1996 New Zealand rugby union tour of South Africa explained

Team:New Zealand
Yearstart:1996
Destination:South Africa
Captain:Sean Fitzpatrick
Matchplayed:8
Matchwon:6
Matchdraw:1
Matchlost:1
Testplayed:4
Testwon:3
Testdraw:0
Testlost:1
Played1:3
Won1:2
Draw1:0
Lost1:1

The 1996 New Zealand rugby union tour of South Africa was a historic tour in the history of New Zealand rugby. The All Blacks won the test series 2–1 and became known as "the Incomparables" for their feat of winning a series in South Africa for the first time.

The Rivalry

The Springboks and the All Blacks have been typically regarded by many as the two greatest rugby playing nations of all time.[1] New Zealand and South Africa had clashed in many tours over time which had been hotly contested. This included the controversial 1981 tour. The All Blacks had never beaten South Africa in a full-scale test series in South Africa. This was seen as the only blemish on the All Blacks record. All Black sides of 1928, 1949, 1960, 1970 and 1976 had all failed to beat South Africa away from home. The rivalry has always been hotly contested. 1996 was the year professionalism was introduced into rugby union meaning the creation of the new Tri nations and Super 12. As of 2021 no further full-scale tours have occurred between New Zealand and South Africa.

More recently the All Blacks had clashed with South Africa in the 1995 Rugby World Cup Final. The All Blacks lost that match but coming into this tour they had won the 1996 Tri Nations Series in the process beating South Africa twice.

The Tour

The All Blacks and South Africa played four test matches; the first was the final match of the 1996 Tri Nations Series. The next three was for the test series which the All Blacks won 2–1.

3rd Test

Matches

Scores and results list New Zealand's points tally first.

Opponent For Against Date Venue Status
Boland Invitation XV 32 21 6 August 1996 Tour Match
South Africa29 18 10 August 1996 Newlands, Cape Town Tri Nations
31 23 13 August 1996 Boet Erasmus Stadium, Port Elizabeth Tour Match
South Africa 23 19 17 August 1996 King's Park, Durban Test Match
31 0 20 August 1996 Olën Park, Potchefstroom Tour Match
South Africa33 26 24 August 1996 Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria Test Match
18 18 27 August 1996 Hoffe Park, Kimberley Tour Match
South Africa 22 32 31 August 1996 Ellis Park, Johannesburg Test Match
[2]

The squad

1. S.D. Culhane2. J.P. Preston3. M.J. A. Cooper4. J.W. Wilson5. Z.V. Brooke6. S.J. McLeod7. O.F. J. Tonu'u8. A.P. Mehrtens9. A.F. Blowers10. C.M. Cullen11. S.B. T. Fitzpatrick12. A. Ieremia13. B.P. Larsen14. W.K. Little15. J.T. Lomu16. J.W. Marshall17. G.M. Osborne18. E.J. Rush19. C.J. Spencer20. M.R. Allen21. C.K. Barrell22. T.J. Blackadder23. R.M. Brooke24. O.M. Brown25. F.E. Bunce26. P.H. Coffin27. C.S. Davis28. C.W. Dowd29. N.J. Hewitt30. I.D. Jones31. M.N. Jones 32. J.A. Kronfeld33. J.T. F. Matson34. A.D. Oliver35. T.C. Randell36. G.L. Taylor[3]

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Domain parking page.
  2. Book: Rothmans Rugby Union Yearbook 1997–98. 1997. Headline Book Publishing. London. 0-7472-7732-X. Mick Cleary and John Griffiths.
  3. Web site: Rugbymuseum.co.nz . 28 March 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120927035352/http://www.rugbymuseum.co.nz/toursbreak.asp?level1=All_Black_Tests&Level2=ABC&IDID=136 . 27 September 2012 . dead . dmy-all .