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RNZ News
14 hours ago
- Entertainment
- RNZ News
New documentary explores one of the most turbulent periods in All Black history
This week marks the 30th anniversary of the most iconic and transcendent game of rugby ever played. Unfortunately for the All Blacks, it was one they lost. The 1995 Rugby World Cup final , won 15-12 by the Springboks after extra time, has gone down as the day that the new nation of South Africa was born. The truth is a little bit more complicated than that, but New Zealand's memories of it generally revolve around Jonah Lomu and Suzy the Waitress. Frank Bunce in action during the final of the Rugby World Cup between the All Blacks and South Africa in 1995. Photo: Photosport Sky Sport are filling a rare rugby-free Saturday evening with Back From The End Of The World , a documentary about the All Blacks' journey through a very turbulent period leading up to the World Cup. It's told very much from coach Laurie Mains' point of view, as well as players like Ian Jones, Eric Rush and Frank Bunce, and takes its name from the famous French try that handed the All Blacks their last defeat on Eden Park way back in 1994. Back From The End Of The World certainly does its best to hit all the right nostalgic buttons, with enough time passed between then and now to elicit some refreshing honesty from the infamously tight-lipped All Black environment. You have to remember that the World Cup was only one part of the dramatic situation rugby found itself in at the time, with the game hurtling towards professionalism and everyone trying to get their hands on the wheel. Here's a look back at what was happening: Jonah Lomu and Sean Fitzpatrick. Photo: Andrew Cornaga/Photosport If you think the last few years of All Black rugby was up and down, Mains' tenure as coach was a real rollercoaster. He started with a shock loss to the World XV, had the Bledisloe Cup bounce back and forth across the Tasman every season and lost to England for only the third time ever. On the other hand, they won series' against the Springboks and British Lions in consecutive years and won at Ellis Park. In order to get the All Blacks fit enough to play the style of game he wanted, Mains put the players through a hellish fitness regime across three training camps. Days would usually involve six hours of team training, followed by fitness sessions. "The only way I could get them fit to the level we want was if I was controlling it and not their provincial coaches," said Mains. "We said 'at the end of these camps, some of the players will fall by the wayside and it'll make our selections easier'." All the while, the constant narrative was whether Mains should be coach at all. John Hart had been publicly lobbying for sole charge of the job after being a co-coach in 1991, and it felt like everyone had an opinion of the matter. It didn't quite reach the same sort of drama as when Ian Foster was competing against Scott Robertson, but it wasn't far off. Jonah Lomu and Eric Rush. Photo: supplied "We desperately wanted Jonah and we were going to do everything we could in our power to get him up to the fitness levels required," said Mains. "I included Fitzy [captain Sean Fitzpatrick] in the discussions I had with [assistant coaches] Earle Kirton and Brian Lochore, who both said 'he's not ready to play in a World Cup for the All Blacks. Within a quarter of an hour, Eric Rush and Olo Brown both came to me and said we'll take Jonah running and make him work." Lomu's teammates' support and encouragement meant he was able to gain selection and become the most iconic player in the game's history. Right now we're trying to predict who will start in the 10 jersey next weekend between Beauden Barrett and Damian McKenzie, two players that have almost 200 caps worth of experience between them. Andrew Mehrtens had one by the time the World Cup started, a selection that would be utterly unthinkable now. "It was getting pretty desperate… We were so lucky one just fell into our lap" admitted Mains. Back From The End Of The World wisely skips over the main controversy of the World Cup, with Mains thankfully not quoted on a matter that saw him launch a private investigation at his own expense. The story of Suzy the Waitress has been done to death and it's quite clear from the players ever since that they believe it was a simple case of food poisoning rather than anything nefarious.
