LATEST NEWS

Yes, But if you ask a New Zealand rugby fan why the South African team won the world cup, they will tell you of a woman called Suzie who was a waitress at the hotel the New Zealand team was staying at, and is widely believed to have poisoned the Kiwi's prior to the final.

Agreed. Gran tourino... WTF!?

And I find it interesting that Timothy McVeigh's last words were "I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul." It's a very powerful poem...

Neon: you were supposed to laugh at his growling. it was intended to be funny. But ya, the kids' acting was beyond bad. especially the girl when she's getting hit on by the group of black guys. eastwood should have known better.

i'd expect the people who mention Eastwoods films as overrated to come from a site that is usually a Bay lovers paradise.

never said hes bad, just overrated, in fact I enjoyed Gran Torino, its good but nowhere near great, I believe most people pretend to appreciate his recent movies only because hes clint eastwood

"Suzie who was a waitress at the hotel the New Zealand team was staying at, and is widely believed to have poisoned the Kiwi's prior to the final" and i wonder who poisoned the Kiwis in the previous world cup, or the Chiefs in the last Super 14 Match. South-African Rugby RULES.. no question

Everyone knows a South African waitress poisoned the All Blacks. The AB's have the best record in the world not SA.

The All Blacks lost the 1995 World Cup final because they were poisoned. They lost the other finals because they were not good enough. A fact is a fact.

I'm not a kiwi (though, I am married to one) and I believe the All Blacks would have won if not for the "poisoning"/stomach bug. You may chalk it up to being sore losers, but what about the reported "listening devices" in the players rooms and synconized late night car alarms going off in the parking lot outside the AB hotel? Whatever, eh?

As an Australian, I certainly believe that the All Blacks had food poisoning; just look at the TV footage of the match. Also, the only people not to get ill were the four members of the squad who did not eat lunch with their team. It's impossible to say whether this was deliberate poisoning or not, but the political pressure for a Springbok win, the fact that this occurred on Springbok home turf, and a history of politically-motivated poisonings in South Africa makes this a credible possibility. Many NZers and Australians, while being fiercely competitive with the South Africans when it comes to rugby, would have also been happy to have seen the end to apartheid in that country (witness the civil disputes in the early 80s when the Bok were to play in either country), and the inclusion on non-White players for the first time. But I suspect that Clint Eastwood will have made a politically correct feel-good movie with the World Cup as a back-drop, and will not present the facts as they happened. That's a shame. And "Dale", stop being such a pill. The Poms are the biggest whiners out there, and your toxic comments are typical for your countrymen, who do not like to see superior athletes from other countries (particularly from the "colonies") walk all over your own

I came to this site after hearing that a blockbuster movie containing rugby was being made! dissapointed to read all the scathing attacks on people which is generally why I do not leave comments. BUT, Linda you are exactly what is wrong with many Aussies when it comes to sport and England. I was born and raised in Manchester up untill I was 10 when we moved to Aus, ever since I arrived I copped flak for being english which is fine when its a bit of a laugh, but most aussies such as yourself really do miss the point of being good sports. Dale only said what is true, and the fact of the matter is that this movie is about Mandela and the people of SA not a investigative documentary into the Cup final...as for your attack on us POMs it really does make you sound so immature and makes me angry, for your apparant hatred for us is totally unjust...this is why i cannot bring myself to barrack for any Australian team in any sport and find myself backing teams like Ireland and France against you. I have some great friends who are passionate australian supporters but they do not act as if there country is the best at everything, ther is no competative need for them to believe nor want it to be so. I am sure most would find YOUR comments linda to be far more "toxic" than anything anyone has said in this comments page, im also gonna be cheeky and guess your a bit of a bogan aswell...

Not today they didn't ! The Barbarians beat them soundly here at Twickenham ! I

As a loud and proud pom, i luv rugby and england. But as far as statistics go, the New Zealanders are by far the most dominant rugby team for over a century hands down. But in terms of winning world cups its clear the aussies have that title. And as far as win rates go for the south africans, they are third only to the aussies only due to previous years of encounters of bein totaly and utterly dominated against there will. And yes the New Zealanders were poisend theres live footage at the game showing them puke. And about the New Zealanders tour of europe. And yes it is a fact that a south african playing for the barbarians scored a hat-trick which gave the barbarians the win. But thats only because southern hemisphere players can score against New Zealand. But, nore england, italy, wales or italy scored a single try against the New Zealanders on tour yet alone come close to a near win. That proves that if the players were made of players from europe theres no way they would have won. So riddle me this, what does that say about northern and southern hemisphere rugby?

