Blast from the past: Benni bags a brace as Bafana bounce back to beat Egypt

Today in SA sports history: December 15

1990 — Thulani “Sugar Boy” Malinga loses his second world title bid, being outpointed by IBF super-middleweight champion Lindell Holmes of the US in Rome. He would become world champion in his fourth shot in 1996.

1995 — In their last outing before competing in their maiden African Nations’ Cup tournament, Bafana Bafana draw 0-0 with Germany at the Johannesburg athletics stadium. It was a morale-lifting result for the Neil Tovey-captained SA team, which went on to win the continental showpiece the next year.

1996 — Randburg resident Mark Robinson wins the openweight category at the amateur world sumo wrestling championships in Tokyo. In the final the 140kg Robinson beat American Emanual Yarborough, who tipped the scales at 315kg. Robinson, the son of Norman, a top judoka, boasted SA colours in six different codes, featuring four forms of wrestling, judo and powerlifting, where he won the +140kg category at the 1990 World Powerlifting Congress version of the world championships in Italy. 

1996 — Scrumhalf Joost van der Westhuizen scores three tries as the Springboks thump Wales 37-20 at Cardiff Arms Park to wrap up their end-of-year tour on a high. Fullback Andre Joubert and wing Jacques Olivier also dotted down, while Wales were able to score only one try, through flyhalf Arwel Thomas. The Boks had beaten France twice before heading to Wales for their final match.

1997 — Bafana Bafana go down 0-1 to the United Arab Emirates in a Confederations Cup match in Riyadh. The defeat was blamed in part for the absence of captain Lucas Radebe and fellow defender Eric Tinkler, who both failed to arrive in the country amid a reported visa bungle.

2000 — Dingaan Thobela loses his WBC super-middleweight title to Davey Hilton of Canada on a split decision in Montreal, Canada. Thobela had won the title from Glenn Catley three months earlier.

December 16

1998 — Benni McCarthy scores two goals as Bafana Bafana fight back to down Egypt 2-1 and claim the Nelson Mandela Challenge title at the FNB stadium. McCarthy struck in each half to cancel out the 1-0 lead Egypt had taken in the 35th minute after a Hossam Hassan goal.

2000 — Shaun Bartlett and Phil Masinga score second-half goals to give Bafana Bafana a 2-1 win over Liberia in an African Nations’ Cup qualifying match at the FNB stadium. Only 6,000 fans watched the game.

2000 — Former IBF bantamweight champion Mbulelo Botile wins his second world title when he stops Paul Ingle of England in the 12th round to claim the IBF and IBO featherweight crowns. Ingle, put down in the 11th, remained on the canvas for several minutes after the final stoppage, and subsequently underwent surgery for bleeding on the brain. Ingle, a 1992 Olympian, recuperated fully, but Botile was never the same afterwards, losing three fights in a row before retiring.

2006 — Shaun Pollock becomes the first SA bowler to take 400 Test wickets when he dismisses Rahul Dravid on the second day of the first Test against India at the Wanderers. He was the 10th player overall to reach the milestone, although it didn’t help the Proteas, who lost the match by 123 runs.