Cape Town - For those Springbok fans dreaming of a World Cup triumph in Japan, here’s an “omen” that could lift their spirits even higher.
What is the similarity between the 1995 World Cup-winning Boks and the 2007 World Cup-winning Boks?
Well, both those famous victories were achieved two years before the British and Irish Lions hit our shores!
In 1997, two years after Kitch Christie’s Boks lifted the trophy, the Lions toured South Africa and upset the form book with a 2-1 series victory over Carel du Plessis’s Boks.
In 2009, again two years after Jake White’s team were crowned world champions, the Lions were beaten 2-1. Peter de Villiers was the Bok coach in a series that will always be remembered for Tendai “Beast” Mtawarira destroying Phil Vickery in the scrums.
Two years from now, in 2021, Warren Gatland will bring his Lions to South Africa. So surely that means Siya Kolisi will get his hands on the Cup, right?