Fitzy: Boks rivalry as compelling as ever
All Blacks great Sean Fitzpatrick believes the rivalry with the Springboks has survived the professional era to remain as compelling as ever.
No Kiwi knows the intensity of that contest better than Fitzpatrick who had an ear bitten by a Springboks opponent. He had the heartache of losing a World Cup final to the Boks in Johannesburg in 1995 and the joy of returning to South Africa the following year to oversee the All Blacks’ first test series win there.
Twelve of his 92 tests came against the Boks, winning nine, losing two and drawing one.
As South Africa celebrate the 25th anniversary of that 1995 World Cup triumph, they went to Fitzpatrick, public enemy No 1 there for so long, for some thoughts and the 57-year-old emphasised the passion of the rivalry.
‘‘When the game went professional, everyone said we’re going to lose the spark of the All Blacks playing the Springboks because we’d meet two or three times a year.
‘‘I don’t see that, I think it’s as strong as ever, which is tremendous,’’ the former hooker told a webinar hosted by South African radio broadcaster John
Walland and reported on Sport 24.
‘‘Like the Springboks, we have a long legacy in terms of the All Blacks. Once an All Black, always an All Black.’’
Fitzpatrick was thrilled that he got to play against the Springboks, doubting that would happen as South Africa endured a long political isolation.
He was in charge of the New Zealand test team when they went to play the Springboks in Johannesburg in 1992 when they were readmitted to international rugby. The circumstances around the week there, when the All Blacks won 27-24 at Ellis Park, hammered home to him everything he had watched as a boy.
‘‘One of my most vivid memories is the 1976 tour, where [centre] Joe Morgan scored a try [in a 15-9 victory] in Bloemfontein,’’ Fitzpatrick remembered.
‘‘We couldn’t believe those scorched grounds, we in New Zealand had never seen grass that brown. One of our great wingers, Bryan Williams, bandaged his knees just to avoid grass burns. These are memories we grew up with.
‘‘Given the legacy of the rivalry, we have a responsibility [to uphold it]. I thought that I’d never go to South Africa as an All Black [because of isolation], let alone as a captain. And that’s very special to me.’’