Philippe Saint-Andre doubts about the final between the Springboks and All Blacks in 1995

Philippe Saint-Andre became emotional while recounting the painful memory of the semi-final between France and South Africa in 1995, and made revelations about the Boks’ final win against New Zealand in the same edition. The former player and then coach of the French XV claims the All Blacks were poisoned the day before the final.

A poster for the Rugby World Cup quarter-final between France and South Africa, on Sunday at the Stade de France, awakens a memory of the shock: that now-legendary match between the Blues and the Boks, in 1995. Twenty-eight years later, then Blues captain Philippe Saint-Andre spoke with emotion. In the Grandes Gueules du Sport tournament on RMC. But he also revealed other things about the competition.

If South Africa’s coronation (their first) on home soil made history, especially with these images of President Nelson Mandela presenting the trophy in a country still reeling from the trauma of apartheid, things behind the scenes are not all glorious. Including in the build-up to the final against New Zealand, which the Springboks won 15-12 after extra time.

“80% of their men are sick.”

“The day before the final (which the Boks won), New Zealanders were poisoned,” says the PSA on RMC. “80% of their men have fallen ill. At the reception, the South African FA president gives a special prize to the referee, a watch worth €30,000. And on that fact, the All Blacks leave the end-of-competition reception. “At that time, rugby was not Very popular as it is now. When you see everything that happened, you can still ask yourself questions.”

In 2016, in interview On a South African channel, Rory Steyn, Nelson Mandela’s bodyguard at the time, spoke of these doubts: “Two days before the final, the New Zealanders were suffering from a terrible illness. It was about two-thirds of the team and not Jonah Lomu. Even the South Africans were seconded by “The organization in the New Zealand delegation were sick, some of the players were vomiting out of car windows, there were men lying on the floor in front of the doctor’s cabinet, in the corridor and both the doctor and the physiotherapist were administering electrolytes and injections.”