1955 — Captain Jackie McGlew scores 133 in South Africa’s second innings of the fourth Test against England in Leeds.
1960 — The All Blacks win the second Test at Newlands 11-3 to draw level in the four-match series. Colin Meads, playing at eighthman, scored the only try for the visitors, with fullback Don Clarke adding the conversion, a penalty and a drop. Flyhalf Keith Oxlee scored South Africa’s only points, a try in the first half.
1994 — New Zealand win the second Test at Athletic Park in Wellington 13-9 to take an unassailable lead in the three-match series. But the match was remembered for South African prop Johan le Roux biting the ear of New Zealand skipper Sean Fitzpatrick during a ruck, to the point that it dripped with blood — and this was three years before Mike Tyson bit Evander Holyfield’s ears. Le Roux said he had lost control after being shoulder-charged and then pinned down by Fitzpatrick. Le Roux was banned for 19 months. As for the rugby, eighthman Zinzan Brooke and wing John Timu scored tries for the home side, with fullback Shane Howarth adding a penalty. For the visitors, fullback Theo van Rensburg slotted three penalties.
1994 — Allan Donald finishes with five wickets as South Africa bowl out England for 180 in the first Test at Lord’s for a first-innings lead of 177 runs.
1996 — Penny Heyns becomes the first South African to land two Olympic golds at a single Games since tennis player Charles Winslow in 1912, as she wins the 200m breaststroke. Having won the 100m breaststroke crown two days earlier, she takes the four-lap race in a 2 min 25.41 sec Olympic record to become the first — and so far only — woman to win the breaststroke double at a single Games.
1998 — Skipper Hansie Cronje scores 113 not out on the opening day of the fourth Test against England in Nottingham.
2000 — South Africa are dismissed for 269 in their follow-on innings to lose the first Test against Sri Lanka in Galle by an innings and 15 runs. Muttiah Muralitharan took 13 wickets in the match.
2001 — Roland Schoeman becomes the first South African to win a world long-course championship medal, taking a share of third place in the 50m freestyle in Fukuoka. Schoeman and Japanese swimmer Tomohiro Yamanoi clocked 22.18 sec to share bronze behind Olympic champion Anthony Ervin of the US (22.09) and Holland’s Olympic 100m freestyle king Pieter van den Hoogenband (22.16).
2005 — Wing Breyton Paulse and replacement Schalk Burger are yellow-carded, but the Springboks still beat Australia 33-20 in a Mandela Cup match at Ellis Park. Both teams scored three tries, but Percy Montgomery’s boot made the difference, with three conversions and four penalties.
2011 — Australia score five tries as they down the Springboks 39-20 in a Tri-Nations match in Sydney. Chiliboy Ralepelle and captain John Smit dotted down for South Africa.
2012 — Dale Steyn finishes with 5/56 as South Africa bowl out England for 240 to win the first Test at the Oval by an innings and 12 runs.
2013 — The Proteas go 0-2 down in the five-match series as they lose the weather-shortened second ODI against Sri Lanka in Colombo by 17 runs. The hosts made 223/9 in 49.2 overs, but South Africa’s target was revised to 122 from 21 overs.
2018 — Theunis de Bruyn, resuming on 45, scores 101, but it’s in vain as the Proteas slump to a 199-run defeat in the final second Test against Sri Lanka in Colombo, losing the series 0-2. South Africa’s left-arm spinner, Keshav Maharaj, took nine wickets in the first innings for a career-best match haul of 12/283.
2022 — Hildah Magaia scores twice to lift Banyana Banyana to their first Women’s Africa Cup of Nations trophy as they beat hosts Morocco 2-1 in the final at the Stade Prince Moulay Abdellah in Rabat. The South Africans had finished as runners-up on five previous occasions, in 2018, 2012, 2008, 2000 and 1995. Magaia gave South Africa a 2-0 lead before Morocco pulled one back in the 80th minute, but the visitors stood firm for the rest of the match, which included nine minutes of optional time.
2022 — Anneke Bosch makes 61 and Lara Goodall 42 to lift the South African women to 148/6, but they lose the second T20 against England in Worcester by six wickets.
2023 — Hildah Magaia scores to put Banyana Banyana 1-0 up in their World Cup opener against Sweden in Wellington, but two goals, the second in the 90th minute, see the Scandinavians win 2-1.
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