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Cape Town - Members of the 1995 Springbok World Cup winning team have laughed off claims that the All Blacks were poisoned ahead of the final at Ellis Park.
After a gruelling 90 minutes, the match ended 9-all, before the Springboks won 15-12 after extra-time.
The All Blacks subsequently complained that several of their players were ill in the build-up to the June 24, 1995 showpiece, and the claims recently re-surfaced in New Zealand media.
All Black coach Laurie Mains was adamant afterwards his players were poisoned by a waitress who became known as 'Suzie'.
Wednesday was the 20th anniversary of the match and members of the Springbok team gathered at Ellis Park to remember one of the most famous days in South Africa’s sporting history.
When asking what they thought of the ‘Suzy’ claims, a few ex-Boks responded.
Wing James Small told Netwerk24: “Suzie! Who’s that? That’s the biggest load of sh#*t I’ve ever heard in my life.”
Mark Andrews, who played at No 8 in the final, said: “I think in a way the All Blacks didn’t expect to lose. The world didn’t expect them to lose and I think they felt that they had to find a reason, or give the world a reason why they lost.”
Team manager Morne du Plessis said the Springboks themselves were also plagued by food poisoning during the tournament.
“Our guys were hit by food poisoning before the opening game against the Wallabies in Cape Town, but we didn’t make a big deal out of it. There were several theories about what happened to the All Blacks before the final, but nothing was ever proven as fact.”
