JOHANNESBURG: Members of South Africa’s 1995 Rugby World Cup-winning team gathered on Wednesday for the 20-year anniversary of their Nelson Mandela-inspired victory.
Captain Francois Pienaar and former teammates posed for photos at Ellis Park, the stadium where they beat tournament favorite New Zealand in the final two decades ago.
The Springboks’ successful campaign, just a year after the country’s first all-race elections ended apartheid, is one of sport’s enduring stories.
Mandela, who died in 2013, appeared at the final wearing one of Pienaar’s jerseys, a gesture by the newly elected president that urged South Africans to unite behind their team after decades under a divisive regime.
Joost van der Westhuizen, the former star now suffering from motor neuron disease, was among those attending the reunion.
Joel Stransky slotted the extra-time drop-goal that delivered a 15-12 triumph over the New Zealand All Blacks on June 24 1995 before a Johannesburg crowd including then President Mandela.
Stransky was among the survivors of that team who gathered at Ellis Park on a warm sunny southern hemisphere winter afternoon to remember the first of two Springbok World Cup titles.
South African rugby boss Oregan Hoskins said it was a day to celebrate, but to also remember fallen heroes Mandela, coach Kitch Christie and flanker Ruben Kruger.
Mandela passed away in late 2013 aged 95 and Christie and Kruger succumbed to cancer many years before.
“We proudly celebrate this day as a rugby family because the team helped Nelson Mandela unite a country.
“It was a moment that astonished a nation and provided one of the foundation stones for the country we were to become.”
Stransky, now a pundit for Johannesburg-based pan-African sports channel SuperSport, is upbeat about another green-and-gold World Cup triumph this October.
“I think the Springboks will win the World Cup,” he told reporters.
“Critics say it is an old team, but it is a very experienced team.
“A few youngsters and a couple of real match-winners can turn a game.
“We can come away with the title — it is certainly possible.”
Pienaar, a flanker and skipper of the 1995 team, was reluctant to predict the outcome of the 2015 World Cup.
“I am just an old has-been,” he quipped. “I just enjoy the game.
“It is shaping up to be one of the most fiercely contested tournaments — the 2015 Six Nations was one of the best I have seen.
“England will put on a great show and it will be the biggest Rugby World Cup so far.”
Apartheid prevented South Africa playing in the first two editions of the World Cup won by New Zealand in 1987 and Australia four years later.
Despite home advantage, the Springboks were not the 1995 favorites, with poor build-up results, coaching changes and selection uncertainties.
But in Mandela, whose ANC party had swept to victory in the first multiracial South African elections during 1994, the Springboks had a master motivator.
He regularly called Pienaar, visited the team, and attended the opening match in which the Springboks defeated the Australian Wallabies and the final.
“Nelson, Nelson, Nelson,” chanted the capacity 60,000-plus crowd as he walked on to the pitch wearing a replica of the No. 6 Pienaar jersey and a Springboks cap.
South Africa successfully contained giant New Zealand winger Jonah Lomu, who scored four tries against England in the semifinals.
And the match was won six minutes from the end of extra-time when Van der Westhuizen passed to Stransky after a scrum, and the oval ball sailed between the posts.
Mandela handed the trophy to Pienaar and said: “Thank you, Francois, for what you have done.”
Pienaar replied: “No, Mr.Mandela, thank you for what you have done.”
20 years on, South Africa remembers Rugby World Cup winners
20 years on, South Africa remembers Rugby World Cup winners
Real Madrid holds off hard-charging Borussia Dortmund to earn semifinal berth
- Real Madrid will play Paris Saint-Germain in the same city on Wednesday
Gonzalo Garcia rewarded his coach’s faith in him with the opening goal to help Real Madrid to a wild-ending 3-2 win against Borussia Dortmund in East Rutherford, N.J. on Saturday afternoon to advance to the semifinals of the Club World Cup.
Real Madrid will play Paris Saint-Germain in the same city on Wednesday.
With superstar Kylian Mbappe gradually recovering from an illness, coach Xabi Alonso elected to instead start the 21-year-old Garcia and he scored his fourth goal of the Club World Cup in the 10th minute.
Fran Garcia, no relation, made it 2-0 in the 20th.
Then it got crazy. Dortmund’s Max Beier cut the lead in half in the second minute of second-half stoppage time.
Mbappe, who entered in the 67th minute, made it 3-1 in 90+4 with a spectacular side-volley but Real Madrid defender Dean Huijsen was red-carded in 90+6 for a foul in the box and Serhou Guirassy converted the penalty kick in 90+8.
Dortmund had one final try and Thibaut Courtois made a great full-extension save on Marcel Sabitzer in 90+10.
The match looked fully in hand until a clearance bounced to Beier and he first-timed a strike that brushed Huijsen on the way in to make it 2-1.
Mbappe then did his thing from the left side of the 6-yard box off the second assist of the match for Guler.
Just as Real Madrid was ready to exhale, Huijsen prevented goal-scoring opportunity and Guirassy scored for the third time in two matches.
