1965 — South Africa beat England 1-0 in the series as they draw the third and final Test at the Oval with the home side 308/4 at stumps, still 91 runs short of victory.
1979 — Alison Sheard wins her third professional golf tournament inside two months, taking the Welsh Classic at Dinas Powys. Having joined the paid ranks late, missing the first two events of the Women’s PGA Tour, she still topped the order of merit for the year with her three victories in the inaugural season of what eventually became known as the Ladies European Tour.
1980 — Chris Burger dies about 12 hours after suffering a broken neck in a Currie Cup match between Western Province and Free State in Bloemfontein. Burger, a utility player, was at fullback for WP on the day. He had been caught in possession deep inside his own half and a maul formed. Burger is believed to have suffered the fatal injury when two Free State players charged in and collapsed the maul. After all the players got up, Burger still lay there, motionless but conscious. Just before the start of the match both teams had stood for a minute’s silence to honour Free State prop Rampie Stander, who had collapsed and died after a training session just three days earlier. Free State won the encounter 7-6.
1996 — The Springboks score a consolation win as they beat New Zealand 32-22 at Ellis Park in the final Test, reducing the series deficit to 1-2. Scrumhalf Joost van der Westhuizen went over for two tries and fullback Andre Joubert one. The All Blacks also scored three tries, but flyhalf Henry Honiball and Joubert kicked five penalties between them.
2003 — Hestrie Cloete gives South Africa a double high-jump gold at the world championships in Paris as she dominates her event to win by 6cm. Cloete, the defending champion from 2001, sailed to victory in a 2.06m South African record, adding to the men’s high-jump gold Jacques Freitag had won a few days earlier. On the same day, Mbulaeni Mulaudzi took the 800m bronze behind Djabir Said-Guerni of Algeria and Russia’s Yuriy Borzakovskiy, who beat the South African again at the Olympics the next year.
2003 — Rowers Ramon Di Clemente and Donovan Cech win their third consecutive world championship medal, taking bronze in the men’s pair in Milan.
2004 — Not even a century by Jacques Kallis can save the Proteas from a 5-0 ODI series whitewash defeat against Sri Lanka, losing the final match in Colombo by 49 runs. Chasing 309 for victory, South Africa were all out for 259, with only Kallis (101) and Jacques Rudolph (48) offering the visitors any hope. Spinner Upul Chandana took 5/61.
2005 — In a local derby, Isaac Hlatshwayo outpoints Cassius Baloyi at Carnival City to win the marginal IBO’s vacant lightweight title.
2007 — Mzonke Fana makes the first defence of his IBF junior-lightweight title when he knocks out Javier Osvaldo Alvarez of Argentina in the ninth round in Klerksdorp.
2008 — Herschelle Gibbs scores 74 off 75 balls, but it’s not enough as the Proteas lose the weather-shortened fourth ODI against England by seven wickets. South Africa made 183/6 off 32.1 overs. England, chasing 137 from over 20 overs, got there with 14 balls to spare, thanks to Kevin Pietersen’s 40 off 34 deliveries and Andrew Flintoff’s 31 from 12 balls. The victory gave England a 4-0 lead in the five-match series.
2012 — Hashim Amla once again top scores for the Proteas, but his 43 isn’t enough as South Africa go down by four wickets in the third ODI against England at the Oval. Eoin Morgan hit 73 off 67 balls to guide England to the 213 victory target with two overs remaining and to level the five-match series at 1-1.
2024 — Substitute scrumhalf Grant Williams scores a late try as the Springboks beat New Zealand 31-27 in a Rugby Championship match at Ellis Park. Hooker Bongi Mbonambi and reserve loose forward Kwagga Smith also dotted down, with flyhalf Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu slotting four penalties and two conversions.
2025 — Flanker Sinazo Mcatshulwa scores the winning try with six minutes remaining as South Africa beat higher-ranked Italy 29-24 in their Women’s Rugby World Cup group match at York Community Stadium. South Africa won the try count 5-4 with No 8 Aseza Hele, fullback Nadine Roos, winger Ayanda Malinga and flank Sizophila Solontsi also dotting down. Wing Byrhandré Dolf slotted two conversions. Italy went into the match ranked eighth and South Africa 12th.
2025 — Thriston Lawrence wins his fifth DP World Tour title, taking the Omega European Masters at the Crans-sur-Sierre golf club in Switzerland by two shots. He also won the tournament in 2022.
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