South Africa’s high-risk team selection tells us a lot about their strategy, and what New Zealand must do to stop to blow up the ‘bomb squad’ in the Paris wet.
On June 24, 1995 at Ellis Park Stadium in Johannesburg, South Africa dramatically defeated New Zealand 15 to 12 in extra time of the third Rugby World Cup final, courtesy of a Joel Stransky drop-goal in the last seven minutes of the game.
I was privileged to be the only sideline TV commentator that historic day and as sport goes, few if any finals in any sport match the significance that victory had to a nation. Not long out of prison, the recently elected president Nelson Mandela had brought South Africans together to support the Springboks and their inspiring captain Francois Pienaar in their first Rugby World Cup campaign after apartheid-era sporting boycotts had been lifted.
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Simon Poidevin played 59 Test Matches for the Wallabies between 1980 and 1991, captaining the team on four occasions. Simon is one of only four Australians to have won rugby union's World Cup, Grand Slam, Bledisloe Cup and Hong Kong Sevens.
