South Africa's Ruby World Cup Triumph 2019

All the sweeter for how unexpected it was!

Match details

• Against England
• Final score: 32 - 12

7 a side rugby

Highlights

• My first time in the Cape Town Football World-cup stadium - very impressive!
• My first experience of 7 aside rugby; ultra fast and exciting with extraordinary passes and running.
• South Africa winning all three of its matches. Australia didn't do so well but I wasn't Australian for the day, so it didn't matter.
• Sam and Claire as devil and angel. They looked great!
• Lots of wonderful costumes.
• The wonderful atmosphere in the stadium, helped along by rousing music and kiss and dance cams.

Swans verse The Giants

Here are Dani and I, all decked out in red, supporting The Swans.

Roger and Lucy's Lucky Mascot

He watched the match with them yesterday from Melbourne and his lucky charm worked miracles...

2007 World Cup Rugby Final: Well done Bokke!!

Who minds waking up at 4 am in the morning...

...when you get to do a victory leap! Woohoo!!!! Thanks mum for the South African beanie!

Match details

• Against England
• Final score: 15 - 6

South Africa verse Australia

The Sydney Swans verse the West Coast Eagles

Ally and I watched this with work mates at the Sydney Olympic Village. What a match! The Eagles pipped the Swans by one point in a hotly contested battle. Not a bad game - this Australian footie!

Go The Bulldogs!

Go England!

It was England verse Switzerland in the Euro tonight so we left work early to catch the game in a pub in Cambridge. After the gutting loss against France on Sunday night (England was actually winning till the 92nd minute!) there was some rather anxious Brits. But tonight was celebration all round - 3 nil to the home crowd. I narrowly missed the elation of arms up in the air with this photo and only managed to capture the afterglow. Too slow...

I must say i am becoming a very patriotic english supporter when it comes to the footie though there's no doubt where my loyalties lie if South Africa and England are playing each other! It's nice to have two sides to support though - like in the world cup rugby last year. When South Africa was kicked out, i still had the Brits to cheer and they went on to win the whole thing, to the massive delight of everyone here. Johnny Wilkinson will be regarded as a national treasure forever more, and the DVD of the great match is still at the top of the best seller list here... A great moment to be sure, but of course, for me, nothing close to 1994 and Nelson in that green jersey...

South Africa's Rugby World Cup Triumph 1995

As a South African, the 1995 Rugby World Cup final was one of the most electrifying and emotional moments of my life. The tension was almost unbearable as we watched the Springboks battle the mighty All Blacks in a match that went into extra time, with every kick and tackle holding the weight of a nation’s hopes. Jonah Lomu, the towering force of the tournament, had been unstoppable throughout, but our team’s resolute defense rose to the challenge, making the victory even sweeter. Joel Stransky’s iconic drop goal to seal the win was a moment of pure euphoria, and seeing Nelson Mandela step onto the field wearing Francois Pienaar’s No. 6 jersey was a poignant symbol of unity and reconciliation in a country still healing from its past. It wasn’t just a game—it was a powerful moment of national pride and a reminder of what South Africa could achieve together.

Match details

• Against New Zealand
• Final score: 15 - 12

Joel Stransky drop kick

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