Joel Stransky

Joel Stransky
Birth nameJoel Theodore Stransky
Date of birth (1967-07-16) 16 July 1967 (age 57)
Place of birthPietermaritzburg, South Africa
Height1.79 m (5 ft 10 in)
SchoolMaritzburg College
UniversityUniversity of Natal
Rugby union career
Position(s) Fly-half
Amateur team(s)
Years Team Apps (Points)
1988–1990 University of Pretoria ()
– University of Natal ()
Senior career
Years Team Apps (Points)
1991–1992 L'Aquila ()
1992–1993 San Donà ()
1997–1999 Leicester Tigers 73 (896)
Provincial / State sides
Years Team Apps (Points)
1987–1993 Natal 78 (903)
1994–1996 Western Province 54 (518)
International career
Years Team Apps (Points)
1993–1996 South Africa 22 (240)

Joel Theodore Stransky (born 16 July 1967) is a South African former rugby union player. A fly-half, he is known for scoring all of South Africa's points, including the winning drop goal, against New Zealand in the 1995 Rugby World Cup final.

Early life

Stransky was born in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa,[1] to a family from England and Czechia. He was raised in Reform Judaism and had a Bar Mitzvah ceremony.[2][3] He was educated at Maritzburg College where he was coached by Skonk Nicholson, a well-known figure in schoolboy rugby. After his military conscription in Pretoria, he returned to Natal to study at the University of Natal.

Playing career

In 1990 he was part of the Natal team that beat Northern Transvaal to win the Currie Cup for the first time. He then moved to Italy where he played for L'Aquila during the 1991–1992 season, and for San Donà in 1992–93. Between 1993 and 1996, he won 22 caps for South Africa.

In 1995 he was part of the first South Africa team to play in a Rugby World Cup - the country had been banned from the previous World Cups because of the Apartheid regime. He played an integral part in the tournament and scored all 15 points for his team in the final against New Zealand, including a winning drop goal in the second period of extra time. This was the first Rugby World Cup final that went into extra time.

In 1997, he moved to Leicester Tigers, where he played for two seasons, winning the 1996–97 Pilkington Cup and the 1998–99 Allied Dunbar Premiership, and then became backs coach.

In the buildup to the 1999 Rugby World Cup, it was suggested that Stransky could play for England, but he discovered that he was not qualified to do so.[4] On 20 June 1999, Stransky played for the Czech Republic in an exhibition game against Penguin International RFC, scoring 17 points.[5]

In 2002, he was engaged by Bristol Rugby as a coach, but the offer was subsequently withdrawn. Stransky took legal action and was compensated.[6]

Test history

  World Cup Final

No. Opposition Result (SA 1st) Position Points Date Venue
1.  Australia 19–12 Fly-half 31 Jul 1993 Sydney Football Stadium (SFG), Sydney
2.  Australia 20–28 Fly-half 15 (1 try, 2 conversions, 2 penalties) 14 Aug 1993 Ballymore Stadium, Brisbane
3.  Australia 12–19 Fly-half 2 (1 conversion) 21 Aug 1993 Sydney Football Stadium (SFG), Sydney
4.  Argentina 29–26 Fly-half 9 (3 conversions, 1 penalty) 6 Nov 1993 Ferro Carril Oeste Stadium, Buenos Aires
5.  Argentina 42–22 Fly-half 22 (1 try, 4 conversions, 3 penalties) 8 Oct 1994 Boet Erasmus Stadium, Port Elizabeth
6.  Argentina 46–26 Fly-half 16 (1 try, 4 conversions, 1 penalty) 15 Oct 1994 Ellis Park, Johannesburg
7.  Samoa 60–8 Fly-half 7 (1 try, 1 conversion) 13 Apr 1995 Ellis Park, Johannesburg
8.  Australia 27–18 Fly-half 22 (1 try, 1 conversion, 4 penalties, 1 dropgoal) 25 May 1995 Newlands, Cape Town
9.  Romania 21–8 Replacement 30 May 1995 Newlands, Cape Town
10.  Canada 20–0 Fly-half 10 (2 conversions, 2 penalties) 3 Jun 1995 Boet Erasmus Stadium, Port Elizabeth
11.  France 19–15 Fly-half 14 (1 conversion, 4 penalties) 17 Jun 1995 Kings Park, Durban
12.  New Zealand 15–12 Fly-half 15 (3 penalties, 2 dropgoals) 24 Jun 1995 Ellis Park, Johannesburg
13.  Wales 40–11 Fly-half 15 (3 conversions, 3 penalties) 2 Sep 1995 Ellis Park, Johannesburg
14.  Italy 40–21 Fly-half 20 (4 conversions, 4 penalties) 12 Nov 1995 Stadio Olimpico, Rome
15.  England 24–14 Fly-half 9 (3 penalties) 18 Nov 1995 Twickenham, London
16.  Fiji 43–18 Replacement 2 Jul 1996 Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria
17.  New Zealand 11–15 Fly-half 6 (2 penalties) 20 Jul 1996 AMI Stadium, Christchurch
18.  Australia 25–19 Fly-half 25 (1 try, 1 conversion, 6 penalties) 3 Aug 1996 Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein
19.  New Zealand 18–29 Fly-half 8 (1 conversion, 2 penalties) 10 Aug 1996 Newlands, Cape Town
20.  New Zealand 19–23 Fly-half 14 (1 conversion, 4 penalties) 17 Aug 1996 Kings Park, Durban
21.  New Zealand 26–33 Fly-half 11 (1 conversion, 3 penalties) 24 Aug 1996 Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria
22.  New Zealand 32–22 Replacement 31 Aug 1996 Ellis Park, Johannesburg

Later career

He later returned to South Africa, and is a part-time rugby union television commentator.

In January 2007, Stransky joined Altech Netstar (Pty) Ltd. as Sales & Marketing director. In January 2008, he was appointed managing director, but subsequently resigned. He was then employed by the Steinhoff Group in a marketing and promotional capacity. He founded Pivotal Capital in 2012.

In film

In the 2009 movie Invictus, he is portrayed by Scott Eastwood.

See also

References

  1. ^ "Joel Stransky". www.jewishsports.net. Archived from the original on 11 March 2010.
  2. ^ The Telegraph, Alex Harris [email protected] - Jewish. "A JEWISH TELEGRAPH NEWSPAPER". www.jewishtelegraph.com. Archived from the original on 25 March 2012.
  3. ^ "A Boot Against Apartheid". Archived from the original on 15 March 2012.
  4. ^ "BBC News | Rugby Union | Stransky's England dream over". news.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 18 October 2018.
  5. ^ "Historie českého ragby devadesátá léta (1990 - 1999)". České ragby. SPORT ONLINE MEDIA s.r.o. Retrieved 27 October 2023.
  6. ^ "BBC SPORT | Rugby Union | English | Bristol to pay Stransky damages". 11 December 2002. Archived from the original on 4 February 2004. Retrieved 19 November 2006. BBC Report on court case