season tour of Britain however, as England picked up a win over New Zealand at Twickenham. 1994 was another up and down season for the All Blacks. South Africa were defeated 2–0 with one game drawn. However, France caused a major upset by winning their series in New Zealand 2–0, the first and until 2022, only European team to achieve this. By the time of the 1995 World Cup New Zealand had assembled a more formidable side. Ian Jones, Jeff Wilson, Andrew Mehrtens, Zinzan Brooke and Jonah Lomu had proved themselves as world-class players. New Zealand were most pundit's pre-tournament favourites. The All Blacks had convincingly defeated all opponents, the most remarkable being a semi-final against England, in which Lomu scored four tries. They met the hosts, South Africa in the final, who had stuttered through the early stages. South Africa won the tournament in extra time with a Joel Stransky drop goal. After storming through the first Tri Nations Series unbeaten, the All Blacks embarked upon a further three-match series in South Africa. The 1996 tour of South Africa was the first series win by a New Zealand side in South Africa. The 1996 All Blacks were one of the great teams in the history of the game, and the series win cemented their captain's place among the true greats. Continued success with Auckland in the NPC and the Auckland Blues in the new Super 12 continued in the following seasons, but it was clear that Fitzpatrick's days in the game were numbered. He was carrying an injury in the autumn of 1997, yet such was his status that coach John Hart thought it would be good for the other players to include him in the party. He made his 92nd and final test appearance on 29 November 1997 as a substitute in the 42–7 victory against Wales at Wembley. Legacy Fitzpatrick was appointed an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for services to rugby, in the 1997 New Year Honours. He remains an icon in New Zealand and is highly respected in South Africa. He was part of two of the finest frontrow combinations in rugby history, firstly with Steve McDowell and Richard Loe, and secondly with Craig Dowd and Olo Brown. Honours Auckland National Provincial Championship 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996 Ranfurly Shield 1995, 1996 Blues Super Rugby 1996, 1997 New Zealand