Canadians cause a riot against Boks in Battle of Boet Erasmus II

THOSE who were there swear there was something sinister simmering in the air above Algoa Bay the night the Springboks hosted Canada in a Pool A match at the 1995 Rugby World Cup.

- MIKE GREENAWAY

Older fans would later say they had experienced the same combative atmosphere on July 13, 1974, when the original Battle of Boet Erasmus took place. That was the infamous third Test between the British Lions and a desperate Springbok.

At week earlier, at Loftus Versfeld, the Boks had suffered a record 28-9 humiliation and arrived at Boet Erasmus Stadium in a savage mood. But the wily Lions knew what was coming and had devised a call to arms they named “99”.

When captain Willie John McBride sensed extreme hostility, he would scream “99” and each Lion would punch the nearest Springbok. McBride reasoned that if all 15 Lions were simultaneously brawling, it would be impossible for the referee to send anyone off.

The Lions won the fight and the rugby, and the Boks fared only marginally better than in Pretoria, losing 26-9.

In 1995, a contributing factor to the incendiary atmosphere was the late kick-off at 7.45pm. It had been a long time since Gqeberha had hosted a Test match, and the excited locals had all day to imbibe in the throbbing beachfront pubs, before they partied up the road to nearby Boet Erasmus Stadium - a ramshackle cauldron where rusty old railway carriages presided atop the openside stand.

The volatile expectancy was ramped up when the lights failed as the teams lined up for the national anthems. The 31 000 spectators thronged to the stadium pubs once more.