The Citizen
4 days ago
- Sport
- The Citizen
‘They laid the foundation': Kolbe on 30th anniversary of 1995 World Cup win
Cheslin Kolbe said the 1995 Rugby World Cup team laid the foundation for current Springboks to take the country to new heights. Cheslin Kolbe has sung the praises of the Springbok 1995 Rugby World Cup team on the 30th anniversary of them winning the trophy. The SA Rugby Player of the Year said Francois Pienaar and his charges had done the country proud to claim the trophy, beating New Zealand in the final thanks to an unforgettable Joel Stransky drop-goal in extra time. Kolbe said the win, powered by a full-team effort and fuelled by the country's hope for unity after Apartheid, laid the foundation for reconciliation as a nation as well as dominance in the sport that saw South Africa win three more World Cups in the following years. Inspiration for current players 'They wore the jersey with pride and respect,' Kolbe said. 'For us as players that get the opportunity on weekends, we need to make sure we leave the jersey in a better place as well, whenever we do play.' Kolbe was only a year old at the time, but said he watched many highlights of the game and its great moments many times. 'Those are things that encourage you as a youngster, looking up to the heroes that played back then. You want to be on that stage as well and you want to be even better as well with your fellow teammates. 'The foundation has been laid so for us who get the opportunity. Now it's just ensuring we progress and leave the Springbok jersey and South Africa in a better place.' President Nelson Mandela hands the Rugby World Cup trophy to South Africa captain Francois Pienaar. Picture: AFP/Jean-Pierre Muller Kurt-Lee Arendse or Jonah Lomu? Kolbe reflected on the late All Black wing, Jonah Lomu, who scored seven tries during the 1995 Rugby World Cup and jointly holds the record for most tries in World Cups with Bryan Habana (15). Having recently played against fellow Springbok wing Kurt-Lee Arendse in the Japan Rugby League One, Kolbe was asked if he would rather play against Lomu or Arendse on the biggest stage. 'It's unfair to put it that way,' Kolbe laughed. 'But who wouldn't want to come up against a legend like Jonah Lomu to test and see where you are at. But you also don't want to face Kurt-Lee on a one-on-one as well. It would be interesting.'
IOL News
08-06-2025
- Sport
- IOL News
Rugby World Cup 1995 I Jonah Lomu — the All Blacks wrecking ball that changed the face of rugby
Joost van der Westhuizen had a numbing pre-match injection on a rib injury and then played the game of his life in the 1995 World Cup final, inspiring his team with a legendary tackle on Kiwi Jonah Lomu. File photo Joost van der Westhuizen had a numbing pre-match injection on a rib injury and then played the game of his life in the 1995 World Cup final, inspiring his team with a legendary tackle on Kiwi Jonah Lomu. File photo The enduring image of the 1995 Rugby World Cup is of Nelson Mandela, dressed in Francois Pienaar's No 6 jersey, awarding the Webb Ellis Cup to the Springbok captain, but also etched into immortality is the scene of utter destruction when Jonah Lomu scored against England in the semi-final. Lomu scored four that day, but the one the world will never forget was when he ran over Mike Catt, rendering the fullback a mangle of spread-eagled arms and legs, while behind them, bulldozed into the Newlands turf, were fellow casualties, Will Carling and Tony Underwood. No wonder Carling called the juggernaut 'a freak'. Freakish the 20-year-old was. The rugby world had never seen the like of him before, and there hasn't been anyone quite like him since. At a towering 196cm (6 ft 5 in) and weighing 125 kilograms, he was bigger than the locks at that World Cup, but here he was on the left wing. With that muscular bulk and the pace of a sprinter (he was a hurdles record holder at school in South Auckland), he was a runaway train. Coaches across the World Cup wondered how to stop him. If he was presented with an outside gap, he had