Only ONE country has achieved the Rugby and Cricket World Cup DOUBLE

South Africa’s national men’s rugby team secured a record fourth Rugby World Cup title at the weekend. This Springbok team in particular has showcased their tenacity in knockout games, and ability to find a way to win.

The country’s national men’s cricket team on the other hand hasn’t been able to emulate the World Cup successes of their rugby brothers, having a tendency to implode on the big stage when the pressure’s on.

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In fact, the Proteas have never reached a final of an ICC Cricket World Cup in both the 50- and 20-over formats, and have consistently been knocked out at the quarter-final or semi-final stages.

This current Proteas team however has been steaming through the group stage at the 2023 Cricket World Cup in India, with a superior run rate and sense of confidence that could potentially see them qualify for their first-ever Cricket World Cup final.

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With one game in hand (against India) after demolishing New Zealand by 190 runs on Wednesday, Temba Bavuma’s men are now top of the log and all but guaranteed a semi-final spot.

Should they bring home the Cup, South Africa would become just the second country ever to hold both Rugby and Cricket World Cups.

Australia’s golden era of sport

In 1999, Australia won the Cricket and Rugby World Cups in the same year, bagging the elusive double.

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The men’s cricket team won the final on 20 June at Lord’s in England, beating Pakistan by 8 wickets and featuring Aussie greats such as Adam Gilchrist, Ricky Ponting (c), Glen McGrath and Shane Warne.

Later that year, the Wallabies beat France 35-12 at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff to lift the Webb Ellis Cup for the second time. Captain John Eales led a legendary side that featured the likes of George Gregan, Stephan Larkham, Tim Horan and Matt Burke.

Kolisi says back the SA cricket team

World Cup-winning Springbok captain Siya Kolisi has urged the nation to rally behind the Proteas during the 2023 Cricket World Cup in India.

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Kolisi said the Proteas have backed their RWC campaign, and the country should again show unity and give support.

“The proteas are in India, and they are making us proud. They are fighting as hard as they can, and they’ve been sending us messages of support. They really deserve our support and they’ve been showing us that they deserve it. They’re going to do something that’s never been done before, so we have to support them like we’ve never done before.” Read more here.

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