18 years ago, Mandela wore a Springbok jersey to present the Rugby World Cup

This article was first published on 24 June 2013, on the 18th anniversary of the game. It is reproduced here as the world remembers Nelson Mandela (1918-2013)

(YouTube: jaiarc)

AS A GAME of rugby, it was dramatic enough in its own right.

It was the All-Blacks. It was the Springboks. Extra time was required. There was a tournament-clinching drop goal.

Add to that the importance that anti-apartheid leader Nelson Mandela had placed on South Africa hosting the Rugby World Cup and it became one of the most poignant and iconic crossover moments in sport and politics.

A Sprinbok jersey-wearing President handing the the William Webb Ellis Trophy to winning captain Francois Pienaar created a historic and unprecedented moment in South Africa’s race struggle.

In previous years, the Spingbok had been a symbol of white, apartheid rule. There had been blacks-only pens at stadiums – but those who attended always cheered on the Springboks’ opponents. Always, no exceptions. Until Madiba said different.

A special moment then when Pienaar said of the country’s support of the team in a post-match interview: “We didn’t have 60,000 South Africans, we had 43 million South Africans.”

Today, the rainbow nation remembers a man with who turned his vision – that “the Boks belonged to all of us” – into a sustainable and lasting reality.

First published 24 June 2013

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