Frozen in time
Rainbow Nation united as one
Scrum.com
February 3, 2010

South Africa's 15-12 victory over New Zealand in the final of the 1995 Rugby World Cup is arguably the most famous moment in the sport's illustrious history. It was not only the dramatic nature of their extra-time triumph but the significance of the occasion with President Mandela's attempts to unite a nation torn apart by apartheid reaching a fitting crescendo at Ellis Park in Johannesburg.

With the events now reaching a new audience with the film Invictus, we dip into the photographic archives and re-live their glory through one memorable image and reveal what has happened to the leading protagonists since that day.

Joost van der Westhuizen (Far left)

Regarded as one of the greatest scrum-halves the game has ever seen, Van der Westhuizen was capped a total of 89 times during a 10-year international career. His outstanding service to the Springboks included three Rugby World Cups and he retired as the most capped Springbok of all time - a record that has since passed to Percy Montgomery - and he is still his country's all-time leading try-scorer. The no-nonsense No.9 later joined South African broadcaster Supersport as a commentator and more recently was embroiled in a controversial sex and drugs tape scandal that rocked his marriage to the equally high-profile Amor Vittone.

Kobus Wiese (Fourth from left)

Lock Wiese won the Super 10 with Transvaal in 1993 before making his Springboks bow later the same year but he would have to wait two years to cement his place in the starting line-up. Currie Cup success with the Lions laid the foundation for his international return and he would be a pivotal member of the side that clinched the sport's biggest crown in 1995. He also memorably knocked out Wales lock Derwyn Jones with a punch during a clash in 1995, for which he eventually served a three-match ban, and later played for Petrarca Padova in Italy. Since hanging up his boots he has launched a successful coffee house company and worked for broadcaster M-Net.

Joel Stransky (Fifth from left)

Fly-half Stransky cemented his place in the hearts and minds of the nation by kicking the drop goal that saw South Africa claim the sport's biggest prize. He also wrote his name in the history books in the opening match of the tournament when he became the first Springbok to score a try, a conversion, a penalty and a drop goal in the same game - a 27-18 win over defending champions, Australia. He had previously tasted Currie Cup success with Natal in 1990 before embarking on a stint in Italy with first L'Aquila then San Dona. He debuted for the Springboks in 1993 having returned to Natal and would prove to be a key player in the international set-up until his final appearance in 1996. He moved to English side Leicester in 1997 and a sensational return to the international stage with England was on the cards before the qualification door was slammed shut. A bitter court wrangle with Bristol preceded his return to South Africa where he has since combined business interests with media work.

Francois Pienaar (Centre, with trophy)

The image of Pienaar accepting the Webb Ellis Cup from Mandela, wearing one of the South African captain's shirts, is the defining image of not only the tournament but what was a pivotal period in the country's troubled history. Pienaar took a leading role in South Africa's rehabilitation into the sporting landscape and as a result has been cast as one of the all-time great Springboks. After leading Transvaal to the inaugural Super 10 title and the Currie Cup in 1993 he was installed as Springboks skipper.

His relatively brief international career ended ignominiously when coach Andre Markgraaff unceremoniously dropped him in 1996 and Pienaar would never play for the Springboks again. Following the end of his international career Pienaar made a high-profile switch to Saracens and led them to their first trophy in 127 years with triumph in the 1998 Tetleys' Bitter Cup before retiring in 2000. His immediate future remained with Saracens, as he took up a position as CEO and coach until 2002, when he resigned and returned to Cape Town with his family. He later rekindled his relationship with Saracens as a non-executive director of Premier Team Holdings, a major investor in the club.

Hannes Strydom (Back, middle)

The towering Strydom made his Springboks debut against France in 1993 having carved out a reputation on the provincial stage with the Lions. He went on to earn a total of 21 international caps with his last international appearance coming in 1997 but his domestic career stretched into the next century. After hanging up his boots he returned to his medical roots to work as a pharmacist.

Hennie le Roux (Fourth from right)

Le Roux featured in all six of the Springboks' games during the tournament and his centre partnership with Japie Mulder is credited with helping to shackle the All Blacks. He played much of his early rugby at fly-half - including three of his appearances at RWC'95 - before switching to inside centre for the latter stages of his career. A Currie Cup winner with the Lions, he finally called it a day in 2000. He was later a founding member of SARPA - the South African Rugby Players' Association.

Chris Rossouw (Third from right)

Rossouw's appearance against New Zealand was only his fifth in Springboks colours. The Sharks hooker benefited from a suspension handed down to rival James Dalton for his part in a mass brawl against Canada earlier in the tournament. Following the tournament he was cast into the international rugby wilderness and did not play for the Springboks again until 1999 before going on to appear in his second Rugby World Cup later the same year. More recently he has battled cancer - a disease that claimed the Springboks' coach Kitch Christie in 1998 and team-mate Ruben Kruger in 2010.

Brendan Venter (Second from right)

The strong-running centre was capped 17 times by the Springboks between 1994 and 1999 appearing as a replacement during the famous Ellis Park triumph. His international career did not end on such a high note with a red card marring his final appearance against Scotland at the 1999 Rugby World Cup. A former player/coach at English side London Irish, where he helped secure the club's first major trophy, the Powergen Cup in 2002, he opted to pursue a career in medicine before returning to the sport with the Cape Town-based Stormers in South Africa. He later returned to England to take charge of Saracens as their director of rugby in 2009.

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