BLAST FROM THE PAST | Boks beat Canada in Battle of Boet Erasmus

1951 — Eric Sturgess, who had rallied from 1-4 down in the fifth and final set to win his semifinal against Australian Ken McGregor, goes down to his Czech-born doubles partner Jaroslav Drobny of Egypt 3-6 3-6 3-6 in the final of the French championships in Paris. Drobny, who won an Olympic ice hockey silver playing for Czechoslovakia in 1948, retained the French championship the following year and went on to win a Wimbledon title, the only man with African citizenship to do so. For Sturgess, 31 at the time, it was his last singles final in a grand slam, having lost in Paris in 1947 and at the US Open in 1948. Sturgess, an accountant, was a Spitfire pilot in World War 2 and was captured after bailing out during a sortie. He spent the last seven months of the war in the Stalag Luft III camp made famous by the Steve McQueen movie The Great Escape.

1951 — David Samaai, the South African coloured champion, is beaten in the men’s singles final at the Surrey lawn tennis championships in Surbiton, going down 6-1 5-7 3-6 against Polish Davis Cup player Czeslaw Spychala.

1962 — Renee Schuurman lifts two French championship tennis crowns, defending the women’s doubles title with Sandra Reynolds and the mixed doubles with Australian Bob Howe. Schuurman and Reynolds beat Margaret Smith of Australia and American Justina Bricka 6-4 6-4 to claim their third title in four years. Schuurman and Howe saw off Australians Fred Stolle and Lesley Turner 3-6 6-4 6-4.

1962 — Denis Hutchinson lands the first of his four victories in Europe, winning the professional section of the Jeyes International pro-am in Dublin by one stroke, though his 283 total was one shot more than the winner of the amateur draw, Irish medical student David Sheahan.

1972 — England, who had finished the Five Nations without a win, take on the Springboks in a one-off Test at Ellis Park in Johannesburg. They were expected to be easy meat, but they stunned the home team as they ran out 18-9 winners, with winger Alan Morley scoring the only try of the match. Fullback Sam Doble converted and added four penalties, while South African flyhalf Dawie Snyman responded with three penalties. This was the first time the Boks had played a match where tries were worth four points instead of three.

1995 — The Springboks beat Canada 20-0 in their third and final World Cup group match in Port Elizabeth, but it is overshadowed by a massive fight that sees the game dubbed the Battle of Boet Erasmus. Bok hooker James Dalton is red-carded along with two Canadian players, captain Gareth Rees and prop Rod Snow. Left wing Pieter Hendricks is later cited and he and Dalton are thrown out the team for the rest of the tournament, opening the way for Chester Williams to return to the South African side. The night match was also delayed because of a power failure. Playing for Canada was South Africa-born Christian Stewart, who would subsequently play for the Springboks.

2000 — The US hammer Bafana Bafana 4-0 in a four-nations tournament match in Washington DC, matching their biggest defeat to date. Cobi Jones scored two of the home team’s goals. The South Africa team was captained by Shaun Bartlett in the absence of Lucas Radebe.

2001 — A second-string Bafana Bafana hold Liberia to a 1-1 draw in an Africa Cup of Nations qualifier in Monrovia. South Africa, having already qualified top of their group, fielded mostly local players, and Andrew Rabutla opened the scoring in the 39th minute. The home side equalised after the technical director, the great George Weah, had brought himself on in the second half.

2010 — Jacques Kallis scores a critical 57 from 55 balls as the Proteas edge the West Indies by one wicket with two balls remaining in the fifth and final ODI in Port-of-Spain for a 5-0 series whitewash. JP Duminy (51) and Hashim Amla (45) also made important contributions to help South Africa chase down the 253 needed for victory.

2012 — Bafana Bafana are held to a 1-1 draw in a World Cup qualifier by lowly Ethiopia, ranked 138th in the world, at the Royal Bafokeng stadium near Rustenburg. South Africa, 67th in the world, were trailing until Katlego Mphela equalised in the 77th minute.

2016 — West Indian spin-bowler Sunil Narine puts the skids under the Proteas in Providence, taking six wickets to guide his team to a four-wicket ODI win in a triangular tournament also featuring Australia. South Africa were bowled out for 188, Rilee Rossouw top-scoring with 61. Kieron Pollard hit an unbeaten 67 as the hosts got home with 11 balls remaining.

2017 — Hashim Amla scores 103 and Imran Tahir takes four wickets as the Proteas beat Sri Lanka by 96 runs in an ICC Champions Trophy group match at the Oval. South Africa scored 299/6.

2018 — Bafana Bafana are beaten 4-3 on penalties by Madagascar in a Cosafa Cup quarterfinal at the Peter Mokaba Stadium.

2022 — Anneke Bosch top-scores with 29 as the South African women are held to 133/7 to lose the first T20 against Ireland in Dublin by 10 runs.

2024 — Anrich Nortje takes 4/7 — the most economical bowling at a T20 World Cup — as the Proteas bowl out Sri Lanka for 77 before winning their T20 World Cup opener in New York by six wickets. Kagiso Rabada took 2/21, Keshav Maharaj 2/22 and Ottneil Baartman 1/9. Nortje’s mark was beaten a few days later.