95' Boks celebrated for Ellis Park World Cup triumph
21 years ago, the Springboks won their first ever World Cup trophy in front of a crowded Ellis Park and were inducted into the SA Sport Hall of Fame this week.
The 1995 Rugby World Cup final will be remembered as a water-shed moment for the country. With the Springboks beating the All Blacks to claim the Webb Ellis Cup, the nation stood together as one just a year into our new democracy.
The World Cup winners were honoured for their achievement at Sun City last night, where they were inducted into the SA Sport Hall of Fame.
Captain Francois Pienaar, who was famously handed the World Cup trophy by the late president Nelson Mandela, was pensieve at the event.
"As we grow older, we grow more emotional, we get fatter, slower; but our memories will never forget how we felt. That feeling of doing something unusual. The team went to dark places as a unit, we had the most incredible, brilliant minds and tonight we reflect on all of that," Pienaar said on Thursday night.
Springbok lock Kobus Wiese said the victory was far bigger than individual achievements or team successes.
"What makes it even more humbling is that we were privileged to be a part of a team in a very difficult time in our country. Sport made a difference, showed people anything is possible and for a moment everybody forgot about their problems and were one as a nation," Wiese said.
The evening also saw Mandela inducted into the hall of fame, as was legendary rugby commentator Hugh Bladen.
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