The Freedom Cup ()
is a minor international
rugby union
Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In its m ...
trophy contested between
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...
and
New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
, during
The Rugby Championship
The Rugby Championship is an international rugby union competition contested annually by Argentina, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa. These are the four highest ranked national teams in the Southern Hemisphere; the Six Nations is a s ...
and previously during The Rugby Championship's predecessor, the Tri Nations. It was first contested in
2004
2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO).
Events January
* January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 6 ...
(the 10 year anniversary of South African democracy), in a one-off test. The game, played at
Ellis Park,
Johannesburg
Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu and xh, eGoli ), colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, or "The City of Gold", is the largest city in South Africa, classified as a megacity, and is one of the 100 largest urban areas in the world. According to Demo ...
was won 40–26 by South Africa. However, in the
2006 Tri Nations Series
6 (six) is the natural number following 5 and preceding 7. It is a composite number and the smallest perfect number.
In mathematics
Six is the smallest positive integer which is neither a square number nor a prime number; it is the second small ...
, it was contested in all three New Zealand–South Africa matches.
In 2006, New Zealand won the first two matches, winning the Freedom Cup for the first time, but during the post-match presentation following the third game which was won by South Africa,
Supersport presenter
Joost van der Westhuizen
Joost Heystek van der Westhuizen (20 February 1971 – 6 February 2017) was a South African professional rugby union player who made 89 appearances in test matches for the national team, scoring 38 tries. He mostly played as a scrum-half and ...
incorrectly presented the trophy to
Springbok
The springbok (''Antidorcas marsupialis'') is a medium-sized antelope found mainly in south and southwest Africa. The sole member of the genus ''Antidorcas'', this bovid was first described by the German zoologist Eberhard August Wilhelm v ...
captain
John Smit
John William Smit, OIS, (born 3 April 1978) is a former South African rugby union player and former chief executive officer of the Sharks. He was the 50th captain of the South Africa national team, and led the team to win the 2007 Rugby World C ...
who accepted it in front of millions of television viewers. The mistake was later corrected, off-air.
Matches
Source:
[Pick and Go rugby archive]
– select All Blacks and Boks, Freedom Cup.
Results
See also
*
Notes
References
External links
Boks and ABs to contest new cup - tvnz.co.nzPick and Go Freedom Cup stats
{{South Africa national rugby union team
History of rugby union matches between New Zealand and South Africa
International rugby union competitions hosted by New Zealand
International rugby union competitions hosted by South Africa
The Rugby Championship trophies
2004 establishments in New Zealand
2004 establishments in South Africa