The all blacks had ALWAYS eaten in public while on tour, however in 1995 WC they were sent to a seperate dining room and some of them did think this was strange, after their meal the team started to get very ill. Nelson Mandela was now president and this WC game was VERY VERY important to the SA so important they were willing to poison the whole all blacks team to shut them down. A well respected security guard who was there at the time of the 1995 world cup has written a book and is now disclosing the fact the the all blacks really had been poisened, I have a feeling this crime scene will not be in Invictus and that is a shame as it is a twist and WC history.

Yes the New zealanders snuck out of the rooms and went out partying they got food poisoning from some dive. It had nothing to do with anyone else and they only had themselves to blame. In fact the NZ players were men and never spoke about it for this reason. If they had obeyed the rules and not gone out this would not have happened. The only people who whine about this are the press and losers like you.

Ok I am not whining I am just laying out facts !!!!!!!!!!!!! if you had yours right you would know that ONLY 3 TEAM MEMBERS SNUCK OUT TO EAT ELSEWHERE!!! the rest of the team including the all blacks manager over 30 men ( he has recently stated that he believes it was the milk that made them ill ) and they ALL became ill, the 3 who snuck away did not. All I know is SA did not stand much chance of winning as the All Blacks were at the top of their game, but throw some poison in the mix and you stand a very good chance of wining. I LOVE NELSON MANDELA and I hope the movie does well.................

I respect Clint Eastwood but I don't like some of his movies. I also noticed that he likes to show his movies in December which is very close for the academy awards selection and of course he is always the winner. I would like to see some of his movies during the summer or spring time.

The words of Zinzan Brooke in a 2003 UK newspaper interview: As for what happened next, what can I say? We all felt we had plenty left to give in the final, but something was definitely done to us. Forty-eight hours before the big day and 18 of us, plus management(did management sneak out too as Saffa Steven claims), go down with food poisoning. That may be coincidence, but I don't think so. For every game before then we had made a point of eating in public restaurants to avoid being targeted. But in the week of the final we isolated ourselves in a private room. We had asked for our chef [a New Zealander] in Cape Town to be brought down to cook for us in Johannesburg, but the hotel management point blank refused. When we realised what had happened we thought about pulling out, getting the game postponed. However, we decided to use it to motivate us even more. Unfortunately, things didn't work out as we had hoped. Even then, we still managed to get something out of what was done to us. Those who played that day made a pact that we would come back the next year and win the Test series. In eight attempts, no All Black side had ever managed that, but we did.

And those of you quoting Mr.Rory Steyn who is trying to hock his book and sensationalise things see "ONE of Nelson Mandela's former bodyguards has spilled the beans in the security equivalent of a "kiss and tell" memoir -- and sparked a controversy in the process. And this being South Africa, the row has a racial dimension. Rory Steyn is being accused of using his privileged access to the former South African president to make quick money out of his book, A Step Behind Mandela." Mr Steyn is a real piece of work and anything he says is highly debatable.. http://www.dispatch.co.za/2000/07/10/features/LP.HTM

And as for Kim you are hysterical and Whining. You speak as if you were there and you know all the facts. It could have been a 24 hour stomach bug, all the players were in close proximity. It is all sheer speculation. The NZ team were offered a postponement they declined, it was tough luck but thats life. Even ZinZan Brooke is whining he says the water bottles were poisoned so was it the food ,a waitress, water bottles, stomach bug etc. What is patently obvious is that it had nothing to do with the Bokke they won fair and square. Grow Up whinining ninnies..

After reading all of this I wonder how bad NZ would've beaten SA if both teams were at full strength. Didn't know any of this stuff and, regardless of who is to blame, a major part of the story has been left out.

Sidney you're missing the point in a way. You're right that the film is to be admired for chronicling the life of a wonderful man and for the way one particular game did more for the unification of a country than so many other things combined. But denying that things occurred, in order to "keep the game clean" is naive and ignorant. How can you say that the food poisoning is nonsense?

