1896 — Wing Theo Samuels becomes the first man to score points for SA in an international rugby match, dotting down twice at the Wanderers ground in Johannesburg in the second Test of the four-match series against Britain. Fullback Davie Cope added a conversion. But the eight points were not enough for victory, with the visitors scoring three tries, two conversions and a drop goal (four points) to win 17-8. Those two tries, however, were enough to keep Samuels as SA’s most prolific try-scorer for a decade.
1953 — Skipper Hennie Muller scores one of SA’s five tries as the Springboks thump Australia 25-3 in the first Test at Ellis Park for the team’s 10th victory in a row. Lock Salty du Rand, centre Tjol Lategan, winger Buks Marais and scrumhalf Hansie Oelofse also dotted down. The visitors, fielding six debutants, responded with a lone penalty. Flyhalf Hansie Brewis, who had played all 10 Tests since the Springboks had resumed international rugby after World War 2, was dropped after a poor display of line-kicking.
1992 — The Springboks are tamed 3-22 by reigning world champions Australia in a one-off Test at a wet Newlands. SA, who had nearly beaten the All Blacks a week before, were comprehensively outgunned this time as the visitors ran in three tries by their wings, two by Paul Carozza and one by David Campese.
1993 — Pat Symcox makes his ODI debut for SA, taking two wickets in a match against Sri Lanka in Kandy that fails to be completed. The hosts make 179/5, but SA, by the time the opening contest of the three-match series was called off, were 52/4 after 14 overs.
1998 — Prop Adrian Garvey and substitute Bobby Skinstad score tries as the Springboks beat Australia 29-15 at Ellis Park to secure their first Tri-Nations title. Fullback Percy Montgomery converted both tries and slotted five penalties. SA had gone through the competition unbeaten.
1998 — Johannesburg-based Namibian Harry Simon edges Winky Wright to lift the WBO junior-middleweight crown at the Carousel Casino, north of Pretoria. The decision was initially announced as a majority draw with two of the three officials’ scorecards ending even. But US judge Julie Lederman realised her card had been added up incorrectly and the decision was changed with two cards in Simon’s favour and one a draw. Wright went on to enjoy an illustrious career, winning more world titles and beating big names such as Sugar Shane Mosley, Felix Trinidad and Ike Quartey. Simon, who was trained by Brian Mitchell at the time, cut ties with his SA camp and went on to win the WBO middleweight crown. But he enjoyed the good life too much and effectively ended his career in a bad car accident that left three Belgian tourists dead. He was sentenced to two years’ imprisonment for culpable homicide.
2002 — The SA women’s cricket team suffer their biggest Test defeat, going down by an innings and 96 runs in the second Test against England at Taunton. England, who had scored 455 in the first innings, won the two-match series 1-0.
2004 — Shaun Pollock top-scores with 54 as an otherwise dismal SA batting line-up is bowled out for 176 to lose the second ODI against Sri Lanka by 37 runs in Colombo. Nuwan Zoysa took five wickets, single-handedly reducing SA to 40/5 within 16 overs. The win gave Sri Lanka a 2-0 lead in the five-match series.
2007 — Graeme Smith, Gulam Bodi and AB de Villiers make half-centuries as the Proteas beat Zimbabwe by five wickets in the first ODI in Bulawayo. SA notched up five run-outs as they dismissed the hosts for 206.
2008 — Jacques Kallis top-scores with 52 as the Proteas fall short in their chase and lose the first ODI against England by 20 runs in Leeds. Kallis had taken two wickets as the hosts reached 275/4 in their 50 overs, boosted by an unbeaten 90 from 82 balls by SA-born Kevin Pietersen.
2009 — Khotso Mokoena clears 8.47m to win silver in the men’s long jump at the World Championships in Berlin. American Dwight Phillips won gold in 8.54 and Australian Mitchell Watt took bronze with a leap of 8.37.
2009 — Malcolm Klassen is dethroned as IBF junior-lightweight champion in his first defence, losing on points to American Robert Guerrero in Houston.
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