1995 Springbok replica jersey price: What you should expect to pay
NOSTALGIA The 1995 Springbok replica jersey, commemorates South Africa's first Rugby World Cup victory and features a modern tight-fit design with Nike branding, contrasting with the original's looser fit and lack of sponsors. Picture: AFP
As the SA Rugby Union (Saru) announced new kit for the coming season, the standout was the 1995 replica Springbok jersey to commemorate the side's first Rugby World Cup victory 30 years later, to the day.
On June 24, the Springboks won their first Rugby World Cup title on home soil at Ellis Park as they beat New Zealand in the final.
It was a landmark victory that unified the new Rainbow Nation, with the iconic images seen of Francois Pienaar and SA President Nelson Mandela holding the Webb Ellis trophy aloft.
Before it was the precedent for SA politicians, Mandela saw the significance of donning the Springbok jersey, which had previously been one synonymous with Apartheid.
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The South African
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Reporters, photographers, hangers-on poured into the changeroom. Schlemmer looked on with quiet pride. He later drank beer from the Webb Ellis Cup, part celebration, part tribute to the Transvaal core who had become world champions. When the Boks left for Gallagher Estate and the official dinner, Schlemmer stayed behind to clean up. In the All Blacks changeroom next door, he heard guitars: Josh Kronfeld and Zinzan Brooke strumming Maori songs, their defeat worn lightly. Schlemmer stayed on until 2003, working with the SA U20s who won their own title under Jake White. Players like Fourie du Preez, Jean de Villiers, Clyde Rathbone and the late Swys Swart passed through his care. And then it ended. The work dried up without explanation. Today, at 61, he works as a rep for a liquor company. He still loves his rugby – from a distance now – and has found new passion in boxing and MMA. Yesterday marked 30 years since that extraordinary afternoon. There was no private celebration. 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The Citizen
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