The most vicious match in professional rugby history
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 24 มิ.ย. 2023
- This video shows one of the most brutal and violent matches that professional rugby has ever seen: England vs South Africa in 2002. England were far the better side so South Africa switched up their tactics and tried to cause as much damage as possible to the England side.
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I'm Irish. That was the best England performance I have ever seen. They refused to be intimidated, didn't get drawn into pointless retaliation, which the Boks wanted them to do, and destroyed them with great rugby. How they managed to keep their composure and discipline is beyond me. Not one of them flinched over 80 minutes.
I think the fact that so many SA fans were genuinely embarrassed by the thuggery led to a sea change in their approach to the game.
absolutely spot on, i think the French also played like it to against will Carling's men and the French fans just walked away with their heads down in embarrassment
That was the best England team collectively ever produced in my opinion. How we have made such a mess of it since 2003 I will never Know. You can say what you like about Woodward, Dellagio, Greenwood. But for 4 years we nailed it
I'm Irish too. What an England team. They were such a unit
That's a great assessment of a fantastic England performance. Thank you. Matt Dawson was as hard as nails in that game; producing an amazing performance in the face of downright thuggery.
Agreed - I'm Scottish but that was a display of discipline and running rugby.
As a South African, this game was the lowest point in our country's rugby history. Corne Krige (our captain) led by example and that example was one of thuggery and rule breaking. It was disgraceful. No excuses, but rather apologies to England for this pathetic display of rugby.
The lowest point was SA poisoning the All Blacks in 95
And England's, too
@@the11eventhour Between us let's hope that this never happens again in the game.
Krige definately looked bad here, I remember this game very clearly. He then moved to england to play for my supported team Northampton Saints where he became a local hero, he cleared his name for sure.
Agreed. I complain when England play like thugs. Doesn't matter which team it actually is....the boks played like thugs in this game. Absolutely horrible. What a bad example to every SA boy growing up and idolizing these players
How Matt Dawson even walked after that game was a miracle
South Africa definitely lost something when TMO came in and they could no longer rely on their thuggery and cheating.
🤣 go look at New Zealand vs South Africa games or Australias games... It's only the North that pretend rugby was not this way for all. When they game became professional in 94' it took more than a decade for change to occur.
This game was the last of an unprofessional era of the Souths rugby. England winning sent sweeping reforms throught the South. So much so that noone but New Zealand or South Africa knows what the Webb Ellis looks like anymore up north. It will be 24 years, even 28 years if you don't win the next one. Stay pressed lil whine
They nearly took his head off three times, you muppet.@@RicksPhatPharm-vw2lb
SA are still a dirty team despite winning the WC - they just get away with lot less thn they used to@@RicksPhatPharm-vw2lb
Even as a Welshman, I have to say that this was one of England's most magnificent performances. They effectively put the Springboks to the sword. Tindall, in particular, was colossal.
Stop licking their boots boyo, you'll be telling us how far you bend over for Charles and the windsors next
Great comment pal and thank you .
No wonder Tindall hates SA to this day. It’s a lifetime filled with hatred now.
@@alexwardle8108 Go Boks!! Farnell crying like a baby lol, won comfortably really
I’m an Ulsterman, not one to normally speak about other nations’ performances, but England were immense there.
Dawson earned legend status, Tindall earned himself a princess, Krige was an absolute disgrace (what he did to Robinson in particular), Wilkinson showed massive bottle, even Healey was respected by that day.
Skill and patience, it beats f*ckery every time.
With proper modern refereeing, SA would have been playing sevens by half-time.
You're being very generous! 😂
SA were cowards. Only cowards approach a match in such a manner.
I miss this England team so much. Bach linking play, Hill tackling all day, Johnno always making it over the gain line, Dallaglio playing smart, Dawson sniping, Wilkinson rarely putting a foot wrong, Tindall smashing people, Greenwood with a touch of class, Robinson with those dancing feet, above all a team who complemented each other, played smart rugby, didn't get intimidated physically and could grind out a result against the best teams on the planet (not the SAs at this point in history).
