Former All Blacks captain Sean Fitzpatrick has hailed the upcoming Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series as the pinnacle of Test rugby. CLINTON VAN DER BERG reports.
Once viewed as public enemy No 1 in South African rugby circles, Fitzpatrick has since become one of the game’s most respected ambassadors, a transformation he traces back to leading the All Blacks to their first-ever series win on South African soil in 1996, a tour that also marked the dawn of professional rugby.
“To win that series was just amazing,” Fitzpatrick said, recalling a bruising campaign built on fine margins. He remembered the tour as four punishing Tests in a row, culminating in a decisive, decider at Loftus Versfeld. “Bang! Bang! Bang!”
He was talking at FNB Stadium at the announcement of Castle Double Malt as title sponsor of the series.
For Fitzpatrick, the rivalry runs deeper than results. He described the emotional scenes after that 1996 series triumph, recalling an embrace with former New Zealand fullback Don Clarke, who told him through tears that the All Blacks had achieved something no previous touring side had managed.
“I can die happy,” he told the captain.
The 1995 World Cup final defeat to the Springboks in Johannesburg, a match Fitzpatrick captained New Zealand in, still ranks as the most significant match of his career, despite the loss. He pointed to the emotional weight of that occasion, shaped by Nelson Mandela’s presence and the symbolism surrounding the tournament, as reason enough to call it the greatest Test he ever played.
Fitzpatrick also praised the mutual respect that has long defined clashes between the two nations, noting that rivals on the field often became lifelong friends off it, a tradition he credits with giving the rivalry its enduring character, even as the professional era has changed the sport around it.
“For me, 1976, waking up with my dad to watch the rivalry … I never dreamed I’d come to South Africa. I always remember the great Colin Meads. We’d sit around and listen to ‘Pinetree’ tell these great stories. He’d say everyone claimed Willie-John McBride was the greatest. Meads said he wasn’t – it was Frik du Preez.”
SPECIAL REPORT: Inside the Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry tour
With a new Springbok-All Blacks series on the horizon, Fitzpatrick’s message to fans is clear: expect fine margins, physical confrontation, and a contest shaped by decades of history between two rugby nations.
Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry tour fixtures
Friday, 7 August: vs Stormers, Cape Town Stadium, Cape Town
Tuesday, 11 August: vs Sharks, Kings Park, Durban
Saturday, 15 August: vs Vodacom Bulls, Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria
Saturday, 22 August: vs Springboks, Ellis Park, Johannesburg
Tuesday, 25 August: vs Lions, Ellis Park, Johannesburg
Saturday, 29 August: vs Springboks, Cape Town Stadium, Cape Town
Saturday, 5 September: vs Springboks, FNB Stadium, Johannesburg
Saturday 12 September: vs Springboks, M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore
Photo: Warren Little/Getty Images
The post Fitzy relishing Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.
Former All Blacks captain Sean Fitzpatrick has hailed the upcoming Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series as the pinnacle of Test rugby.
The post Fitzy relishing Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry appeared first on SA Rugby magazine. Read More
