The Springboks were readmitted to international rugby after the demise of apartheid, and initially struggled to return to their previous high standards. However, by the time they hosted the 1995 World Cup, they were one of the favourites, winning an epic final against New Zealand 15-12. In 1998, under coach Nick Mallett, they went on a record winning streak, winning 17 consecutive tests, including the 1998 Tri Nations Series, before an exhausted team lost to England at the end of a long tour. Since then, the team has fallen upon hard times, regularly ending last in the Tri Nations. 2002/3 was their worst ever season, seeing them lose by record margins to France, England, Scotland and New Zealand, defeating Argentina by only one point, and being easily dispatched in the quarter finals of the 2003 World Cup.
The buildup to the Boks' 2003 World Cup campaign was tumultuous. During a pre-World Cup training camp, there was a highly publicized dispute between Geo Cronjé (an Afrikaner) and Quentin Davids (a black). Both were dropped from the team, and Cronjé was called before a tribunal to answer charges that his actions in the dispute were racially motivated. Later, the Boks were sent to a military-style boot camp in the South African bush called Kamp Staaldraad (literal English translation "Camp Steel-wire", more idiomatically "Camp Barbed Wire"). When details of the events at Kamp Staaldraad were leaked, they caused an uproar in South Africa.
After the World Cup debacle, Boks coach Rudolf Straeuli was under fire, not only because of the team's poor results, but because of his role in organizing Kamp Staaldraad. He eventually resigned, as did Riann Oberholzer, the managing director of South Africa Rugby (Pty) Ltd. Soon afterwards, South Africa Rugby Football Union president Silas Nkununu, facing a strong reelection challenge, withdrew from consideration for election. New SARFU president Brian van Rooyen is expected to completely overhaul the South African rugby organization. A new Boks coach is to be named shortly.