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/ 22 October 2007

Race debate awaits World Cup heroes

They may be the world champions, but the Springboks have few illusions that their new status will stave off a new push by the government to overhaul the team’s racial composition. Meanwhile, Springbok wing Bryan Habana was on Sunday named the International Rugby Board player of the year.

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/ 19 October 2007

Boks back for seconds

There have been many times during the past 12 years when the idea of South Africa ever winning the World Cup again seemed utterly ludicrous. Remember when André Markgraaff dropped Francois Pienaar and replaced him in the Springbok squad with Theo Oost­huizen? That was ludicrous.

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/ 3 October 2007

Mallett named as new Italy coach

Former South Africa coach Nick Mallett was on Wednesday named as the new man in charge of the Italian national side, the country’s rugby federation announced. Mallett succeeds Pierre Berbizier, whose time at the helm of the Azzurri came to an end with Italy’s first-round elimination from the World Cup in France.

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/ 7 September 2007

The Boks’ big chance

Australia beat England at the 1991 Rugby World Cup final, but in the South Stand at Twickenham lurked a couple of fellows who held up a banner emblazoned with this motto: ”South Africa, the real World Champions”. As it turned out, the blazers of the International Rugby Board had met during the second World Cup to debate the re-entry of the Springboks into the international fold.