I just cant believe that so many ignorant and uninformed readers can be taken in by what is a load of inaccurate hollywood nonsence. This is the sort of write up I would expect from the 'Sun' or some silly tabloid page. Whats more shocking is that comments left on theese pages directly attack Nelson Mandela and question his integrity and honesty, I seriously doubt any person writing a comment on these pages or any pages for that matter are in a position to do so. Mandela is probably one of the most just and moral persons walking this earth today. If you are able to be taken in by what hollywood has to offer, you are not qualified to place a comment on any public site or place, you are gullable and silly. I do also believe that most New Zealand rugby players would be sorely disapointed in being pulled through the mud by giving such poor excuses for losing, what are the excuses for the times they lost the two other world cups that South Africa played in? not to mention the catastrophic preformance in France, not to mention South Africa's performance last year in the Tri-Nations. South Africa is a rugby giant and force to be reckoned with. The above comments are unsporting and in poor taste, especially when they attack and belittle one of the great leaders of our time. I agree with Sidney, 'WHAT A LOAD OF NONSENCE' and in my opinion, by ignorant and gullable cinama goer's, or shall I be bold enough to suggest poor NZ rugby surporters, which I am sure are in the minority, as I have had the pleasure of meeting and going to games with NZ's who would not resort to such poor sportmanship and would not like to be part of this.

I am sorry if I have made a spelling mistake, but English is not my first language or second for that matter, as well as not being South African. I can read as much as I can comprehend that you are a fool as well as gullable, not muppet but rather a puppet, how many languages can you speak and write in? Spend too much time watching movies I think? and build your knowlege on that.

Justin !!!! you are precisely what Sid has judged accurately, a gullible fool. You are obviously oblivious to the facts in the outcome of the IRU investigation into the allegations. Wake up and refrain from be a sore looser. NZ has a poor world cup record. The Kiwis are "best team ever" but chokers at the World Cup. And, they have to pinch half the South Sea Islanders to try keep up with the rest.

Direct quote from Rory Steyn's book One Step Behind Mandela. What a hugely brave show the All Blacks put on that day. Against unbelievable South African patriotic fervour, against the effects of Ellis Park's 5400ft altitude and against food poisoning, they ran South Africa close (into extra time), so close!

let me guess Justin R, you are from new zealand? Get over it dude. You guys lost, end of the damn story. Stop blaming it on the ridiculous food poisining. We won again in 2007, does that piss you off too that South Africa has won twice and and you guys are still struggling to win since 87? If you dont win in 2011 I wonder what your excuse will be then?

There was a IRB and SARB enquiry as was there a South African police investigation. Not to mention the international sports journalist scrutiny which came up with no evidence of deliberate food poisining. The All Blacks did go out on the town and were irresponsible. Theese are hard facts. As for Rory Steyn, he is a gold digger, who has done well at exploting what is a total fallacy at the right time. He was and may still be a man who needed to top up his income, as was the case with Diana's aide Paul Burrell who went and perjured himself in a like for like situation, and how the public were taken in by him? I cant wait for next year and what excuse or who will be the scape-goat when/or if NZ loose the World Cup again?????????????? They have to date not won a world cup in which South Africa has played. I am a proud South African and find it a shame that sports fans can be so gullable and use tabloid crap as a excuse for loosing in what was one of the best World Cup finals and World Cups. Be a sportsman !!!!

Just want to say I was never denigrating South Africa's performance. Nor trying to take anything away from their world cup record which speaks for itself and (having missed the first two) is undoubtedly the best by far, eclipsing the only other double-winners Australia. NZers have the most respect for the Boks of all other international teams. As I mentioned above, it has only been recently that the ABs have achieved parity and gone slightly ahead in terms of overall wins. But up til 1996 it was very even and South Africa shaded us. In fact, the advent of the quota system in SA, if anything, has weakened South African rugby as players are selected on racial grounds rather than straight merit. The South Sea islanders, you refer to them, are almost without exception born and bred in New Zealand and have opted to make their future there, rather than being "poached" from the islands. Based on the myriad spelling mistakes each time in the posts, I imagine that several of these "people" are actually the same guy posting. I can't really call that hiding though; my name isn't actually Dave but I have used a pen name as I was there in 1995, poisoned or sick or whatever in 1995, have never said that the Boks didn't deserve to win, but at the same time I am not going to say that nothing happened and I am not going to listen to some moronic couch potato say that nothing happened. Nor that any All Blacks were out on the town. And Rory Steyn had no reason to try for another selling point for a book about Mandela. If anything, he had more to lose than gain by putting something about the "poisoning" in his book.