Huijsen is suspended for the semifinal.
It was left to Courtois with his diving stop at the left corner to finally seal the win.
Shane van Gisbergen wins the pole for Cup Series race in downtown Chicago
- Van Gisbergen has won the pole for Sunday’s Grant Park 165
CHICAGO: When it comes to NASCAR’s street course in downtown Chicago, there is Shane van Gisbergen, and then there is everyone else.
Van Gisbergen has won the pole for Sunday’s Grant Park 165. The 36-year-old New Zealander turned a lap at 88.338 mph on a tricky 2.2-mile course that was made more treacherous by temperatures in the 90s Fahrenheit on Saturday.
“Practice wasn’t that great for us, but when we went out for qualifying, the car felt really good,” van Gisbergen said. “We turned in two pretty good laps.”
The Trackhouse Racing driver will be joined on the front row by Michael McDowell, who grabbed the second slot at 87.879 mph. Carson Hocevar (87.824 mph), Tyler Reddick (87.779 mph) and Chase Briscoe (87.734 mph) rounded out the top five.
McDowell is one of three drivers who finished in the top 10 in the first two races in downtown Chicago.
“Our car’s in the game,” he said. “Tomorrow will be a mixed bag with potential weather in and out. So a lot of variables to go out there and navigate.”
Van Gisbergen, a three-time champion in Australia’s Supercars, also was on the pole for Saturday’s Xfinity Series race.
“I learned a lot in the Xfinity Series car this morning, and that just gives you a great leg up for the Cup car,” he said. “I think it’s great running both cars, it certainly helps.”
Just two years ago, van Gisbergen raced to a historic victory in a rainy first edition of NASCAR’s downtown Chicago experiment. Making the most of his extensive street racing experience, he became the first driver to win his Cup Series debut since Johnny Rutherford in the second qualifying race at Daytona in 1963.
He won Chicago’s Xfinity Series stop last year and the first stage in the Cup race before he was knocked out by a crash.
Katherine Legge became the first woman to qualify for the Cup race in downtown Chicago when she turned a lap of 85.744 mph, knocking Corey Heim out of the field.
“We would have been a lot faster, I think, had I not kept nicking the wall,” Legge said. “I’ve given my crew a lot of work to do from that, but we had to keep pushing to put it in the show. I’m really proud of this team, and I’m very much looking forward to tomorrow.”
Shubman Gill, the ‘Prince’ who is now India’s new cricket king
- The 25-year-old’s second century of the match took his overall tally for the game to 430 runs
BIRMINGHAM, United Kingdom: India captain Shubman Gill continued to give fresh meaning to the phrase “leading from the front” with a stunning innings of 161 in the ongoing second Test against England at Edgbaston on Saturday.
The 25-year-old’s second century of the match took his overall tally for the game to 430 runs, a figure bettered by India great Sachin Tendulkar, Test cricket’s all-time leading run-scorer, just three times in a series, let alone a match, during his celebrated career.
Following his commanding 269 in the first innings, Gill also became the first batsman in 148 years of Test history to make score of 250 and 150 in the same match.
All that came after Gill’s 147 in his first Test as captain, India’s five-wicket loss in last week’s series opener at Headingley.
But beyond the statistics, it is the way Gill has played that has impressed seasoned observers.
In the first innings at Edgbaston, he batted in near flawless-fashion for eight-and-a-half hours, with his offside driving standing comparison with cricket’s most elegant batsmen.
But in the second innings, with quick runs required to set up a declaration, Gill made 161 off just 162 balls, including 13 fours and eight sixes.
India are now well-placed given England, with seven wickets standing, still need a mammoth 536 more runs on Sunday’s final day to achieve what would be a Test record fourth-innings victory chase of 608.
“Gill is outrageous,” England fast-bowling great Stuart Broad, well used to working out world-class batsmen during a career that yielded 604 Test wickets, told Sky Sports after Saturday’s close.
“As a bowler, I’d be looking for technical things so I could expose him, but he’s not shown any obvious signs of dismissal and he’s played stylishly. He’s played with huge responsibility, under big pressure.
“It’s breathtaking... He deserves all the applause he will get.”
Gill was drafted into India’s under-19 side as for their victorious 2018 World Cup campaign, shortly after scoring a century for Punjab in just his second first-class Ranji Trophy match.
He made his one-day international debut in 2019, but it was in his first Test series, in Australia in 2020/21, that he came to the fore, notably with a fluent 91 in India’s thrilling series-clinching win at the Gabba.
His first Test hundred came a year later, in Chattogram. A month later, aged 23, he became the youngest to make an ODI double-century, smashing 208 off 149 balls against New Zealand.
Born in Fazilka, near the border with Pakistan, before moving to Mohali aged eight to be nearer better cricket facilities, the nickname ‘Prince’ has clung to Gill to the extent of sometimes appearing on his bat-stickers.
An opener and then a number three, Gill now occupies the number four position held by childhood hero Virat Kohli, with his 269 surpassing Kohli’s unbeaten 254 against South Africa in Pune in 2019 as the highest score by an India Test captain.