the pace to show a clean pair of heels. Go low and he ran over you. Go high and he went over you anyway. He was like Gulliver swatting off Lilliputians. As Carling added, 'I've seen men bigger than Lomu, I've seen men faster than Lomu, I've seen men stronger than Lomu, but I've never seen a man bigger, faster and stronger than Jonah.' Lomu, the son of immigrant Tongans, was the perfect attacking storm and rugby's first superstar. Soon, there would be a wax model of him in London's Madame Tussauds museum. In New Zealand, fast food giant McDonald's renamed their biggest offering the Jonah Burger. He had debuted for the All Blacks a year earlier, in 1994, when playing two Tests against France. He was the youngest ever All Black at 19 years and 45 days. A hard-to-believe fact is that Lomu, who had seen little ball in the games against France, almost did not go to South Africa. Unconvinced All Blacks coach Laurie Mains has said Lomu was one of his last selection choices for the 1995 World Cup. On the fast, dry pitches of South Africa, the Lomu phenomenon exploded. His seven tries for a tournament is a World Cup record shared with Springbok left wing Bryan Habana (2007 World Cup). The two share the record for most tries in World Cups (15). Lomu scored his 15 in 11 World Cup games (across two World Cups) while Habana's tally was spread across three World Cups. But it was not just the number of tries Lomu scored, it was how he scored them. With his head shaved but for a small quiff on his forehead, thunderous thighs, and a ferocious glare, he scorched through defences like a blazing comet. For the game of rugby, the Lomu explosion in 1995 could not have been better timed because that World Cup was the farewell to the amateur game. As the dust was settling on the Springboks' win, leading players across the world were secretly discussing how they could force the International Rugby Board to embrace professionalism. They got it right. Lomu gave professional rugby an instant face. He was a marketing guru's dream come true. It was around him that the professional game was launched. There was no need for a publicity campaign as to why rugby players deserved to be paid. Lomu had done it all by himself. As the website put it, 'For the seven years of his career, he was a lightning rod for rugby's advance into the uncharted waters of a money game that had to be shared, finally, by players who had seen the monetary rewards for their labours go into the bank accounts of those controlling rugby unions, which held those finances in iron fists.' Sadly, Lomu was stricken with a kidney illness early in his career and forced into retirement early. He played his final Test, his 63rd, having scored 37 tries, in 2002. He played his last first-class game in 2006, ending a career in which he scored 126 tries, shared in a World Cup Sevens title, and won a gold medal in Sevens at the 1998 Commonwealth Games. In 2015, one of rugby's most poignant off-field moments occurred when the ill Lomu visited wheelchair-bound Joost van der Westhuizen at the latter's home. The pair had been fierce rivals on the field — one of the great moments of the '95 final was when Lomu got the ball in space but was tackled around his ankles by the determined Van der Westhuizen. That tackle gave the Boks the belief that they could stop Lomu. Intriguingly, Lomu never scored a try against the Springboks in his career. Lomu, fighting back tears, said to Joost, who was suffering from Motor Neuron Disease, 'You know what… the most satisfying thing is that I can call you my friend.' Such is the power of rugby to forge comradeships. Truly special. Later that year, Lomu died suddenly when the kidney a friend had given him was rejected by his body. He was 40. Van der Westhuizen died in 2017 at age 45. Lomu, rugby's first global superstar, is to the sport what Muhammad Ali was to boxing, Michael Jordan to basketball, Tiger Woods to golf, and Usain Bolt to sprinting. He was that good. Mike Greenaway is the author of the best-selling books The Fireside Springbok and Bok to Bok.