Dave, you got a problem mate. You lost and thats that, get over it.

I remember getting up at 2am to watch the game in Nz. At the time of the Suzy scandal as a? 14yo i though Nz were robbed. Only in the last few years as i got older and wiser i see that the 95 world cup was the highlight of world sport to date. Win lose or draw the bringing of a nation was the real winner here. Can't wait till i see the movie when it is released in australia on the 21st january

Justin, your comments display a shallow, uninformed and ignorant knowledge of South Africa and poor understanding of what Clint Eastwood has in his own way tried to do. This movie is not about rugby, but rather about bringing together a nation that has been torn apart by an evil and minority government, wounds that are still being healed even today, a message which is obviously a bit difficult for you to understand and grasp. I personally find it in poor taste that a South African, namely Rory Steyn can cash in on what was a privileged position, he is welcome to his new found friends in New Zealand as he has very few in South Africa now. As for your comment on his credentials and employment status, I take it you Googled his name whereupon you found this information, once again the actions of a gullable and shallow person. Do not use the name Mandela and Steyn and think they carry the same weight, as if you do, this only further proves your ignorance and stupidity. You can be rest assured Steyn is no longer welcome in the coridoors he once walked, as nothing but a security guard. You have in my personal opinion blemished the name of the New Zealand Rugby supporters, as I have and will always enjoy what I have found to be a decent and friendly rivalry and have met and enjoyed the company of many NZ fans, who have not showed the same poor sportsmanship and ignorance which you have displayed. You may in future want to educate yourself before writing about something that you know absolutely nothing about, namely South Africa, or may I suggest you stick to rugby, beer, media hype and poor sportmanship.

Mmutle points out that Steyn, now a private security consultant, was brought into the VIP unit in 1996 thanks to Mandela's post-apartheid appeal for reconciliation and a second chance for white security agents from the old regime. As a result of the book, he notes, doubts are now being cast on the loyalty of the unit's white members. And he adds angrily: "We take his action as political disrespect for the office of the president and the government. Steyn has really thrown the seeds of mistrust among members of the unit." Even President Thabo Mbeki has shown concern over the book, which Mmutle says was not discussed with security officials or with Mandela himself.

Hey Ken, if you're going to post quotes from a South African newspaper article, perhaps you should post both sides from that very same newspaper article in 2000. Here's the link to the full article. http://www.dispatch.co.za/2000/07/10/features/LP.HTM It's standard political speak to discredit someone by saying a book is unbalanced and riddled with mistakes. However a smarter mind would question this and say, show me the mistakes. The book combines the close -quarter observations of Rory Steyn with the investigative eye of journalist Debora Patta. In different ways, they were both acute spectators of a watershed period in history. And here's the part unbalanced Ken forgot to post: Despite the attacks on the book by Mmutle and others, free speech advocates argue that Steyn should be left alone and not be censored. "He writes the book through his own eyes, his personal experiences," commented a leading Sunday paper columnist. "Worst of all is these people in government are speaking for Madiba. The man has not said anything about the book. Maybe he likes it. Who knows?" -- Gemini News

Justin, for YOUR sake I hope AB's do well next year, as you seem to have a big hang up mate. You never seem to mention your accomplishments in France and Australia for that mater and the excuses and blame you went through after yet another poor World Cup Tour or Two. I personaly hope you get your arse kicked by whoever.

