Fawlty, the Proteas and South Africa’s saddest sporting moment

I WONDER if I have had a stranger evening than that of June 17, 1999, when Basil Fawlty and I discussed a cricket match while I gazed forlornly at the Indian Ocean rolling up on North Beach, as it had for millions of years.

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RASSIE Erasmus revealed that Springbok tighthead Frans Malherbe was close to retiring last year due to a serious back injury. The stalwart, however, attended the first Bok alignment camp of 2026 this week and forms part of the plans of Erasmus and his management ahead of the 2027 Rugby World Cup in Australia.

(BackpagePix)

Dispassionate waves doing what they have always done, stoically uncaring about the drama that had just unfolded on television screens at Jo Kools, the Durban beachfront bar and restaurant.

For those who watched the World Cup Proteass semifinal tie against Australia at Edgbaston, the final moments are inerasable. You can’t un-watch Alan Donald failing to hear Lance Klusener’s call for a run to win the game, then attempting the run, dropping his bat, and being run out.

Australia advanced to the final because of a better net run rate.

That was the closest to genuine sporting heartbreak | have experienced. What was it about that game that had South Africa metaphorically flying the national flag at half-mast and wearing black armbands for a week?

This week’s World Cup semifinal loss to New Zealand was greeted with an “Oh well” shrug and will soon be forgotten.

I guess back in 1999, there was far less cricket and only one World Cup. Now we have the five-day Test championship, the ODI World Cup, and a T20 version.