As a South African I must say they were a bit of a dream team to say the least
What about Andrew the Prop? A machine. Only Os du Randt could tame him.
@@shaynejones7653 Bit like your team which won the last world cup :) I assume you mean Andrew Sheridan? He came along a bit later than this team, this team saw the tail end of Jason Leonard (who was an absolute master of being brilliant without the public noticing - team mates and opponents respected him above almost everyone).
They were thugs @ed!
@@tonyroy8123 spoken like a true intellectual thug.
It's easy when you have the best players by far to play good rugby. and around 2001-2004 England did
As much as it pains me as a welshman. This england side where absolutely epic in 02/03
yes its painful to admit it, but their ability to score points almost at will (esp against us) was just incredible
Well said…..
I'd love to see 2002-3 England vs the best Welsh sides of the 70s.
@@juchetony1910 yeah they'd win on fitness and general professionalism I think but quite a contrast of styles!
they would of been average without jonny wikinson
How England went the full 80 without retaliating is the best part
Lol
Especially in relation to Corne Krige
@@jingleballixThat was late in the game though.
oh rest assured we would have done but the difference is our boys were far better at it than them so we did it unseen
More class I guess. Rugby's supposed to be a gentleman's sport yet the more I watch it the more I realise just how many dirty tackles and assaults there are.
I was there that day, I was so embarrassed as a bok supporter. C.Krige was an utter meat head. An embarrassment to the Jersey.
The whole Bok side were vicious thugs! they were beaten in the best possible fashion.........
I would be embarrassed to be a South African. Full stop. On this day and every other day.
@@MKRM27 lol you got a chip on your shoulder mate?
@@MKRM27 where you from my friend ?
yep ... I was there too (as an England supporter). Still astonished by what I saw. You got the feeling that if only the saffers had stopped trying to disable everyone in white and tried to play a bit of rugby they might have stayed in touch. Took something to beat that England team though.
Tindall, Greenwood and Dawson played absolutely outstanding in this game. Put the Boks to rights, and carried on bravely! One of the best matches England have ever played, hands down!
The best example of unbridled thuggery humiliated by heart, physical and mental fortitude.........and best of all pure skill and class, in rugby history
Three thoughts. This is where junk South Africa sides always went before the cameras were properly utilised. I wish the current England team had a single player with the courage and desire this team did. And isn’t it interesting how the game has changed in just 20 years - hearing the commentators describe a blatant shoulder charge as a great tackle 😂😂
I was at Twickenham for this game. Absolutely awesome how England played. Could feel every one of those massive hits in the stands. I remember Boks fans after the game in the pub saying how embarrased they were that their team's game plan was obviously to just beat up the English, forget rugby
32-31 winners over Australia, 31-28 winners over the ABs and 53-3 winners over the boks. The first time any team had beaten the tri-nations teams in consecutive weeks. A feat imo that will never be repeated.
And most likely the last
^ ^
Hence him saying:
A feat imo that will never be repeated.
Present tense history-making: England 10, France 53, Twickenham 2023.
Ireland bet the whole world in one year just recently
Why do the Boks not get a capital letter ? Disrespect much......thats all most can do is critisize and hate the Boks and i dont know why
The Springboks have always been a tough and uncompromising side but this team prior to Jake White coming in, was just largely a group of thugs. As for England this was a Golden Era and a million miles away from what we have at the moment, in August 2023.
that savage shoulder hit sandwich on Matt Dawson could have literally broken his neck and left him paralyzed for life, and you got idiots today whining about the game and wishing it was back to shit like this where a lot of shit went unpunished. No wonder World rugby is facing an avalanche of lawsuits from retired players looking at some of the savagery that was going on back then
100% agree, also insane how many guys just in this clip get absolutely monstered with an illegal head knock and the continue to play, probably getting a few more concussions in just one match...
