1995 Rugby World Cup

1967 | Happy 54th Birthday to former Springbok captain Francois Pienaar. (Photo by Jean-Pierre MULLER / AFP)

Remembering 1995: The Springboks liminal Rugby World Cup triumph

It is 25 years to the day since Francois Pienaar lifted the Webb Ellis trophy at Ellis Park, relive and remember the day of the 1995 Rugby World Cup Final.

1995 Rugby World Cup

1967 | Happy 54th Birthday to former Springbok captain Francois Pienaar. (Photo by Jean-Pierre MULLER / AFP)

The 1995 Rugby World Cup in South Africa took place in many senses in a space in between not just because the country it took place in was in the midst of a dramatic transition.

Rugby itself was undergoing a dramatic transition, after the 1995 World Cup, the code of Union would commit to fully professionalising giving up the amateur roots of the sport if not the philosophical trappings.

South African rugby would face the dual challenges of opening the game up through the process of transformation and professionalising the sport to keep pace with Southern rivals Australia and New Zealand as well as the Northern Hemisphere.

The north would soon swoop for the Springboks heroes with skipper Francois Pienaar signing for Saracens and Joel Stransky for Leicester.

For Springbok fans the Rugby World Cup triumph stands out as distinct from the periods that immediately preceded and followed it.

Kitch Christie’s tenure as coach had begun with lowkey victories on the road against Argentina, Scotland and Wales but for Bok fans 1994 was a year to forget after a 2-0 series defeat in New Zealand.

Soon after the great triumph Christie’s health would detoriorate and his succesors would plunge Springbok rugby to depths it had never before reached. Andre Markgraaf and Carel du Plessis each holding the position for just one year.

By the time Nick Mallet took charge in 1997 most of the heroes of 1995 had moved on and a new brand of rugby was introduced. Despite being a divisive figure in South African Rugby Mallet sports the second-highest success rate in terms of win percentage after Christie.

A part of our history

The Rugby World Cup final came to symbolise something far greater than the Springboks maiden world title with the country experiencing a surge of unity in the immediate wake.

To achieve that the World Cup came just at the right time, it was a liminal tournament for a country itself crossing the threshold into an unknown new space.

The match itself hasn’t changed, but it is a challenge to imagine the context the match took place within 25 years removed from the event.

For rugby as a sport, the Springboks triumph would have great significance and would impact the way teams prepared for their assaults on the Webb Ellis trophy.

In the 25 years that have followed the Springboks have faced the All Blacks at least once a year until this year where factors beyond their control may force the cancellations of the Rugby Championship.

That match reinforced rugby’s greatest rivalry and gave Bok fans something to cling to in the many lean years of All Black dominance.

Watch the 1995 Rugby World Cup Final