Clint Eastwood returns with a very timely film covering the improvement of South Africa's racial discord through national pride supporting their rugby team, the Springboks, in the 1995 World Cup. Against the long history of Apartheid in South Africa, Nelson Mandela, imprisoned for 27 years for his role in sabotage against South Africa's interest while seeking ways to end apartheid and move towards a more democratic and multi-racial governance, became the first black president of South Africa in 1994. Though Mandela faced an uphill battle towards racial harmony as president, he pressed forward, trying to find a way to sway public opinion of the new non-apartheid goverment now in power. Morgan Freeman handles the role of Nelson Mandela with grace, dignity and political aplomb, though the script sometimes uses his dialogue to be a bit overly didactic in spots, but overall, the spirit of change that comes from within and finds itself way outward from the evidence of action and determination and inspiration carries the film. In looking for a hook to rally all South Africans, Mandela decides that a gentle push in world of rugby is just want his country needs, and as luck would turn out, his country would host the World Cup for Rugby in 1995. Mandela reaches out to the captain of the Springboks, Francois Pienaar (a white Afrikaner played by Matt Damon), with discussions of leadership and inspirational undercurrents to get people to become better than they imagine for themselves in service of a larger goal of national unity regardless of race and color. Not only are the Springboks tasked with winning the World Cup, they are also charged with travelling throughout South Africa to promote rugby and racial harmony (though the Springboks only had Chester as their sole black player on the team at the time, he was a tremendous beacon at the time ). The team travels to improvished areas, their eyes open to a much larger country than they knew before their travels. Towards the end, they also visit Robben Island, which served as Mandela's prison for 18 years, and Pienaar was able to grasp the resolve of Mandela's politcal convictions while standing inside his small cell, reflecting on what he was prepared to give up to rid his country of apartheid. The film takes its time setting up the political climate of South Africa in 1994-1995, as we see the difficult birth of a multi-racial South Africa in the everyday workforce through the integration of black and whites in Mandela's security detail, as political unrest and the successful assassination attempt of the ANC leadership Chris Hani in 1993 carried the day for the security detail. In parallel, the Springboks looks like the Bad News Boks at the start of the film, but soon, with Mandela's gentle nudges in the proper sports bodies, they are whipped into shape and become a force to be reckoned with on the rugby field, although they still were underdogs in most of their matches in the World Cup draws. But, as unsentimental the films begins, the film gains enough traction to rouse viewers on this improbable sports journey that helped in unifying the races in South Africa after the end of Apartheid in the early 1990's.

"Quotas are out," Stofile said unambiguously. "Let us now put our resources into the development of talent. Quotas were used only for window-dressing for international consumption. Those who have the money go and buy the players, instead of developing the boys where they are. The government are not going to decide who must be on the team. All we are saying is: expose everybody, give them an opportunity." The announcement will be music to the ears of South African rugby fans who had feared the break-up of their World Cup-winning team in the months and years ahead.

"Ok I am not whining I am just laying out facts !!!!!!!!!!!!! if you had yours right you would know that ONLY 3 TEAM MEMBERS SNUCK OUT TO EAT ELSEWHERE!!! the rest of the team including the all blacks manager over 30 men ( he has recently stated that he believes it was the milk that made them ill ) and they ALL became ill, the 3 who snuck away did no" posted by Kim. So we can at least agree that some of the players snuck out to Party, I know it was a lot more than three. To many vaiable to blame it on anybody but the ill disciplined players themselves. Who it is to blame is patently obvious the NZ player and their managers.

I watched every game in that tournament and the All Blacks were a completely different team on the day of the final. I was certain that they were so good that there was no way they could lose. They were so different in the final game than in the others that it was obvious someting as up. Was it a deliberate food poisoning? Who knows? Clint Eastwood's film Invivtus is a portrait of a moment in time in SA that may or may not be close to the truth. It's certainly a nice flick. for one I find it funny that he would make a film involving rugby that is so alien to Americans. Sad truth is that Mandela's legacy has been largely squandered in SA and nobody in the ANC has his presence, honesty, or charisma. On the contrary they are typical self-serving politicians. History is unable to retain secrets and any cover-up that may have happened will surface eventually. In the meantime people who don't live in the beauty, poverty, and violence that is SA today will believe a Hollywood truth. (P.S. I am not a Kiwi so I don''t say this for rugby reasons)

Steven don't mix up David for Dave. Even though we're seemingly on the same side. David was saying that several players "snuck out" from the Thursday lunch where it seems the "illness" came from. Hence they didn't get "ill". As for partying that week, no player in the 22 for the final went out in the evening to party at all that whole week. The coach would have shot anyone that had and besides, nobody would compromise the biggest match of their life like that. Ken I haven't been trying to use it as an excuse; it happened but I believe I was clear that the South Africans deserved their final victory that day. Just as the French deserved their semifinal in 1999, the Australians in 2003 and the french again in 2007 quarterfinals. It only takes one loss to be out of the tournament and that's what happens. By and large the All Black supporters don't buy into the hype generated every time by the media, particularly the ignorant New Zealand media, who proclaim the All Blacks champions almost as soon as they play their first game. The All Blacks themselves don't either, despite the obvious attraction for people to say that they do. When the team arrived in the UK for the 1999 tournament they were embarrrassed to find that the jumbo jet had an enormous poster of the All Black front row emblazoned on it. Not how the All Blacks like to operate. Unfortunately, they are far and away the most marketable element in the game and as a consequence some of the bullsh1t is almost inevitable. Doesn't mean that all NZers or the ABs themselves actually buy into it though.

