As Nelson Mandela presented the Rugby World Cup trophy to Springbok captain Francois Pienaar in 1995, he lifted South Africa firmly into a new era.
The symbolic moment tore down divisions, suspicions, dislike and hatred between millions of South Africans, uniting a nation in an extraordinary sporting triumph.
The Springboks defeated the formidable All Blacks 15-12 in the final, with a drop goal by Joel Stransky in extra time. Mandela told the triumphant captain: “Francois, thank you for what you have done for our country.”
“No, Mr President. Thank you for what you have done,” Pienaar replied.
For decades, the Springbok emblem had been despised by many black South Africans.
But Mandela saw the World Cup as an opportunity to bring the country’s people together. A year before the tournament he had tea with Pienaar at his office in Pretoria. “I felt like a wide-eyed kid listening to an old man telling stories,” Pienaar later said.
South Africa competed in the tournament under the slogan “One Team, One Country”, and the world watched as Mandela, dressed in a Springbok shirt and cap, placed his hand on Pienaar’s shoulder at Ellis Park in Johannesburg on June 24, before handing him the trophy.
The 2009 film Invictus told the story to millions unfamiliar with the tournament’s place in history, with Morgan Freeman as Mandela, and Matt Damon as Pienaar.
As tributes were paid to Mandela in the world of sport today, at the Adelaide Oval Ashes rivals England and Australia united to observe a minute’s silence for Mandela.
