‘ It took everything’ - Fitzpatrick reflects on epic 1996 series win

All Blacks

1 hour agoBy: Jamie Wall

Thirty years on from the historic 1996 series win, Sean Fitzpatrick reflects on that triumph and the challenge facing the All Blacks in 2026.

Times have certainly changed for Sean Fitzpatrick. When he used to step out onto South African rugby fields in a black jersey, it’s fair to say the reception was one of hostility. However, three decades on from the All Blacks’ iconic series win in the Republic, the 92-test former captain is greeted like an old friend.

Fitzpatrick is in Johannesburg for the first test of the Greatest Rivalry Tour, and took part along with former Springbok captain Gary Teichmann in unveiling the trophy for the series. It is formed from two individual blades, one representing South Africa and one representing New Zealand.

”(The achievement) for us to finally get a win over the Springboks in South Africa, which had never been done before. One of our great All Black fullbacks, Don Clarke, who was living in Pretoria at the time hugged me in the tunnel, and he said, "thank you so much for doing something that no other All Black team has ever done. I can die a happy man." Which summed up what it meant to us as All Blacks,” said Fitzpatrick.

WATCH: The final match of the 1996 Tri-Nations between the All Blacks and Springboks

The 1996 team, dubbed the Incomporables, officially won the series 2-1 with victories in Durban and Pretoria, before the Springboks came back to win the third in Johannesburg. However, it was actually the fourth test in as many weeks in South Africa, with the first in Cape Town being the last test of the inaugural Tri Nations Series. Fitzpatrick was open about how he regards it as a four test series, even if the history books don’t.

“We did play four test matches on four Saturdays… our last Tri Nations game in Cape Town, that was the game that we targeted to beat the Springboks just to mentally to get inside their heads. Then to go to Kings Park, to Gary's home, to win there really gave us the start that we needed.”

The 1996 win ended nearly seven decades of waiting for a series in South Africa for the All Blacks, who had achieved every else in test rugby. The 1928 series was drawn, 1949 saw an infamous 4-0 loss, while the 1960 tour was 2-1 with one test drawn.

The 1970 tour is generally remembered as the All Blacks’ best chance to win a series in the amateur era, after an almost five season unbeaten streak. However, they came up short 3-1, as did their 1976 counterparts.

The 20 year gap from then till 1996 was something Fitzpatrick acknowledged, given that rugby had just gone professional and the prospect of another traditional tour was unlikely. He and coach John Hart believed they may well be the last All Black team to even attempt a South African tour, let alone win the series.

But now, three decades on, Fitzpatrick’s advice to the class of 2026 was to approach this Greatest Rivalry series with the same attitude his side did.

You've

just

got

to

be

relentless.

You've

got

to

be

so

on

your

game.

Everyone

needs

to

play

well.

You

can

only

have

one

lapse

moment,

one

bad

scrum,

one

bad

lineout

and

it'll

end

up

costing

you

the

game.
Sean Fitzpatrick

But Fitzpatrick also said that the sheer experience of being in South Africa for six weeks was something that the players would never forget.

“So just try to enjoy it. It's the most amazing place to play rugby, and I think the older you get, the more I enjoyed it, because this is special.”

Fitzpatrick’s 1996 side has gone down in history as the first All Black team to leave South Africa with a series victory. For him, it has a special place in his memories.

“We won (the World Cup) in '87. '95, although we lost, that was an unbelievable match of the World Cup. But '96, for me, without question, to beat the Springboks and to do it the way we did is my greatest achievement.”