The only confrontation between France and South Africa in the World Cup was the scene of a refereeing scandal.
Opponent of the Blues in the quarter-finals, the Springboks mainly bring back bad memories to the French XV. This is particularly true of the only opposition between the two teams in the World Cup, in 1995. Opposed to the host country in the semi-final, Pierre Berbizier’s men narrowly lost (19-15), at the end of a match played two hours late and in difficult conditions due to rain and marked by several more than doubtful refereeing decisions.
The best example is obviously the attempt refused in the final moments of the match. Author of a devastating charge, Abdelatif Bennazi in fact flattens on the line. Or rather what’s left of it given the puddle of water there. Derek Bevan, however, decides not to grant the try before receiving a gold watch from the president of the South African federation during the post-match reception. Enough to provoke the anger of Pierre Berbizier. A quarter of a century later, the former scrum-half still hasn’t digested it.
One of the greatest scams in sports history
« It’s huge that we are celebrating Invictus in France when we know that it is probably one of the biggest scams in the history of sport“, he said during the release of the film Invictus, making heavy accusations: “ The day before the match, half a dozen (French) players were at Immodium. Since we had only lost by four points, the South Africans said to themselves: ‘for the final, it will be the entire New Zealand delegation’. The day before the final, they walked the entire route several times: toilets – rooms. »
Abdelatif Benazzi immediately accepted this injustice. “I accepted that this World Cup goes beyond sport,” he also confided to L’Equipe, adding: “In two years, this World Cup has settled a lot of things. Not everything, of course. Not all. But today, when I look at the Springboks, when I see their black captain (Siya Kolisi, Editor’s note) who is so sunny, I tell myself that 1995 has something to do with it. »
“During the final, we were at the stadium, he also remembered. I shed tears. The entry of Nelson Mandela, Pienaar, who is still very Afrikaner and who says that it is the victory of 42 million South Africans, white people who kiss black people in front of me in the stands. In 1995, I lost sportingly but I won humanly. It was a magical moment. But at what cost… ”
2023-10-12 03:00:00
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