The admiration and gratitude for Nelson Mandela, who always looked after Madiba during the conversation with the DN, does not allow Joel Stransky, former South African rugby star, to get angry with those who give more importance to the relationship he had with the historic leader of South Africa than to the achievement that made him know. It was Stransky who scored the kick that gave the Springboks the 1995 world title and united a racially divided country that came to be known as Apartheid.
“Privately, he was an extraordinary man. Calm. He conveyed tranquility and strength at the same time. He managed to convey tranquility and transmit energy. After winning the title, we were received by him, but my greatest achievement and also the most beautiful memory I have from him when he called me for an intimate lunch I didn’t know but when I arrived there was only him his wife another couple except me and my wife there were six of them but it was the best date of my life. I think I feel palpitations there,” recalled the rugby legend.
At the age of 56, he joins the South Africa Rugby Legends, a team that brings together players from the teams that won the World Cups in 1995, 2007 and 2019 and who were in Portugal to promote the sport with an exhibition match with a Portuguese team. . Accustomed to the spotlight, he accepted DN’s challenge to choose the photos that best capture the moment he became a national hero. The picture he likes the most is not on the internet because it is a personal picture he has with Madiba. And he doesn’t even post it on social media. The alternative he chooses is that of Captain François Pienaar presenting the trophy to Mandela.
Joel Stransky played the World Cup at the age of 28. “I was a boy with dreams and I made them come true. That’s the most important thing. Someone without dreams doesn’t live, he just survives. Becoming world champion was of course a goal, but it was more than that. In those days it was not easy to There was a country in black and white, at all levels, but the values of rugby helped me and I think they helped an entire nation,” he underlined.
The Springboks shirt – named after the South African gazelle, which gives its name to the South African national team – is therefore synonymous with unity and hope. After leaving prison in 1990, after 27 years, Nelson Mandela was elected president of South Africa and ended apartheid. “Mandela realized the impact rugby could have given how important it is to the country. The country was thrilled to get to the final and it meant Mandela could use the Rugby World Cup to unite the nation, the Springbok- pullover for the end and join hands with white people and people of all cultures. It was only later that we realized how important this political part was. Madiba gave back the ability to dream to all South Africans,” Stransky recalled.
During the conversation, he recalled Chester Williams, the only black athlete on the South African team who won the 1995 World Championship. In 2019, the year they won another world title, the Springboks lost Chester Williams forever. When Joel scored the kick that won the title, Chester served as an example to an entire country.
The dream of all South Africans came true and was even portrayed in the 2009 film Invictus, directed and produced by Clint Eastwood, starring Morgan Freeman as Mandela and Matt Damon as Captain François Pienaar. For Joel Stransky (played by Scott Eastwood), the film portrays Mandela perfectly. The surprise visit, the messages and the inspiration, but not the sporty side. For the 1995 hero, the racial aspect was overexploited in that context to add drama to the plot, but most days it was just training, training, training: “For us, Chester was just Chester, a phenomenal player, but to the rest of the world he was the only black man on the South African team. He died as the only black man on the team.”
The Springboks had been banned from two previous World Cups because of Apartheid, but in 1995 they won the trophy on their debut, at home, in extra time with New Zealand. On June 24, after a tie (9-9) in regular time, a Joel Stransky rebound kick sealed the triumph that united a nation. Even today it is regarded as one of the top five kicks in rugby history. It was 28 years ago. “Has it been that long? We had an extraordinary championship. It went step by step until we reached the final. That duel with New Zealand… uff… We couldn’t lose, we’d spoil the happy ending”, Stransky concluded.
Source: DN
