It was specific and to me alone. Here, his Springbok guernsey left a very different emotion in its wake. Nelson Mandela is cheered on by 65,000 white fans during the 1995 Rugby World Cup final. For more information on the Hall of Fame visit, www.worldrugby.org/halloffame. "It still is one of the most powerful of images for any South African. Joel Stransky speaks of the man as much as he does of the politician. Centre Hennie le Roux presented Mandela with his Springbok cap. "I was just a boy who wanted to play rugby for my country and was not aware of the significance at that time of the president being in the changing-room wearing a Springbok shirt," said Stransky. The following day, the team visited Robben Island, where Mandela had spent 18 of his 27 years as a prisoner of the state. "It was not a methodical plan to use the World Cup as a tool to win over Afrikaans support. But on the day of the final, as is now legend, more was to happen. It was a wasted opportunity and that is because rugby leaders lacked the vision and understanding that Mandela had. It could have been jarring for Mandela that day given the opposition from various political flanks but it wasn't. Of Mandela's speech to the team before the game, fly-half Joel Stransky said: ''It was so inspirational. He could run 100 metres in under 11 seconds and had trampled the English defence in the semi-final, scoring four tries. All that washed over me, that huge realisation, and the tears just rolled down my face.''. We were a 100 per cent white Springbok side when the tournament started (black wing, Chester Williams was injured) but the president recognised that rugby could be a force for good, a vehicle for change. We would also like to use advertising cookies, which collect information, and combine it with previously collected information, to select and deliver advertisements for you, and to measure the delivery and effectiveness of such advertisements. It was there that Nelson Mandela, who had won over a succession of prison officers, was to meet his new governor, Major van Sittert. ", Francois Pienaar accepts the William Webb Ellis trophy from Nelson Mandela in 1995, Edward Griffiths, in charge of public relations and soon to become chief executive of the South African union, turned to du Plessis in the Ellis Park and remarked that 'things would never be the same again. South Africa defeated Australia 27-18. We use cookies to help make our sites function properly. The euphoria of that day carried through to help make us a fully democratic country. This includes using previously collected information about your interests to select ads, processing data about what advertisements were shown, how often they were shown, when and where they were shown, and whether you took any action related to the advertisement, including for example clicking an ad. “By supporting the Springboks so passionately and publicly on their way to victory, Mandela helped to change attitudes, soften hearts and convince minds of the right course of history for his country to take and, in the process, became a wonderful example to us all. The experience of Robben Island reduced Springbok winger James Small to tears. Necessary cookies enable basic functionality on our sites such as page navigation, access to secure areas, authenticating logins, and the delivery of other core functions. ", How will you remember Nelson Mandela? US election polls tracker: Will Donald Trump or Joe Biden win the 2020 presidential race? Key figures from the 1995 Rugby World Cup-winning Springboks team, including Joel Stransky, whose drop goal won the cup against the All Blacks, have paid tribute to Nelson Mandela. Please email your tributes and memories to mandelatributes@telegraph.co.uk, Nelson Mandela stands next to the President of the South African Rugby Football Union Louis Luyt at the 1995 Rugby World Cup final in Johannesburg, Grenfell Tower: Investigators make first arrest in the investigation. And the euphoria of that day has carried on. Mandela beamed. It sent a shiver down my spine.
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