As a boy, Gill wanted to know what Kohli’s scores and achievements were when he was his age.
And when Kohli first saw Gill in the nets in New Zealand in 2019/20, he said he didn’t even have 10 percent of the talent when he was Gill’s age.
Yet last year, when England went 1-0 up in Hyderabad, a second-innings duck saw Gill’s Test average fall below 30 for the first time.
But then India coach Rahul Dravid, himself an outstanding batsman, resisted the temptation to drop Gill, who then made a second-innings century in a 106-run win in Visakhapatnam and another, in Dharamshala, during a series India won 4-1.
Gill succeeded Rohit Sharma as India captain after the latter announced his retirement from Test cricket in May, with ‘King’ Kohli calling time on his Test career just a few days later.
A few months ago,when asked about potential leaders, Rohit said “the boys aren’t ready yet.”
But Gill, who started this series with a modest Test average of under 36, looks as if he might be now.
Kenya’s Beatrice Chebet shatters women’s 5,000m world record
- Chebet, 25, had already broken the 10,000m world record at Hayward Field in May of 2024
EUGENE, United States: Kenya’s double Olympic champion Beatrice Chebet crushed the women’s 5,000m world record on Saturday, powering to victory in 13min 58.06sec at the Diamond League athletics meeting in Eugene Oregon.
Chebet, Olympic gold medallist at 5,000 and 10,000m in Paris last year, delivered a devastating finish to become the first woman to break the 14-minute barrier in the event, beating the previous world record of 14:00.21 set by Ethiopia’s Gudaf Tsegay on the same Hayward Field track in September 2023.
Chebet, 25, had already broken the 10,000m world record at Hayward Field in May of 2024, when she became the first woman to run under 29 minutes (28:54.14).
Compatriot Agnes Jebet Ngetich was second in 14:01.29 — the third-fastest time ever — and Tsegay was third in 14:04.41.
Chebet was under world-record pace for much of the way. She, Tsegay and Ngetich had broken away from the rest of the field when the pace faded slightly a few laps from the finish.
But Chebet mustered a final flourish — delivering an incredible last lap to pull away mercilessly for the triumph and the world record.
“I’m so happy,” Chebet said, adding that she had been inspired by her own strong performance in Rome last month and compatriot Faith Kipyegon’s unsuccessful bid to become the first woman to break four minutes for the mile.
“After running in Rome, I said I have to prepare for a record because in Rome I was just running to win a race, but after running 14:03, I said that I’m capable of running a world record.
“When I was coming here to Eugene, I was coming to prepare to run a world record, and I said I have to try. I said ‘If Faith is trying, why not me?’
“And today, I’m so happy because I’ve achieved being the first woman to run under 14. I’m so happy for myself.”
Djokovic thumps Kecmanovic for Wimbledon ton and spot in last 16
“I’m very grateful, obviously, privileged to be in the position that I am,” Djokovic said
LONDON: Seven-times Wimbledon champion Novak Djokovic roared his way to a rare century at the grasscourt Grand Slam on Saturday when he outclassed Serbian compatriot Miomir Kecmanovic 6-3 6-0 6-4 and reached the fourth round in his quest for a record 25th major.
The sixth seed’s stellar display ensured that he became only the third player to claim 100 match wins on the All England Club lawns after nine-times champion Martina Navratilova and eight-times winner Roger Federer.
“It’s very historic. It sounds very nice. I’m very grateful, obviously, privileged to be in the position that I am,” the 38-year-old Djokovic said.
“I’ve said it many times. Tennis made me who I am, has given me incredible things in life that I can experience. I try not to take anything for granted, particularly at this age, still going strong, still trying to compete with the young players.
“Wimbledon is a favorite and a dream tournament for not just myself, but probably the majority of players. Growing up, most of the kids dream of playing here and winning here.
“I’ve been blessed to do it multiple times. Any history that I make in my favorite tournament, I’m blessed.”
Djokovic started and finished the opening set with aces and grabbed the decisive break during the see-sawing eighth game. At one point he had the Center Court crowd standing in ovation when he produced a spectacular diving winner at the net.
His 49th-ranked Davis Cup teammate cracked on serve in the opening game of the second set and allowed Djokovic to quickly reel off the games and double his advantage in what suddenly became a lopsided contest.
Kecmanovic raised his fist to applause when he stemmed the flow at the start of the third set but a double fault gifted his opponent the break in the third game and Djokovic overcame a slight wobble at the end to prevail.
“I have enjoyed myself very much except maybe the last couple of games,” added Djokovic, who will take on Australian 11th seed Alex de Minaur for a place in the quarter-finals.
“A bit of tension in the end, I was 5-1 up and 15-30 and then 5-4, 15-30. Things got a bit complicated... It’s never easy playing a friend and compatriot. Miomir is a super nice guy, someone that I have known for many years.
“We’ve faced each other on different surfaces, different courts. But more than rivals and competitors, we’re friends and teammates. I wish him all the very best.”
