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South Africa Springboks

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Sports Team

The Resume

    (1889- )
    National rugby union team of South Africa
    Won two Tri Nations Cups (1998,2004)
    Won the Rugby World Cup (1995)
    Sponsored by the Sasol synfuels company

Why they might be annoying:

    New Zealand cancelled a planned tour of South Africa when the Springboks refused to play against Maori players (1967).
    As condemnation of apartheid mounted, their international tours became increasingly controversial.
    They had to play behind barbed wire fences during a tour of Great Britain and Ireland (1969).
    They had to be transported by the air force during a tour of Australia when trade unions refused to service planes or trains carrying the team (1971).
    They were banned from international competition until apartheid ended (1981-92).
    Many South Africans wanted the team emblem changed because they considered the springbok a symbol of apartheid.
    In a 'team building exercise,' naked players were forced into a freezing lake at gunpoint (2003).

Why they might not be annoying:

    Their 1906-07 tour of Britain was credited with helping to heal wounds after the Boer War.
    Nelson Mandela's presentation of the World Cup to white team captain Francois Pienaar was symbolic of the reconciliation of black and white South Africans.
    Six team members have been inducted into the International Rugby Hall of Fame.

Credit: C. Fishel


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    In 2023, Out of 2 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 3 Votes: 66.67% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 9 Votes: 66.67% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 5 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2019, Out of 1 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2018, Out of 1 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2017, Out of 6 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2016, Out of 3 Votes: 33.33% Annoying
    In 2015, Out of 10 Votes: 60.0% Annoying
    In 2014, Out of 5 Votes: 60.0% Annoying
    In 2013, Out of 74 Votes: 64.86% Annoying
    In 2012, Out of 10 Votes: 80.0% Annoying
    In 2011, Out of 14 Votes: 57.14% Annoying
    In 2010, Out of 23 Votes: 52.17% Annoying
    In 2009, Out of 52 Votes: 71.15% Annoying
    In 2008, Out of 23 Votes: 69.57% Annoying
    In 2007, Out of 25 Votes: 80.0% Annoying