Why cant we just enjoy the game of rugby for what it is, a gentlemans game! act as gentlemen by being good sportsmen. New Zealand are magic and bring a little magic to the game, however South Africa are always a force to be dealt with and have had a hard time with its history. Come lets enjoy the movie for what it is and what it will do for the game of rugby.

Dave, can you read or do you only read what you want to read. 5876 tickets were sold to NZ supporters BY A UK BASED SPORTS TRAVEL AGENT, what about your own 'fairly large' sport travel agents, which I am sure NZ fans used? Dont always be a wise guy. I was there a experienced the bitter and unhappy AB fans trying to sell the tickets they had purchased in good faith that the mighty AB would not let them down again! When will they learn?

You do not have an argument Dave, you are SORE!!! I am also sure your fairly strong Sports Travel industry would not be impressed by you downsizing them in one foul swoop to serve your own purpose, namely House of Travel, Seasonz Travel and also not mentioning that a large porportion of NZ's buy their sports travel packages from Total Sports Travel and We Love Rugby in Australia. Also worth mentioning that one of Gullivers Sports Travel sources of business is NEW Zealand. Oh, it is irrelevant which final I am talking about as you have won none since the first, in South Africa's absence. You seem to have a bottomless pit of elements or 'others' to blame for your World Cup failings, I am waiting in anticipation to see what you are going to come up with in 2011 when you lose, as it is quite possible!! In my personal opinion when the going gets tough, the tough get going and you NZ pansies are not that tough, wake up and realise it!!! South Africa were left out in the cold for many years and they wasted no time in 'COMING BACK' and showing you lot of Pansies in Black, with the addition of one or two 'bought' South Sea islanders thrown in for good measure, what it takes to be real world champions. Once again may I point out to you, in case your memory has evaded you, NZ has never won a World Cup in which South Africa has played. At the end of the day you are a poor sports man and sore loser. In the meantime over the next year make sure you start covering all eventualities and set up you own book of 'Why we Lost' excuses, it will make good and humerous reading for those who are bored or as yourself, are poor sportsmen.

Or they may want to start a purchase The South Sea Island squad before that, so as to reduce the number of Pansies in the side.

I mean its the only NZRU award that only an individual of one race can win. Why do these things seem to be generally accepted? Posted on Rugby Forum, and you guys have the nerve to go at the Boks !!!!!!!!!1

Interesting question- if NZ wins the RWC, the NZ economy will probably lose billions, as the entire nation collectively celebrates the win, and you`ll have exactly 5 people in NZ turning up for work on the Monday afterwards- and even they will be severely hung over. If NZ doesn`t win the RWC, the NZ economy will probably lose billions, as the entire nation collectively drowns their sorrows, and you`ll have exactly 5 people in NZ turning up for work on the Monday- and even they will be severely hung over. So, which scenario will the economists prefer? Something for Dave to think about !!!!!

WORLD CHAMPIONS, cant you understand that Justin R? Men when it comes to the crunch, not goat 'sheep' farmers

Dear Wheelan Nice comment and straight to the point, however you have lowered yourself to the same level as us 'idiots' as you put it by joining in with the same level of grammar. I do agree with you that we in the southern hemisphere are in a class of our own. I have and always will enjoy the games and rivalry between our nations as I always have since the 60s when I was a kid and through the dark years. However, I will not sit back and let some fool deprive South Africa of glory by quoting Rory Steyn's book and some unsubstantiated rubbish. I believe the Movie was made in good faith and to highlight the power of sport and celebrate the life of a man who is second to none, a leader of our times. I went through the uncertain years including a war and losing my best friend and can only thank G-D that Nelson Mandela was there to diffuse what could have turned into civil war, something the idiots who have written comments on are obviously oblivious to, as their poor sportmanship has got the better of them. I believe New Zealand are the greatest! but I am South African and will not let imbeciles comments go by unanswered. Rugby is great and we are the best at it, by that I mean New Zealand, Australia and South Africa

