Wynne Gray's 50 greatest rugby moments: No.49

Canada captain Gareth Rees is sent off during a Rugby World Cup match against South Africa in Port Elizabeth, 3rd June 1995. Photo / Getty

The Boet Erasmus Stadium in Port Elizabeth was the scene for the infamous "99" call from the Lions in 1974 when they waded into an all-in scrap with the Springboks.

The Lions reasoned a referee would not sanction them if they used concerted violence.

At the same ground at the 1995 World Cup, the floodlights failed before the start of the pool game between the Springboks and Canada. When the fault was restored after a 45-minute delay, the Boks began well before Canada started to apply some muscle.

Players began to lose their cool and there were a number of skirmishes. About 10 minutes from time, a fracas erupted when play spilled over the touchline and into the advertising hoardings.

Wings Pieter Hendriks and Winston Stanley wrestled near the touchline and Canadian fullback Scott Stewart rushed to his mate's aid with a strike to Hendriks' head. That kicked off the intrusion of the Boks' firebrand hooker James Dalton.

What began as an untidy scuffle turned into a full-on brawl.

Irish referee David McHugh, whose shoulder was dislocated in 2002 at Durban by spectator Pieter van Zyl, who was still carrying a grudge from this test, was not about to offer clemency.

He sent off Dalton, who had sprinted into the middle of the melee, Canadian captain Gareth Rees and his senior prop Rod Snow for some unseen atrocity. Others who threw punches and continued to fight went unpunished, while the massive Springbok lock Hannes Strydom had to be replaced because of a wound above his eye.

The test resumed with uncontested scrums and the Boks won 20-0.

At the subsequent judicial hearing, the three players sent off were each banned for a month, while World Cup officials who reviewed footage of the test then cited Stewart and Hendriks.

They were also suspended and Hendriks' ban allowed the Boks to call up coloured wing Chester Williams, whose hamstring injury meant he had withdrawn from the squad shortly before the start of the tournament.

Eventually Williams played in the extraordinary extra-time tournament decider against the All Blacks.

Tomorrow - No 48: 2007 Ngwenya outsprints Bryan Habana