Rugby

South Africa v New Zealand ‘poisoning’ incident saw player vomit on sidelines in World Cup final

The All Blacks coach hired a private investigator to get to the bottom of one of rugby’s biggest conspiracies

A thrilling Rugby World Cup final featuring New Zealand taking on defending champions South Africa for the biggest prize in the sport is set to take place.

Both teams have only suffered one loss all tournament long going into the championship game at the Stade de France. The All Blacks lost to the hosts on the first night of the competition, while Ireland defeated the Springboks during the pool stages. Aside from those outcomes, they have been completely outstanding, easily winning their pools and moving on to the finals by eliminating Ireland, Argentina, France, and England, in that order.

However, while the final is remembered more for those moments, it was played against a rather sinister backdrop

amid rumors that the All Blacks team was “poisoned” in advance of the match on purpose. Register for WalesOnline’s daily rugby newsletter here to receive the most recent Rugby World Cup news delivered directly to your inbox.

Thirty-seven of the thirty-five players in the New Zealand team became sick at lunch 48 hours before the final, with different levels of food poisoning developing in each of them as the big day drew near. Their state was so bad that All Blacks would not have been able to field a full team if the meal had occurred any sooner before the match, according to winger Eric Rush, one of the few players to escape illness after scuttling off to a Pizza Hut instead.

As Mandela’s former bodyguard Rory Steyn – who was involved with the All Blacks’ security during the

tournament – explained, after they returned to Johannesburg in the week preceding the final, the squad’s overly cautious management had decided to eat in private from the other hotel guests.

He told the New Zealand Herald, “I didn’t think it was a good idea, that makes it easier to target them.” “They were poisoned on the Thursday prior to the Saturday final. Approximately two-thirds of the team became seriously ill, according to him.

“Since chicken burgers and hamburgers were served for lunch, I think the water supply was compromised. It wasn’t the food, I believe, but rather the coffee and tea, and maybe even the

Mr. Steyn continued, saying he didn’t believe any South African rugby players were responsible for the poisoning and that betting syndicates were to blame, saying, “The odds were on the All Blacks.”

Laurie Mains, the coach of New Zealand, thought the outbreak was not a coincidence, accusing the Springboks of a planned action and blaming it on an enigmatic waitress named Suzie, who he said had contaminated the team’s water. Mains was so furious about what had transpired with his team that he even engaged a private detective to look into it.

He later told the media, “I got it from two independent sources, kind of by accident.” “I’ve had the results of an investigation that were done internally in South Africa revealed to me.”

Despite Mains’ best efforts, the perpetrator has never been identified, with the Springboks denying any i

involvement and other officials in New Zealand blaming tainted milk for the sickness instead of a malevolent scheme.

The All Blacks performed remarkably well in the end, forcing the game into extra time before losing 15–12 in a match that featured no tries. Nevertheless, the final was played. However, back Jeff Wilson was observed retching and vomiting on the sidelines following his substitution, demonstrating how the previous 48 hours had affected him on the field.

While we can only hope that similar scenes won’t occur during Saturday night’s final, the 1995 story may add a little extra sting to the match as Ian Foster’s team looks to exact revenge on their predecessors against the Springboks.

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