When it comes to South African sports, nothing can compare to the passion we as South Africans have for rugby.
As we prepare to witness the Bokke take on Wales during the Rugby World Cup’s semi-finals on Sunday, October 27, what happened to the Springbok team of 1995, who are still a great sense of pride to many, and where are the players today?
We take a look at the lives of some of the rugby players which changed South African sports history.
James Small
As the wing for the Springboks, who can ever forget James Small tackling Jonah Lomu of the New Zealand’s All Blacks.
Known for his brilliance on the rugby field and being somewhat of a bad boy, Small sadly passed away on July 10, 2019, after suffering a heart attack while at a club the night before.
André Joubert
Affectionately known in South Africa as ‘The Rolls-Royce of Fullbacks’, André Joubert played a major role in the Springboks’ success during the 1995 Rugby World Cup. Despite playing with a broken hand, Joubert put in a remarkable performance in the 15-12 win over the All Blacks in the final.
Joubert has now moved away from the rugby field and has taken to the boardroom, seeing him partner with, Steven Cooper’s business, Konica Minolta KZN.
Francois Pienaar
Playing for the Springboks from 1993 until 1996, toting over 29 international caps, all of them as captain, Francois Pienaar is known as the man who led the South African rugby team to victory at the 1995 World Cup.
Despite leading an illustrious sporting career following the world cup, Pienaar is now involved with the Make a Difference Leadership Programme. Make a Difference Leadership Programme aims to develop carefully selected scholars as leaders in their chosen fields.
Ruben Kruger
Named South African Rugby Football Union’s player of the year, Ruben Kruger was a force to be reckoned with on the rugby field.
During his time at the rugby world cup, he will always be remembered as the player who scored a try during the controversial semi-final match against France.
At the end of his rugby career, he became a camera salesman. He owned a Minolta franchise in Pretoria. Sadly, he passed away in January 2010, after battling with brain cancer for 10 years.
Joost van der Westhuizen
Known for finding and penetrating the tiniest gaps in an opposition’s defence, and his willingness to move forward and join the attack, van der Westhuizen played with a fearlessness that aided his team greatly, often producing result-defining tackles.
Following the world cup, he continued playing rugby and was inducted into the International Rugby Hall of Fame in 2007 and became a member of the World Rugby Hall of Fame in 2015. He was also a well-known broadcaster for SuperSport.
Unfortunately, he was diagnosed with motor neurone disease in May 2011 and passed away in February 2017.
Joel Stransky
As fly-half for the 1995 Springbok team, Stransky is remembered for scoring all of South Africa’s points, including the famous dramatic winning drop goal against New Zealand in the nerve-wracking final match. The kick which saw an entire country holds its breath as the ball soared through the air.
Following the end of his rugby career, Stransky joined Altech Netstar (PTY) Ltd. As the Sales & Marketing director. He was then appointed as the managing director in 2008 but resigned from the post. He was then employed by the Steinhoff Group in a marketing and promotional capacity, before founding Pivotal Capital in 2012.
Chester Williams
Williams is best known as the star winger of the 1995 Springboks and was affectionally nicknamed “The Black Pearl”.
Williams was selected in the initial squad but had to withdraw due to injury. He was later called back into the squad and first played in the quarter-final, scoring 4 tries.
While enjoying an illustrious rugby career, in 2001, Williams was selected as the coach of the South African sevens team that won bronze at the 2002 Commonwealth Games as well being runners up in the World Sevens Series.
He also coached the Cats Super 12 team and the Pumas. Williams eventually secured the post as the head coach at the University of the Western Cape in Varsity Rugby. Under his leadership, UWC won the 2017 Varsity Shield competition.
Sadly, Chester Williams passed away on September 6, following a heart attack.
While the Springbok team of 1995 will forever live in our hearts, we wish the Bokke all the best for the semi-finals.
