When the Springboks demolished England in the Rugby World Cup final at the weekend, the 12-32 score line was etched into history.

But for British Airways pilots – at the controls of a flight from Cape Town to London at the weekend – the numbers were veritable salt in the wound.

Sassy air traffic controllers at Cape Town International Airport, obviously proud fans of Siya Kolisi and the Boks, assigned the Boeing 747 a squawk code of 1232 which sent the pilots packing with the final score at front of mind...