Big time. Comment sections are full of blokes claiming that rugby players are soft now, forgetting that a) players are so huge now that the collisions simulate car crashes and b) so many ex-pros have mush for brains because of how the game used to be
Spot on.. armchair fans who were watching at a time when your average back was 13st and loose forward about 16st, apparently bemoaning it going soft now.. a player from 2003 would not likely get through a match these days such is the weight, power and strength increases across the whole team 1-15 now. That’s why head knocks, tackles, rucks etc are so heavily monitored nowadays as opposed to pre-2010. Forwards especially are running into brick walls these days.. not saying you didn’t have to put in a hard shift back in 2003 to make yardage.. but the stopping power of every opponent isn’t like it is now. Like you said, it’s mini car crashes as professionalism has gone on longer and longer.
You cannot use the hardest extreme as the rule. If you were not an "idiot", you'd know that, maybe grab some books?.
Also, "could have" doesn't cut it.
@@ignaciogobet605 moron spotted🤣
I still can't understand why South Africa put out a mixed Martial Arts team, against the best Rugby team in the world at the time, does explain the score though.
its disgraceful, we should have lost by a lot more
LOL!
that's very good !!!
I can remember when I was a kid growing up in NZ in the 60's and 70's local games being broadcast...sometimes some really good punch-ups happened and the TV commentators would commentate the fight and the cameras would focus on that too. The ref would try to control it, but the fighting would continue for too long. So you got a tough rugby match along with some good 'scraps' broadcast for your entertainment.
I actually forgot how good Greenwood really was 🙌🏻
he and Tindell were a magical pairing.
These were special blokes and a fantastic team in every way. Skill set, mind set, tactics, belief, spirit and example. They set the bar high here. Cheers lads 👏🤝🍻
To have 80 minutes of cheap shots and unnecessary aggression and get thrashed as a result. Awkward. No team would get away with playing anywhere near like this today - glad a lot of the safety regs etc. have come in.
1972 cup final😂
You haven't seen Argentina play then. And France are not slow in putting it about
Pissie
@@markjenkins3609 I spotted the irish.
oh 100% the game of Rugby is far safer these days if any team tried anything remotely to this they would have at least 3 players sent off if not 5
I'd only started playing/watching rugby in 01/02 age 9, but this game has always stuck in my memory. I'm glad the Boks caste this dreadful team aside. The 2nd Lions/SA test is probably the most brutal ive watched and the stakes were a lot higher. Even though they've knocked us out of three World Cups, including 2 finals and the extra thrashing during the Pool Stages in 2007, they're still my f avourite team to play. Perfect combo of intensity and that skill you find in proper rugby playing nations who have been throwing around an oval ball sine they were in diapers. People are banging on about Ireland and France, but I still fancy the Boks to win it the time.
I am Scottish, but England were awesome and played some great rugby that year! South Africa were a dirty team which this match/highlights showed! This will never be forgotten for their gamesmanship!
Thank you.
I was at this match. An England performance to be really proud of. Low point for South Africa, they did a great rugby nation a great disservice
Kolisi has more than made up tor it bru 🔥
Amazing how Matt Dawson survived that carnage
It’s incredible how the ref missed so many of these assaults.
Greenwood and Tindall had a great game.. power, pace and guile
Some of the darkest days in Springbok history. Bad attitude mixed with sometimes average players, never a good thing.
At leastnwe win the fight
The Boks definitely earned their name for being dirty it still hasn't left them either.
@@rhyswilliams4893 That's where you're wrong. Boks discipline has tremendously improved. Overall rugby has become a much safer sport with much stricter officiating and camerawork. Impossible to get away with being dirty now
@@shaynejones7653 I don’t see many fights that you want, with that scoreline, and at the following World Cup
@@rhyswilliams4893 they didn’t get a reputation for being dirty. I now associate South Africans with cowardice.
Wow, as a bok supporter this is really embarrassing 😟
I love that us just like those "islanders" pride ourselves with being extremely physical but damn the cheap shots made this side look ,... well cheap.
Who was the coach?? It's like he just gave up even before the game started, well it does seem like that England side was somewhat unstoppable at the time , they were fkn superb!!!
Hopefully the boks can stay a physical nightmare during the 2023 season while retaining their dignity , i mean so far so good. The current team is not without "moral flaws" but a hell of alot better than these okes.
