On this day: Canada cruise, Scotland rampage, France battle past brave Tonga

AFTER the Springboks had spectacularly beaten the Wallabies in the opening match of the 1995 World Cup on Thursday, May 25, several pool matches ensued the next day.

- MIKE GREENAWAY

South Africa were in Pool A, with Romania, Canada and Australia, and on the Friday it was the turn of the eastern Europeans and the hardy Canucks from North America.

Canada had a handy team in that period. The game was still amateur and they could reasonably compete, as the Boks would discover later in the tournament when they had to fight for their lives in Port Elizabeth.

Canada had world class players — some of whom were based in Europe — in captain and lock Al Charron, prop Rod Snow and the very good flyhalf Gareth Rees. The latter two played for Newport (now the Dragons) in Wales.

They also boasted the Western Province centre Christian Stewart.

He had been ignored by the Springboks but qualified for Canada via ancestry.