#RWC2023: This may only be the end of the beginning

South Africa began the day as favourites to land the hosting rights for the 2011 Rugby World Cup. 

They ended it choking on the dust of others. Eliminated in the first round of voting by the then International Rugby Board’s Council who went for New Zealand ahead of Japan.

“We thought we’d done our homework, this has come as a complete shock,” said Ncula who was serving as the deputy chief executive officer for the South African Rugby Football Union that fateful day in Dublin back in 2005.