Our coach was Rudolf Strauli, great player in his days, but an AWFUL coach! That was the blackest day in Springbok history,!
I was in a pub in Windsor watching this game and the english supporters were certianly impressed with AJ Venter keeping his head and playing well! Best England side i have ever seen! Worst Bok team i have ever seen!
Sadly, it does seem to be still in the Boks DNA to go brutal when things are going badly.
Thanks for your view. I think the physical side of rugby is fine but as you say the cheap shots have been included rather that been barred which is not good at all.
Maybe you should watch bowls.
Especially from Korne Krige. Expected better from him. On the other hand, Boks spanked Wales two weeks ago, and now gave NZ a nice hiding... Looking strong before the World Cup... Go Bokke!
How I miss an England team playing like this. Running the ball with imagination, skill, power, and flair. All we get these days is kick and rush, kick and rush. Fit men - all 15 of 'em - and with brains as well as tactical understanding: that's what we need. A terrific performance from England - but it's so good to watch the current SA team, who I hope will crush NZ at the 2023 W Cup final in a couple of days!
We need another England team like this in 2023 World Cup
As a Bok supporter, it was impossible to watch those games during that era with such average players. They literally showed up to fight as they knew they were going to lose.
Straueli was an average coach and man manager and krige as a captain had zero discipline. Jake white the following year cleaned the place out, changed the culture and they won the tri-nations! they were a completely different side.
@@davidtaliai996 also nit being able yo select foreign based players did not help. We lost a few key players because of that.
Yeah as a springbok fan it's cringe to watch professional players act like bullies
Not the boks finest hour. As you said a bit cringy to watch
South Africans : "Waaa waaa waaaa Owen Farrell is such a dirty player!"
Also South Africans: This.
Well if you look closely(I know you wont cuz you are probly english supporter)than you will see english players taking south africans out but yea that is why south africans hate the english cuz they always makes things worse and dont look closer to the actual video and people like you always comment on stuff the other do but not the english.Shame on you
😂😂😂 so true
Never met a nice South African
@@Wolfsong27FlyHalfFullHeartI wonder if many people like you?
You do realise the time span between Farrel and this game and how much the game itself has changed? Imagine we still held the English accountable for slavery?
In fareness England are amazing here, makes you wonder when they'll be back.
@@chrisM-vu1xc 'Never'... Right, yeah. That sounds like a sensible comment. I'm assuming you said the same thing about the French when they were in their decade-long slump.
This was the era of cheating and thuggery from South African Players . They have become more intelligent , professional and skiful and realise that thuggery ends in brand damage and scorn . Winning without cheating is far more satisfying and makes more money
It's when I see games like that that I realize how low England have sank.
What a side,Matt Dawson ,hats off mate
This was not the most vicious match in professional rugby history. It did involve South Africa though.
Best game I've ever seen from England. Taught SA a lesson, well and truly. Lets give kudos to Paddy aswell.
If this game was played now, SA would have picked up about 5 or 6 red cards!!! Brutal stuff.
Matt Dawson was the best scrum half in the world on his day. Look at the tap tackle at 0:52!!
Joost van der Westhuizen was the best 9 in the world . Till this day no international 9 had score more tries than him and to think in those days they played less games .
@@heinrichswanepoel6566 Won't argue with that.
In 2003, the international scrum halves included Van Der Westhuizen, Dawson, Marshall, Stringer, Gregan... What an era for number 9s!!
Aye. As a South African supporter this was an utter disgrace with a disgusting team and coach. Can’t recall who got sent off but he deservedly never played for SA again. Krige was a thug leader and Straueli endorsed it. One of the worst era’s of SAv Rugby ever with regards to performance and thuggery. Utterly embarrassing!
England on the other hand were deservedly number 1 in the world at the time and I was surprised they didn’t have an even bigger score at the end of this game. It hurt to lose so heavily and badly but England deserved a big win and SA a thrashing.
Shocking performance by referee Paddy O Brien, was he blind
Paddy,being a New Zealander,was used to a bit of "stern stuff". I've seen club games worse than that.
