1936 — Boxer Charles Catterall bags South Africa’s only medal of the Berlin Olympics, taking silver after losing on points in the featherweight final against Oscar Casanovas of Argentina. Catterall had to beat Germany’s Josef Miner in the semifinals and Theodore Kara of the US in the fourth round. This remained South Africa’s worst Olympic performance until it was matched by the team at Beijing 2008. Catterall’s teammate, light-heavyweight Robey Leibbrandt, finished fourth after being unable to contest the bronze medal match because of a hand injury. While black US track-and-field star Jesse Owens was defying the Nazis and their theories of racial superiority, Leibbrandt was being seduced by them. He fought for Germany during World War 2, carrying out clandestine operations in South Africa before being arrested and sentenced to death. He was later released from prison.
1955 — Trevor Goddard finishes with 5/31 as South Africa bowl out England for 151 in the final fifth Test at the Oval, only for the visitors to be dismissed for 112 in their first innings.
1981 — The Springboks lose their opening Test against the All Blacks on their controversial tour of New Zealand. The hosts ran in three tries through flyhalf Doug Rollerson, flanker Mark Shaw and centre Stu Wilson to win 14-9 at Lancaster Park in Christchurch. Lock Hennie Bekker scored South Africa’s only try, with flyhalf Naas Botha adding the conversion and a drop.
1992 — The Springboks officially return to the world of Test rugby, and narrowly lose 24-27 to the All Blacks at Ellis Park. The visitors led 10-0 at halftime, but two tries by veteran centre Danie Gerber and a third by his midfield partner Pieter Muller made it close. This was the first time South Africa had played a match where tries were worth five points instead of four. Actually, every time the value of the try has changed, South Africa has lost the first match — to four points in 1972, to three points in 1896 and even when they were just one point in 1891.
1997 — Helen Davies scores 64 as the South African women, needing 228 to win, lose the first ODI against England in Bristol by 79 runs.
1998 — Hooker James Dalton scores an injury-time try as the Springboks edge New Zealand 24-23 in a Tri-Nations thriller in Durban. South Africa were trailing 23-5 when scrumhalf Joost van Westhuizen and Bobby Skinstad dotted down to bring the home side back into contention. Wing Stefan Terblanche had scored early in the first half for the Boks. Percy Montgomery added two conversions.
2001 — Bafana Bafana are beaten 0-3 by Sweden in a friendly in Stockholm.
2002 — Opener Gary Kirsten scores 55 as South Africa are bowled out for 174 by Sri Lanka to lose this triangular ODI in Tangier by 93 runs.
2003 — Ruth Nortje, who had competed for South Africa at the 1996 and 2000 Olympics, wins the women’s K1 500m and K2 500m golds paddling for the US at the Pan American Games in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. Nortje also won gold in the K4 500m the day before.
2003 — Okkert Brits wins the pole vault competition at the Golden League meet in Zurich, clearing the bar at 5.80m.
2004 — Roland Schoeman, Ryk Neethling, Lyndon Ferns and Darian Townsend stun the pre-race favourites at the Athens Olympics as they win the men’s 4x100m freestyle relay in a 3 min 13.17 sec world record. Schoeman gave the South Africans the lead on the first leg and they held it right up until Neethling touched more than a second in front of the second-placed Dutch outfit. The collection of swimming stars the South Africans pushed into silver, bronze or simply right off the podium included Pieter van den Hoogenband of Holland, American Michael Phelps, Russia’s Alexander Popov and Ian Thorpe of Australia.
2004 — Boeta Dippenaar offers the only resistance, making an unbeaten 59 as South Africa are bowled out for 179 in the second innings to lose the final second Test against Sri Lanka in Colombo by 313 runs. The home side won the series 1-0.
2007 — The Springboks score a century for the third time, trouncing hapless Namibia 105-13 at Newlands. Eleven of the players dotted down on 15 occasions, with flankers Schalk Burger and Juan Smith each notching up a hat-trick.
2009 — Bridgitte Hartley wins South Africa’s first-ever medal at the world canoe sprint championships, taking bronze in the women’s K1 1,000m, a non-Olympic event, in Dartmouth, Canada. She clocked 4 min 0.966 sec, close behind Germany’s silver medallist, rising star Franziska Weber (4:00.429). Hungarian legend Katalin Kovacs won in 3:59.846.
2015 — Wings Bryan Habana and Lwazi Mvovo score tries as the Springboks beat Argentina 26-12 in a one-off Test in Buenos Aires.
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