THE Springboks’ defeat by Australia in the rugby World Cup was a severe blow for South Africa’s cricket team who suffered a heart-breaking exit from the cricket World Cup at the hands of Australia in June. Hansie Cronje and his team had finished play in the first test against Zimbabwe by the time the Twickenham epic went into extra time. They stared at the dressing room television set in stunned disbelief as the Boks went down 27-21 in London. Australia and South Africa tied their cricket World Cup semi-final in Birmingham, England, but Australia went through because of results earlier in the tournament. South African team manager Goolam Rajah had said his players would not be permitted to watch the match while play in the cricket test was in progress. But patriotism took over and the television was tuned to the rugby before the kick-off. However, only senior players seemed to have the right to watch, with Boeta Dippenaar, Mark Boucher and Paul Adams banished to the players’ balcony. Shaun Pollock had fixed a hastily scribbled banner to the balcony rail reading “Without Jannie there will be no drinking of De Beer.”