Just a couple of points Squid: "fairly strong" and "fairly large" travel industry means what exactly? We are a small nation and I am not belittling those in that industry, just stating the obvious. Compared to the travel industries of our rugby competitors (South Africa, France, Australia, the nations of the UK) we are most certainly the smallest. Just a fact, owing to population and money. I never said they weren't any good at what they do, just that they are comparatively small. Hope you are intelligent enough to work that one out. (PS if you're going to wax lyrical, get the phrases right : one FELL swoop) "you seem to have a bottomless pit of elements or others to blame..." What excuses have I used at all? I stated that the Boks deserved to win in 1995 and stand by that. I won't however listen to idiots who don't know, suggesting that there was no illness on the Thursday or that the All Blacks went out that week. In terms of any other losses I believe I haven't made any excuses whatsoever and in fact tried to poke the stick at myself as a NZer. Which you were obviously too dumb either to read or to understand, or both. Nothing I have written has made me a poor sportsman or sore loser. Re-read the posts. Slowly, if you need to. You'll see I have neither excused nor avoided NZ's World Cup losses. As for my points about the rest of the rugby world lifting themselves against the All Blacks as they see them as THE team to beat, that still stands. South Africa are unquestionably top dog at the moment and deservedly so, but go anywhere from the Welsh Valleys to the mediterranean coast of France and rugby fans will tell you that the team they admire the most and dream of beating is the All Blacks. Congratulations Wheelan on your high level of rugby. What level? Sorry if playing actual tests is too lightweight for you and doesn't qualify me to have a say as much as you.

Im sick and tired of kiwis whining about the food poisining. incedent. this is not about you it about our country emerging from the throes of apartheid and bye the bye you are the worlds greatest chokers histotry has proved that!

These two fellows, Dave and Justin. R !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WHAT A LOAD OFF IDIOTS. South Africa Rules, cant the accept it ??????????????

Yes, But if you ask a New Zealand rugby fan why the South African team won the world cup, they will tell you of a woman called Suzie who was a waitress at the hotel the New Zealand team was staying at, and is widely believed to have poisoned the Kiwi's prior to the final. cinemabandit on Jun 5, 2009 Read more: http://www.firstshowing.net/2009/06/04/clint-eastwoods-new-film-titled-invictus-out-in-december/#ixzz0dqUQYUhY Thats why we wont ask a Whining ninny New Zealand Fan. There was no-one called Suzie pure fabrication and speculation. Never heard such a bunch of whining losers in all my life.

The facts - -4 players snuck out to eat- they were the only 4 not sick 4 hours later. -Players were vomiting within 4 hours of eating - thats not 'food poisoning', thats 'poisoning'. -Players were kept up all night by locals outside the hotel. -There is no evidence to suggest Rory Steyn is not telling the truth. -However, there is no evidence to support any of this other than player testimony. You've heard what some of them have said. Not one has denied they were extremely sick. But not one will say 'we were poisoned' directly. They simply took it out on the Boks the following year by destroying them in a series in SA. The final fact - -INVICTUS is rubbish. Sorry. I'm a fan of Eastwoods work but that was terrible. Last time I Llooked Pienaar did not have to stand on crates to eye up his opponents. The rugby scenes were appalling as was much of the dialogue. The final insult - The movie claims Mandela came to Pienaar 'with a plan' to win the RWC. This never happened. In fact Mandela had nothing to do with the team between the first pool game and the final. And absolutely no credit was given to the SA coach, who should be the one taking the plaudits for this.

DAVE IS A DUNCE

Good Grief what next: The Toilet paper wasn’t soft enough or There was not enough water pressure in the shower or The Elevator (lift) was not working so the AB had to use the stairs or The mattresses were to hard/soft(they could feel the pea) or They lost their hair rollers or They had nappy rash or can someone else carry on ....

It seems that Sidney forgot to mention that New Line Cinema probably Choose New Zealand as it save them a fortune in make up costs. Plenty of Wargs, Lurts,Gollum’s and Grishnakh’s floating about looking for work, or shall I say has been rugby wana bee’s with the addition of a few un-purchased South Sea Islanders, all drowning their sorrows in knowing that South Africa have snatched the World Cup from them twice and that in fact they are a load of Pansy’s in Black.

