Blast from the past: Boks edge All Blacks for World Cup third place

Today in SA sports history: November 4

1952 — SA’s Empire flyweight champion Jake Tuli outpoints former French title-holder Honore Pratesi over 10 rounds at the Royal Albert Hall in London, but his opponent dies 36 hours later. The 31-year-old father-of-one, who had lost a bid for the world crown in 1950, collapsed after the bout and underwent two operations for bleeding on the brain. Pratesi, a medical orderly, died while his wife Colette was still travelling to his bedside. Tuli, just 21 at the time, broke down and wept like a baby when he learnt of Pratesi’s death. Then the religious fighter prayed and asked to see a clergyman. “I am so sorry for his poor wife and family,” Tuli told his manager, Jim Wicks. An inquest into the tragedy returned a verdict of death by misadventure. Tuli fought a month later, stopping Belgian Emile Delplanque in the fourth round in Nottingham, and then donated his purse of 300 guineas to Pratesi’s widow.

1999 — Breyton Paulse scores the only try of the match as the Springboks beat New Zealand 22-18 at Millennium Stadium in Cardiff to clinch third spot at the Rugby World Cup. Fullback Percy Montgomery landed two drop goals, while flyhalf Henry Honiball kicked three penalties and the conversion.

2000 — Jonty Rhodes scores 69 and Lance Klusener bludgeons an unbeaten 59 off 42 to give the Proteas a nail-biting three-wicket win over New Zealand in the sixth and final ODI against New Zealand at Newlands. The visitors had posted 256/9, with Roger Twose making 103 and Chris Cairns 84 off 72 balls. The visitors looked like winning until Klusener got going. Needing seven runs off the final two balls, Klusener clubbed both to the boundary for a victory that gave SA a 5-0 series victory.

2006 — Malcolm Klassen produces a stunning performance to outpoint Australian Gairy St Clair and lift the IBF junior-lightweight title at Emperors Palace in Johannesburg. That made Klassen the third SA boxer to hold the belt after Cassius Baloyi and Brian Mitchell.

2018 — The Proteas bowlers combine to dismiss Australia for 152 to set up a six-wicket win in the first ODI in Perth. Andile Phehlukwayo took three wickets and Dale Steyn, Lungi Ngidi and Imran Tahir two each. SA reached the target inside 30 overs with opener Quinton de Kock making 47.