Empoli in the 30th minute by turning in a rebound to finish off a counterattack. Bologna won the first leg 3-0. In the May 14 final in Rome, Bologna are to face AC Milan, who eliminated city rivals Inter 4-1 on aggregate following a 3-0 win on Wednesday. Bologna last reached the
If the Wild finally break through and win their first playoff series in a decade, Minnesota’s top line likely will be the reason. They were all over the Golden Knights through the first two games of their NHL Western Conference quarter-finals series, which was 1-1 going back to Minnesota for Game 3 today. The Wild tied the series with a 5-2 win on Tuesday. Matt Boldy had three goals and an assist in the first two games, while Kirill Kaprizov produced two goals and three assists. Joel Eriksson Ek, who centers the line, has yet to get on the scoresheet. “I think the biggest
From a commemorative jersey to a stadium in his name, Argentine soccer organizers are planning a slew of tributes to their late “Captain” Pope Francis, eulogized as the ultimate team player. Tributes to the Argentine pontiff, a lifelong lover of the game, who died on Monday at the age of 88, have been peppered with soccer metaphors in his homeland. “Francisco. What a player,” the Argentine Football Federation (AFA) said, describing the first pope from Latin America and the southern hemisphere as a generational talent who “never hogged the ball” and who showed the world “the importance of having an Argentine captain,
Noelvi Marte on Sunday had seven RBIs and hit his first career grand slam with a drive off infielder Jorge Mateo, while Austin Wynn had a career-high six RBIs as the Cincinnati Reds scored their most runs in 26 years in a 24-2 rout of the Baltimore Orioles. Marte finished with five hits, including his eighth-inning homer off Mateo. Wynn hit a three-run homer in the ninth off catcher Gary Sanchez. Cincinnati scored its most runs since a 24-12 win against the Colorado Rockies on May 19, 1999, and finished with 25 hits. Baltimore allowed its most runs since a 30-3 loss to
RSS