Who cares wheres he from, that crap was outlawed at International level at the time
It is no co-incidence that South African rugby spent quite a few years in the doldrums after TMOs were introduced. They have had so many cheap shot thugs - Kobus Visser, Robbie Fleck, Bakkies Botha. As a Welshman. I've never wanted England to win a game as much as I did watching this. Looking back now, I am glad to have been able to watch the England team of the late 90s- early 2000s.
The battle of the Gnoll stands out in my memory , brutal match.
Greenwood in his prime was sublime ..
Quite how O’Brien only showed SA 1 red is beyond me, there’s probably 2-3 reds just in this clip
As said elsewhere here the game supposedly safer now. Yet Owen Farrell has done worse than this hit several times over the last 3 years and sometimes doesn’t get a card. Ridiculous red card.
@@bravorojo87 I'm sorry but that's laughable. Farrell always gets mentioned, he's never done anything near some of these 'tackles'.
The red was 5mins in if I remember correctly. After that SA was desparate, not our finest hour.
This England team will go down as the best for a very long time.
"Letting Jason Robinson know he was there" lol
When you don’t have the skill and thuggery is your cannon that SA.
Krige should have received about 6 Red cards that day. But what an England team and how far we have fallen since then.😮
What a team! Hard as nails and brilliant (take a bow Will Greenwood in particular). You'd think the Boks would learn from past misdemeanours (1974 anybody?).
The most vicious this century, maybe. Playing in the eighties most games were like this, and my dad called us soft. Game has improved for the better
England were absolutely incredible in this era.
Watching this makes me sick, disgusting behaviour from South Africa, really is just assault and should be treated as such.
There have been very, very few NH teams (maybe France) who have ever had a forward pack like this 2002-03 England team. They physically dominated every team (NH & SH) they played in that span.
Well that's pretty much Ireland now, undefeated in over a year and top of the ranking for over 3 years.
As a kiwi I have to agree, when they beat NZ here in 03, I knew the were going to win the World Cup because of their dominant forward pack
@@markbrennan212 They have to win a WC first before they can even be mentioned in the same sentence as this England team. Having said that, you guys have my vote for this WC, really hoping you take it all the way. The NH has been dominating so far!
If the SA played like this now, half their team would be sent off.
Well luckily they don't and thrashed England in last world cup final. England captain on his arse as Kolbe stepped.
Very sore for SA, I still remeber that game where Jannes Labuschagne made that late tackle.
Very dirty Springbok side, specially from Captain, not England fan, but well done.
We won the fight.
These highlights barely scratch the surface of how brutal this game was. Unless I'm mistaken, wasn't this England's last game
before the WC down under? In which case they confirmed their credentials as tournament favourites, having beaten all-comers,and putting the fear up the Southern Hemisphere teams for the first time.
No, they they won the Grand Slam in early 2003 after this and then beat the All Blacks (the famous win with 13 men) and Australia away in the summer. Then of course won the World Cup in autumn 2003.
Bad attitude by South Africa . Despite England played with one more player, they showed up how to keep calm and play a wonderful rugby.
I was at this game. That South Africa team were really dirty and full of cheapshot merchants, in an era when all their teams were like that. It was so good when they got well and truly thumped.
Current England side needs to watch this.
I’m shocked that nobody left in an ambulance during this game!
I loved This England team ❤I wanted it to go on forever
Pure thuggery from SA, genuinely painful to watch.
Oh dear! When you’re beat before the whistle so spend 80 mins throwing cheap shots and still ended up being embarrassed 😂
And look at us now.
32-12 🤣
@@Diesel3229 sorry how many world cups have England won?
@@prudeuncle exactly, fyi I’m a Bokke fan bru.
@@Diesel3229 hahahaha sorry mate I just realised your probably quoting the 2019 final score.
Ah the days when England could take a beating but hand out a thrashing. The Boks were bullies and got schooled that day.
