1986 — Simon “Tsipa” Skosana narrowly fails in his bid to capture the WBA bantamweight title, losing on a 15th round knockout against Bernardo Pinango of Venezuela at the Rand Stadium in Johannesburg. The popular East Rand fighter dropped the champion in the seventh round, but in the eighth he suffered two bad cuts around his left eye and he bled profusely, hampering his performance. Pinango also fought dirty, landing more than 50 low blows, for which he received just three warnings from Colombian referee Uriel Aguilera. At the time of the stoppage Skosana was level on one card and two points behind on the other two. Years later Skosana described his corner as useless. “Four weeks before the fight I was offered a white cutman. But my black manager didn’t want a white guy in the corner. That’s why I lost,” the boxer said in an interview a few months before his death in 2009. That was the last world title fight to take place in South Africa until September 1991. Not long before this bout the WBA had taken the decision to suspend South Africa because of apartheid, allowing only fights that had already been signed to go ahead. As the WBA junior-lightweight champion, Brian Mitchell was allowed to keep the belt, but he wasn't permitted to defend it on home soil.
1993 — Jonty Rhodes’s 56 is the highlight of an otherwise pitiful innings as South Africa suffer their first defeat of the Hero Cup, losing by 43 runs to India in Mohali. Chasing 222 for victory, the tourists batted out their 50 overs to score 178/9. Even so, SA qualified for the semifinals of the five-team tournament.
1995 — Bafana Bafana, captained by Steve Komphela, draw 2-2 with Zambia in a Simba Cup four-nations match at Loftus Versfeld. Dennis Lota scored both goals for Zambia, with Mark Williams netting twice for SA.
1997 — Left wing Pieter Rossouw scores four tries as the Springboks hammer France 52-10 in the second Test at Parc de Princes in Paris to take the series 2-0. Flyhalf Henry Honiball, centre Andre Snyman and eighthman and skipper Gary Teichmann scored the other tries.
2006 — Jacques Kallis scores an unbeaten 119 as the Proteas thrash India by 157 runs in the second ODI at Kingsmead in Durban. Kallis took 3/3 and Andre Nel 4/13 to bowl out India for 91.
2008 — The Boks, despite receiving two yellow cards, run in five tries at Twickenham as they notch up their biggest margin of victory over England, 42-6. Flank Danie Rossouw, flyhalf Ruan Pienaar, centre Adrian Jacobs, replacement midfielder Jaque Fourie and winger Bryan Habana dotted down. Pienaar added three conversions and three penalties, while Frans Steyn kicked one conversion. Prop Beast Mtawarira was carded in the first half and fullback Conrad Jantjes in the second. SA finished the three-match end-of-year tour unbeaten.
2008 — Alviro Petersen scores 64 and Hashim Amla 57 to push the Proteas to a total of 250/9, but it’s not enough as England win the second ODI at Centurion by seven wickets with four overs to spare. With the first game abandoned, the visitors led the five-match series 1-0.
2013 — Pakistan draw the two-match series against the Proteas as they win the second T20 at Newlands by six runs. SA’s chase ended on 170/4, with JP Duminy unbeaten on 47 off 26 balls and David Miller on 22 off 13. Hashim Amla top-scored with 48 off 40.
2014 — The Springboks down Italy 22-6 in Padova, with prop Coenie Oosthuizen, scrumhalf Cobus Reinach and winger Bryan Habana scoring tries.
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.