1995 RWC squad come together for 20th anniversay celebration
1995 Springbok Rugby World Cup squad celebrated their 20th anniversary of their epic win.
The 1995 Springbok Rugby World Cup squad celebrated the 20th anniversary of their epic win on Wednesday, June 24.
The celebrations took place on the same day that the Springboks won their first ever RWC, in 1995, at Emirates Airlines Park, formerly known as Ellis Park.
The match was televised at 15:00 to relive the golden moments.
South African Rugby Union President, Oregan Hoskins, congratulated and thanked the Springbok squad involved in the 1995 Rugby World Cup.
During the 1995 match, the Springboks beat New Zealand 15-12.
The result unleashed a tide of goodwill and nation-building across South Africa.
On the day, Nelson Mandela, the newly elected president of South Africa, famously wore the jersey of the Springbok captain, Francois Pienaar.
In his winning speech, Pienaar declared that the team did not only have the support of the 60 000 people in the stadium; the team had the support of 43 million South Africans across the country.
On Wednesday, Pienaar said: “I will never forget the emotions in the change room before the match, when Mr Mandela entered, and how every one of us got ready for this huge match – some of them quiet, some of them jumping around in the change room, others bringing massive energy to the squad.”
“We had a sense this was big, but never in our wildest dreams did we think that this game would have such an impact on every single person in South Africa.”
During the celebrations, all available members of the team came together for a photograph in front of a banner reading, “Still One Team, Still One Country”, recalling the famous 1995 team slogan, “One Team, One Country”. The banner was on the same spot where fly half Joel Stransky kicked his famous match-winning drop goal.