Never been able to understand the cheap shots in union or league, one of the toughest sports there is why players feel the need to elbow somebody in the face when they are lying on the floor goes beyond 'sport' SA are a physical team always have been and I don't see much wrong with that but some of the behaviour here is assault
Pretty sure that Peter O’Mahoney wrote the training manual for this! ☘️☘️☘️
Brilliant England team in the face of the most intense provocation
Watching that was nuts !
The amount of cheap shots thrown by SA is incredible
Where was that in the last world cup bloody final? What a team we had then. Some nasty stuff by the bokke.
God, we could do with these guys back now. And we desperately need a coach of similar quality. What a team.
Spoiler & summary: England 53 - South Africa 3
7 min saved of your precious busy life!
Spoiler SA 🏆×3
Another spoiler
England🏆x1
@@henniedevosobjectively false.
@@TJ20232 no
@@henniedevos naughty naughty editing your comment when you were wrong.
Has forgotten what a legend matt dawson was and probably still is
Most vicious haha. I watched an England v Australia match in the 1970s. Mike Burton comes to mind, getting sent off really early. That match made this one look tame...
Fair play to England. They could play their way forward inspite of the SA foul onslaught. They kept their discipline. Today they are less than half the team -whereas SA are still riding high.
Just wait...The only way is up!
Will Greenwood was so underrated
Thats how you beat South Africa out physical them if they are trying to hurt and they see it they have won. Just keep playing your going to get hurt its rugby and thats what i loved about that england performance great attitude its a shame not alot of players are like that now
Honestly...the most brutal match I have ever seen...is Springboks vs British & Irish Lions 2nd Test 2009...Magnificent...
The days when South Africa played to hurt and not win !
Battle of Pretoria 1998 SA vs Ireland
And
France England 1992 are worth noting
That game encapsulates SA rugby perfectly - and if it wasn't for neutral refs, cameras, cards and citing process they'd probably be still be at it. They're much better when they play rugby and leave the cheap shots for the Currie Cup.
I was there .. the atmosphere was imcredible, and without doubt one of tbe bezt English sides and performance I have ever seen..
I was at this game. Dawson was taking them to the cleaners. They even knocked one of their own unconscious trying to get to him 😂
As they say, history is written by the successor judging from the video's description. lol
What a magnificent England team this was!
Matt Dawson at that time was beyond tough...great England victory.
Shame the England team 20 years later don't show the grit and fighting spirit these blokes did.
It takes a whole lot of grit and fighting spirit to beat Argentina soundly with 14 men.
@@joeboonmusic4004 hardly.
A month or two after your post in the 2023 WC they did , especially considering the game and where each team was ranked, SA 2nd and England 8th. At least we came to win and put up a fight unlike this SA lot on the video . To only lose by one point because of a penalty in the last couple of minutes to the eventual winners, from where we started was good going. Good to see Ireland shit the pot again.
they decided that because england were streets ahead at that time they needed to try and beat england by cheating and taking cheap cowardly shots they even cocked up the cheating and still lost lmao
England - giants, geniuses, gentlemen of the best game in the World !
I remember that match, it was brutal but England were too strong and too disciplined to get drawn in. Those were some great years as an England supporter
One of the greatest England sides ever! South Africa had no answer to that team and they played dirty! But, England just went do you know what you can bash us as much as you like. But, we're going to take on the chin and beat you.
If only England had a team like this now. It's too disjointed.
That was a shameful display. The lowest . Hopefully tonight’s semi final 2023 is full of exceptional performances . Rugby always wins
Sad to say England will never have a team like they did that year ...............
how good were England then compared to the current mess? Pace, lines and imagination in the backs, and organisation, toughness and controlled aggression in the forwards.
That dummy-pass try is brilliant.....
The 89’ lions tour was far more brutal.
South Africa has always played a lifting heavy handed game, but the Corne Kreig era was actually stupid, all those cowardly punches in maul, ‘hold and hit’ tackles and general thuggery were absolutely accepted in Rugby, but this SA took the absolute piss 😂
And Americans prattle on about how tough 'American Football' is, with their 100lbs of protection! I remember watching this game live (on tv), awesome battle with the best England team ever imo!
Took my dad to this game
We laughed all the way home. Mugs. Simple