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| Event | 1995 Rugby World Cup | ||||||
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| Date | 24 June 1995 | ||||||
| Venue | Ellis Park Stadium,Johannesburg | ||||||
| Referee | Ed Morrison (England)[1] | ||||||
| Attendance | 59,870 | ||||||
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The1995 Rugby World Cup Final was the final match of the1995 Rugby World Cup, played in South Africa. The match was played atEllis Park Stadium,Johannesburg on 24 June 1995 between the host nation,South Africa, andNew Zealand.
South Africa won the match by three points in their first Rugby World Cup Final, which was also the first to require extra time. Unusually, the points were scored by only one player from each team, withAndrew Mehrtens of New Zealand scoring all 12 of the All Blacks points, (three penalties and one drop goal) andJoel Stransky tallying all 15 points (three penalties and two drop goals) for the Springboks, including a drop goal in extra time, which sealed the victory and their first ever Rugby World Cup title.
At the end of the match,South African PresidentNelson Mandela, wearing a number 6 Springbok rugby shirt and cap, presented theWebb Ellis Cup to the South African captainFrançois Pienaar.
The final was contested by the hosts, South Africa, and New Zealand. Both teams finished at the top of their pools, both undefeated in the pool stages. South Africa defeated Western Samoa in the quarter finals, and then France in the semi-finals to reach the final; the All Blacks defeated Scotland in the quarter-finals, and England in the semi-finals, a game in whichJonah Lomu famously scored four tries.
Going into the final, New Zealand had led the tournament in points scored, outscoring their opponents 315–104, while South Africa had outscored their opponents 129–55. The high scoring All Blacks had been led by Lomu, who had the record for most tries in a world cup match summary.
Just minutes before South Africa and New Zealand ran out for the final, aBoeing 747-200 ZS-SAN, nicknamed "LEBOMBO" captained by Captain Laurie Kay approached the ground from the south. They completed the first fly by, made a right turn and approached for a second even lower fly by. The message "GOOD LUCK BOKKE" was stenciled beneath her wings and was witnessed by the full capacity of Ellis Park.[2][3]
The national anthem of New Zealand, "God Defend New Zealand", and the then-dual national anthems of South Africa's "Die Stem van Suid-Afrika" and "Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika" were sung by the Imilonji Kantu Choral Society.[4]
No tries were scored, but this did not diminish the tense atmosphere and climactic finish. The South Africans played a largely defensive game. Due to the strength offlankerRuben Kruger andNo. 8Mark Andrews plusscrum-halfJoost van der Westhuizen, the expansive attacks from New Zealand were repeatedly closed down. Andrew Mehrtens opened the scoring with a penalty after six minutes to give New Zealand a 3–0 lead. A Joel Stransky penalty put South Africa on the scoreboard after 11 minutes. Mehrtens and Stransky swapped successful penalty kicks. Following a period of pressure, Stransky landed a 32nd minute drop goal to give South Africa a 9–6 lead at half time.
The All Blacks levelled the scores at 9–9 with a Mehrtens drop goal after 55 minutes. Though All Blacks fly-halfAndrew Mehrtens almost kicked a late drop goal, the score remained unchanged at full time, forcing the game into extra time for the first time in a Rugby World Cup final.
Extra time began with South Africa needing to take the initiative, due to the ruling that if extra time finished with scores still level with no side having scored more tries than the other, then the team with the better overall disciplinary record during the tournament would win.[5] But early in the first half, the Springboks were penalized for chasing a Stransky kick from an offside position.[5] From just inside the half-way line, Mehrtens kicked truly to give New Zealand a 12–9 lead. As half-time approached, Stransky put a high kick for his teammates to chase, and from the resultant play referee Morrison penalized the All Blacks for diving to the ground near the tackle, and right on the stroke of half-time Stransky levelled the scores at 12–12. Seven minutes from time it was Stransky who scored the final point. From thirty metres out he struck the drop goal, securing South Africa's victory and the Rugby World Cup crown.
After the matchNelson Mandela, wearing a Springbok rugby shirt and cricket cap, presented theWebb Ellis Cup to South Africa captainFrançois Pienaar. The moment is one of the most famous of any sporting final.[6] In 2002, Mandela's presentation was listed at number 70 in a list of the100 Greatest Sporting Moments on a British television programme.[7]
During the end of tournament banquet, South Africa's rugby president,Louis Luyt said in his speech that "There were no true world champions in the 1987 and 1991 World Cups because South Africa were not there." This claim led the New Zealand team to walk out of the dinner.[8]
| 24 June 1995 13:30UTC+2 |
South Africa  | 15–12 |  New Zealand |
| Pen:Stransky (3/4) 10', 22', 90' Drop:Stransky (2/2) 31', 92' | Report | Pen:Mehrtens (3/3) 5', 13', 83' Drop:Mehrtens (1/2) 55' |
| Ellis Park,Johannesburg Attendance: 65,000 Referee:Ed Morrison (England) |
       South Africa |   New Zealand |
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Mandela and Pienaar's involvement in the 1995 World Cup became the subject of Clint Eastwood's Oscar-nominated 2009 filmInvictus, featuringMorgan Freeman as Mandela andMatt Damon as Pienaar, with the final as the climactic scene and filmed on location atEllis Park.Chester Williams, the only coloured player in the 1995 Springbok squad, was a technical consultant.
New Zealand coachLaurie Mains and doctor Mike Bowen have claimed that the All Blacks were intentionallyfood poisoned while staying at a South African hotel.[9][10] The South African side has rebuffed these claims and New Zealand managerColin Meads has attributed the poisoning to "dodgy milk" rather than an intentional act.[11]
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