• June 12 down the years

The debut of an Irish icon

Brian O'Driscoll went on to become a powerhouse for Ireland © Getty Images
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1999
Brian O'Driscoll made his Test debut for Ireland - but he was overshadowed by the entrance of Tiaan Strauss. A back-row hard man, Strauss won 15 caps for South Africa, the last in 1994. Today he played his first match for Australia, coming on as a second-half substitute and galvanising a team who led only 13-3 at the break. Strauss scored three tries, Ben Tune another (so the musical headlines wrote themselves) - and although a break by O'Driscoll led to Ireland's only try, they lost 46-10. Fly-half Nathan Spooner kicked 16 points in his first international.

On the same day, Strauss' old country were also in action. Right wing Breyton Paulse scored three tries on his debut for South Africa, who thrashed Italy 74-3 in Port Elizabeth. Three years earlier, Paulse had scored three tries in his first match for Western Province and four in his first Springbok tour game, against Mendoza in Argentina.

1993
Still in rugby union, the Lions were refereed out of a Test series - even though this was just the opening match. Their captain Gavin Hastings kicked six penalty goals - so they got their share of decisions, yes? But they also suffered two killer blows at the top and tail of the match. After only two minutes, Lions winger Ieuan Evans was driven back over his own line by Frank Bunce. Now, although Bunce had his hands on the ball, so did Evans, so Australian referee Brian Kinsey should have had doubts - and given the defending side the benefit of them. But the Lions' fears were realised immediately. According to Brian Moore, 'We had never rated him one bit in the England camp.' Kinsey awarded New Zealand the try. Then, with only two minutes to go and the Lions leading 18-17, Lions No. 8 Dean Richards tackled Bunce in midfield, a ruck formed over them, and Kinsey penalised Richards for not releasing. How he was supposed to release the ball with two sets of forwards pinning him down was never satisfactorily explained, at least not to Lions manager Geoff Cooke: 'The tackled-ball situation is being refereed very badly over here.' The Lions lost 20-18, won the second Test, but lost the decider. They haven't won a series in New Zealand since August 14, 1971.

The Lions were unable to claim victory in New Zealand © Getty Images
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2001 In his first match for the Lions, turbo-charged winger Jason Robinson scored five tries. All in the second half against a Queensland President's XV, who trailed only 10-6 at half-time before losing 83-6.

1965
The only British weightlifter to win a world title did it for the fourth time. Born in Jamaica, Louis Martin went to the 1960 Olympics as reigning world champion at middle-heavyweight but won the bronze. He went to the 1964 Games as world record holder but won the silver behind Vladimir Golovanov, who set a new world best. Today in Sofia, Martin lifted 12½ kilos more than he managed in 1964, enough to beat Golovanov into second place. In 1970, he won his third Commonwealth Games title in a row.

1930
The only boxer to win the world heavyweight title on a foul. When Gene Tunney retired as champion, Jack Sharkey and Germany's Max Schmeling came through to fight for the vacant title. In the first three rounds, Sharkey looked stronger round the chest and shoulders and got through with heavier punches. Then, in the fourth, he threw a big left uppercut that caught Schmeling in the pit of the stomach. Schmeling dropped to the floor in evident pain before being carried back to his corner. He'd had his back to the referee, who couldn't see the punch. Nor did one of the ringside judges, and it's doubtful if the other one got a good look. But he agreed with Schmeling's manager and persuaded the referee to disqualify Sharkey. A recent memory may have played its part here. In the elimination bout before this, Sharkey had stopped Britain's 'Phainting Phil' Scott, who went down three times in one round, claiming a foul every time. Film of the Schmeling fight shows the punch going in, but the fist disappears into darkness, and its landing place isn't clear. But either Schmeling was a very good actor or he was in pain that goes beyond a blow to the stomach. Whatever, he lost the title to Sharkey on a split decision two years later.

1997
OTT basketball player Dennis Rodman was fined $50,000 fine for making derogatory remarks about Mormons. Explaining his poor form for the Chicago Bulls against the Utah Jazz, Rodman said he couldn't get his act together because of all the 'asshole Mormons' in Salt Lake City. At the time, the fine was the biggest in NBA history.

2008
Cuban smoothie Dayron Robles broke the world record in the 110 metres hurdles. His time of 12.87 seconds was a hundredth faster than the time set by Liu Xiang of China two years earlier. Later in 2008, Robles replaced Liu as Olympic champion. In Beijing, too.


1981 Larry Holmes made his 10th successful defence of the WBC heavyweight title by stopping former world champion Leon Spinks, conqueror of Muhammad Ali (February 15, 1978). Holmes was good enough to fight in different ways. He later outboxed Gerry Cooney (June 11, 1982), but he'd seen how Spinks had gone to war with Ali, and he didn't want any of that. So he came out to mug the mugger. He floored Spinks with a right hand to the jaw, then battered him again before the towel came in. The fight didn't last three rounds and Leon didn't fight for the heavyweight title again. But his brother Michael did. Against Holmes himself on September 21, 1985.

1939
Sam Snead blew the US Open. Snead was always blowing US Opens: it was the one Major he never won, despite finishing second four times. But today he really blew it. Needing only a par five at the last hole to win the event, he took a shocking eight and didn't even make the play-off. Three other golfers did, and Byron Nelson won it over the second 18 holes after tying with Craig Wood, who lost play-offs for all four Majors. Snead finished second for the last time in 1953.

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