Nelson Mandela inducted to Rugby Hall of Fame
NEWCASTLE, England: Late South African President Nelson Mandela, who brought white and black South Africans together through rugby after the end of apartheid, was posthumously inducted into the World Rugby Hall of Fame on Saturday.
Francois Pienaar, the captain of the Springboks team that won the World Cup on home soil in 1995 and who worked closely with Mandela, received the Hall of Fame cap in a special ceremony on the pitch before the start of South Africa's match against Scotland at St. James' Park, Newcastle.
In the apartheid years, rugby union was the favoured sport of the white minority and seen by many blacks as a symbol of racial segregation. Mandela, who won South Africa's first all-race election in 1994 after a lifetime of struggle, sought to heal the wounds by embracing rugby as a national sport.
He famously appeared at the World Cup final at Ellis Park, Johannesburg, on June 24, 1995, in a green Springboks jersey and cap. After the South Africa team beat New Zealand, he presented the trophy to Pienaar on the pitch in what is widely seen as a defining moment in South Africa's modern history.
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/sport/nelson-mandela-inducted-t/2168506.html
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Here's the end of the game and the presentation.
In 1995, South African rugby and cricket were still still pretty much dominated by whites. But rugby had Chester Williams (aka "The Black Pearl"
in the team. Fabulous player.
A few years later, Makhaya Ntini started to make his mark in the cricket world. Wonderful bowler. My favourite along with Malcolm Marshall (he's West Indian).