IOL News
01-06-2025
- Sport
- IOL News
Rugby World Cup 1995: Remembering the Springboks' fallen heroes
New Zealand winger Jonah Lomu is tackled by South African scrumhalf Joost Van der Westhuizen during the Rugby World Cup final in 1995. Photo: Mark Baker/Reuters GAME CHANGING MOMENT: New Zealand winger Jonah Lomu is tackled by South African scrumhalf Joost Van der Westhuizen during the Rugby World Cup final in 1995. Photo: Mark Baker/Reuters It is a tragic postscript to the monumental achievements of the 1995 Springboks that, 30 years later, there are just 10 survivors of the team that started the final against the All Blacks. The New Zealanders have also suffered a loss, with Player of the Tournament Jonah Lomu passing away in Auckland in 2015 because of kidney failure. He was 40. The list of Springboks who have died makes for a sad reading because they were household names that contributed enormously to the rich history of the game in South Africa James Small, Joost van der Westhuizen, Chester Williams, Ruben Kruger, and Hannes Strydom were hugely popular public figures and their deaths at relatively young ages remains keenly felt. The first member of the tightly-knit squad to die was Kitch Christie, the coach who engineered an 'ambulance job' by taking over the team only months before the World Cup. He succumbed to leukemia in Pretoria in 1998. He was 58. The latest squad member to perish was lock Strydom. He was in a tragic car accident two years ago. He was also 58. Strydom, a pharmacist, formed a formidable second row partnership with Transvaal teammate Kobus Wiese. The first '95 hero to pass on was the warrior flank Ruben Kruger. The tough Blue Bull scored a crucial try in the semi-final against France in monsoon conditions in Durban and to this day his teammates swear he scored in the final. Kruger seemed to have got over the line but referee Ed Morrison was unsighted and did not award it. If there had been a TMO, Kruger would have scored. Kruger blacked out during a game in 2000 and tests revealed he had a brain tumor. Surgeons removed the tumour but it resurfaced. After fighting the disease for a decade, Kruger died in January 2010 aged 39.
IOL News
26-05-2025
- Sport
- IOL News
On this day: Samoa shocked Italy, Wales overwhelmed Japan and the All Blacks suppressed Ireland
The All Blacks' Jonah Lomu began his rampage at the Rugby World Cup 1995 against Ireland 30 years ago. Photo: AFP The All Blacks were overwhelming favourites to reclaim the title they had won in 1987 — the inaugural World Cup — but lost to the Wallabies in England in 1991. After the Springboks had opened the 1995 World Cup by defeating the Wallabies on Thursday May 25, the tournament took off on the Saturday when most of the favoured teams flexed their muscles, notably New Zealand and Wales. They played Ireland at Ellis Park and were made to work hard for their 43-19 win. In this era, Ireland were not respected and not feared, and the Kiwis sweated before Jonah Lomu put up an emphatic hand and scored two tries to quell the usual Irish fervour. The Tongan-born Lomu had announced himself on the 1995 World Cup stage and he never left it. Tries were added by the wonderful All Blacks Frank Bunce (centre), flank Josh Kronfeld and fullback Glen Osbourne. Flyhalf Andrew Mehrtens did the rest of the damage with his boot. For the gallant Irish, tries were scored by flank Dennis McBride and No 8 David Corkery, with flyhalf Eric Elwood adding two conversions and a penalty. In Durban, fancied England were almost upset by Argentina, a country that has no love for the English. At that time, the Pumas were not a recognised as a world force but they almost won. In fact, England could not score a try and all their points were scored by flyhalf Rob Andrews. He kicked an impeccable six penalties and two drop goals. The South Americans had the satisfaction of scoring the game's two tries — one by prop Patricio Noriega and the other by flyhalf Lisandro Arbizu. The Free State Stadium hosted Wales versus Japan. This was time when Wales was a force and Japan were still making their way into the top tier of rugby. The Japanese naively tried to run everything against their bigger opponents and while they won the crowd's support, they were always going to be found out. Wales wing Gareth Thomas, on debut, scored three tries while the brilliant kicker Neil Jenkins filled his boots in the 57-10 romp. In East London, Italy and West Samoa were expected to run each other close but in the battle of the teams wearing blue, it was the sky blue Azzurri who were punished by the darker blue of the pacific island team. The Samoans had been the surprise package of the 1991 World Cup when they beat Wales, but Italy were on an upward trajectory mostly because of their brilliant flyhalf Diego Dominguez. However, Samoa bulled the Italians into submission, with their famous wing Brian Lima leading the charge.