Yea...okay. It's actually pure fact now that the all blacks where poisoned. "The allegation of food poisoning was later publicly backed by Rory Steyn, a former head of security for South African president Nelson Mandela.". Read the book by Rory Steyn, One Step Behind Mandala. He confirms it in the book. So afraid it's truth.

The rugby world is poorer for the loss of 'the silent assassin' Ruben Kruger who passed away 27th January. Kruger was a member of the '95 cup winning SA team and was a player we loved to hate. A great player and a true sportsman, which is more than I can say about some of the people who have posted on this site. I remember his unbelievable grit when after having scored in the first minute of the Eden Park test of '97, he badly broke his ankle 10 metres from the line in the eleventh; he ignored the pain and continued the run to offload when he was obviously in trouble...unbelievable. My condolences to his wife. two little girls and the rest of his family. R.I.P. Ruben.

Annie, NZ has no players in any international team what so ever. More than can be said about the All Blacks who do lure over the Islanders with fairly big sums of money and new residential status. Furthermore, the one manager they exported has struggled to achive the goals set for him and is slip sliding away slowly, but surely. Get a grip and make sure you got facts before you comment on things you have little knowledge about. We are not talking about club rugby here but about International performance.

RIP Ruben. great player. i'm surprised no one here has mentioned French coach ('91-'95) Pierre Berbizier's statement that France had 10 players down with food poisoning before the semifinal: http://findarticles.com/p/news-articles/daily-mail-london-england-the/mi_8002/is_2006_Feb_11/berbizier-counting-surprise-hurt-england/ai_n37731764/ lightning striking twice in a matter of days, to me, spells conspiracy. i've always hoped the SA govt had nothing to do with it

Well said Connie, Annie you are an idiot NZ has been poaching players with money and bribes for years. Without those palyer they would be a total joke.

A recent documentary by the BBC on global warming was taken and part of it was looking at the effect on small islands in the Pacific, when the crew were visiting Samoa they interviewed children of whom a few were playing rugby. When the interviewer asks a boy what he wished for in the future, obviously hoping for an answer relating to global warming the boy said, I WANT TO BE A ALL BLACK !!! Basically, he wants to go where those before him have been lured too.

Finally a bit of sense in all of the madness; the last few comments have been positive rather than negative. Come on guys! The comment that we started the argument was right! The alleged poisoning incident should never have been mentioned and should never be. It is bad sportsmanship and whinging and it is not our way. Any South African reading some of these posts would be livid and rightly so. My Koro(grandfather) spoke about some of the things Daniel touched on and we are all of us bound by the same ties. As I've said before; we would all be suffering if our respective teams did not play the game. I hope you will all agree that SA v NZ is the pinnacle of the rugby year for excitement and I look forward to every battle. It seems to me that currently the Bokke have the wood on us but the good thing is.....there's always the next game! Let it be as it is on the field; no fiercer rivals but ready and willing to shake hands and have a beer afterwards. Bring on the World Cup!

Nice talking to you Wheelan and regards to Daniel, you are both gentlemen and have both made my day. I know I personally would not want anything more than a SA and NZ final, and may the best team win. Rugby is great and what I have always enjoyed is that after the game you will find supporters mingling with a beer and having a chat. Let’s keep it clean.

Just want to point out to Connie, Shontayne Hape, Riki Flutey and Dylan Hartley, all New Zealanders in the England Rugby squad.

Nelson Mandela is great man, the story of Invictus is a great story, both SA and NZ have great teams, but unfortunately the movie sucks. For the record 'no' I am not a new zealander or sth african.... incase you were wondering.

The movie is great !very well done.The story is about the 1995 Rugby World Cup and Mandela's status as president. But what I don't like is that Eastwood himself had a kind of argument with Spike Lee about two years ago. Lee told him that he didn't put Black soldiers in one of his movies about war.How can Eastwood,himself reveals as a "convinced Republican"make such a film? According to me,he made Torino and Invictus just to give good conscience to himself .I link all this to the behavior he had with Blacks when he was a Mayor.Eastwood is a racist anyway.If you don't like Black people or others in your country?how could you like the others in Africa? HYPOCRISY.