A former top South African police commander involved with All Blacks security at the 1995 Rugby World Cup has revealed new details about the sickness that spread through the camp in the build-up to the 1995 World Cup final.
Rory Steyn, a former bodyguard of Nelson Mandela, recently appeared on Supersport's The Dan Nicholl show 23 years after the infamous event that saw two-thirds of the All Blacks fall ill.
Steyn recalled being in a cinema with the All Blacks when the first symptoms of sickness were coming over some of the players two days before the final.
"I was sitting in the movies with a bunch of them, when big Richard Loe said to me, 'Rory, I need to go back to the hotel," said Steyn.
"Out came Jeff Wilson clutching his stomach and I looked at him and I said, 'Goldie, you too?"
Steyn set about getting the players out of the cinema and into the car, but said they didn't make it to the hotel before they had to stop and players were spewing.
When he got to the All Blacks hotel Steyn likened the scenes to a war film.
"It looked like something out of 'Saving Private Ryan," Steyn said.
"There were guys lying on the floor outside the doctor's room down the passage, and him (the doctor) and the physio and the medic were administering electrolytes and injections."
"Despite the circumstances, the New Zealand team as a group decided not to mention the fact they had suffered from the food poisoning.
"It wasn't until after the final was South Africa won 15-12 that news of the team's illness was released.
"In a press conference following the game, a New Zealand journalist asked the question of the All Blacks and they admitted that a number of the squad had fallen "incredibly sick".
"Do I think it was intentional? Absolutely. Do I think South African Rugby was involved? Absolutely not," Steyn said.
Steyn believes betting syndicates were behind the poisoning. The All Blacks lost the Johannesburg final 15-12.
Steyn said there was a huge degree of paranoia within the All Blacks camp, which escalated after the semifinal win over England in Cape Town. The team travelled back to Johannesburg and it was decided among management that they would eat separately to the rest of their hotel's guests in the week leading up to the final.
"I said that makes it easier to target them, I didn't think it was a good idea," Steyn said.
"On the Thursday [June 22] before the final, which was on Saturday [June 24], they were poisoned. About two-thirds of the squad got very sick, properly sick," he said.
"I believe it was the water that was got at, because the food that was served at lunch time ... was chicken burgers and hamburgers."
He said some who ate chicken were sick and some who ate beef were sick.
"I don't think it was the food, I think it was the coffee and the tea and possibly even the drinking water."
