1921 — SA’s cricketers hang on to force a draw in the first Test against Australia in Durban, reaching stumps on 184/7 chasing an impossible 392 for victory. Opener Charlie Frank made 38 and Dave Nourse an unbeaten 31.
1968 — France outscore the Springboks three tries to nil in Bordeaux, but the visitors still win the first Test 12-9. Flyhalf Piet Visagie nailed four penalties, three of them in the first half.
1992 — Jockey Michael “Muis” Roberts completes his triumphant season as British champion jockey at Folkstone without adding to his 206 victories, but logging a record 1,068 rides. Roberts was only the fifth jockey in English history to have clocked 200 wins, though he was the first since 1952. His total number of rides was also an English mark, and at 38 he was the oldest first-time winner of the British jockey championship.
1996 — Frans Botha is stopped in the 12th round by IBF heavyweight champion Michael Moorer in Las Vegas. On the same bill, SA strawweight champion Morgan Ndumo was stopped in the sixth round by Mexican legend Ricardo Lopez. In the main bout, underdog Evander Holyfield stunned the world by stopping Mike Tyson to take the WBA heavyweight crown.
1996 — The Springboks bag seven tries as they beat Argentina 46-15 in the first Test in Buenos Aires.
1996 — Bafana Bafana, crowned African champions earlier in the year, kick off their 1998 World Cup qualifying campaign with a 1-0 win over Zaire at the FNB stadium. Striker Phil Masinga scored the winning goal in the 72nd minute.
2002 — The Springboks suffer their worst defeat to France as they go down 10-30 in Marseille. Eighthman Joe van Niekerk scored SA’s only try in a match where flyhalf Francois Gelez punished the visitors with five penalties. Wings Vincent Clerc and Cedric Heymans scored tries for the home side. The losing margin eclipsed the 13-point deficit SA had endured in 1992.
2008 — Hashim Amla scores 140 as the Proteas beat Bangladesh by 128 runs in the second ODI at Willowmoore Park in Benoni. Dale Steyn and Johan Botha took three wickets each bowling the visitors out for 230. The win gave SA an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three match series. The final match was abandoned.
2013 — The Springboks score three tries as they beat Wales 24-15 at Millennium Stadium in their opening Test of the end-of-year tour. Centre Jean de Villiers, the captain, hooker Bismarck du Plessis and scrumhalf Fourie du Preez dotted down.
2014 — David Wiese and Robin Peterson take three wickets each in Sydney, but Australia clinch the deciding third T20 against the Proteas by two wickets off the penultimate ball. SA made 145/6 with Reeza Hendricks making 49 and Quinton de Kock 48 off 27.
2018 — Australia hit back to win the second ODI against the Proteas in Adelaide by seven runs to level the three-match series at 1-1. Kagiso Rabada took four wickets to help bowl out the hosts for 231, with Dwaine Pretorius taking three. David Miller’s 51 was the top score in the SA innings, which went the full 50 overs to 224/9.
2020 — Sibulele Holweni scores five goals as Banyana Banyana beat Comoros 7-0 in a Cosafa women’s championship match in Port Elizabeth.












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