On Wednesday, 24 June, 25 years to the day that the Springboks raised their maiden World Cup in 1995, SuperSport will let fans relive the event with a rerun of the final.
The match will be broadcast on SuperSport 1 at 6pm and be preceded by tributes to several central members of that Springbok squad, including the late James Small, Chester Williams and Joost van der Westhuizen.
There will also be replays of the 1995 World Cup quarter-final against Western Samoa – a match where Williams celebrated his return to the squad from injury with four tries – and the semi-final against France at a waterlogged Kings Park.
Expert insight will be offered before the finals through interviews with Francois Pienaar as well as other World Cup-winning captains such as David Kirk, Nick Farr-Jones, John Eales, Martin Johnson, John Smit and Richie McCaw.
‘It is only when you reflect on this many years later … we actually said exactly the same words to one another,’ Pienaar said last week.
‘When Mr Mandela gave me the World Cup, he said to me, “Francois, thank you for what you’ve done for the country” and I said to him, “No, Mr Mandela, thank you for what you’ve done for the country.”
‘I’ve said this publicly: I wished I hugged him. I really wished I hugged him there, but I thought that was against protocol, you can’t do that. The smile on his face, the smile when he saw the team and greeted the team was something really special.’
Wednesday’s RWC lineup (all SS1):
7am: James Small moments
7:10am: Joost van der Westhuizen tribute
8:05am: Chester Williams documentary
9:05am: 1995 quarter-final: South Africa vs Western Samoa
10:40am: 1995 semi-final: South Africa vs France
1:30pm: RWC Insights with David Kirk
1pm: RWC Insights with Nick Farr-Jones
1:30pm: RWC Insights with Francois Pienaar
2pm: RWC Insights with John Eales
2:30pm: RWC Insights with Martin Johnson
3pm: RWC Insights with John Smit
3:30pm: RWC Insights with Richie McCaw, parts 1 and 2
4:30pm: Victorious captains
6pm: 1995 Rugby World Cup final
Photo: Gallo Images/Sunday Times
