1960 — Malcolm Spence takes the 400m Olympic bronze at the Romes Games, with the first two runners breaking 45 seconds for the first time. Spence clocked 45.5 sec, just one-tenth of a second in front of India’s Milkha Singh. In front of him, American gold medallist Otis Davis and runner-up Carl Kaufmann of a united German team were credited with a world record 44.9 sec, separated by a photo finish. It would take just another eight years for the 44-second barrier to fall, and 50 years later the 43 second mark still stands, with Wayde van Niekerk on 43.03.
1969 — Flyhalf Piet Visagie scores eight points to help the Springboks to an 11-3 win over Australia in the third Test at Newlands. Flank Jan Ellis also dotted down as SA took an unbeatable 3-0 lead in the four-match series.
1980 — Bushy Bester gives his best but loses in his bid for the WBA junior-middleweight crown, losing on points to Ayub Kalule of Uganda in Denmark. Bester lost his SA title to Gert Steyn a few months later, but carried on boxing until 1983, winning his last seven bouts.
2014 — Faf du Plessis scores 96 to spearhead the Proteas to a six-wicket win over Australia in the final of a triangular ODI tournament in Harare. Chasing 218 for victory, Hashim Amla made 51 at the top of the innings and AB de Villiers an unbeaten 57 from 41 deliveries to steer SA to victory in the 41st over.
2014 — The Springboks concede a late try as they lose 23-24 to Australia in a Rugby Championship encounter in Perth. Winger Cornal Hendricks scored SA’s only try in the first half, with flyhalf Morne Steyn booting the team into a 23-17 lead. But Wallaby winger Rob Horne scored a try with three minutes remaining, and flyhalf Bernard Foley kicked the conversion.
2016 — Mpho Makola heads in an early goal as Bafana Bafana beat Egypt 1-0 in a Nelson Mandela Challenge match at Orlando Stadium.
2019 — Wings Cheslin Kolbe and Makazole Mapimpi score two tries apiece as the Springboks beat Japan 41-7 in their final pre-World Cup warm-up in Kumagaya. It was the first time SA had played them since their shock defeat at the 2015 World Cup.
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