Where are they now? Joel Stransky – Rugby World Cup 1995

The Springboks unforgettably won the 1995 Rugby World Cup on home soil – now 28 years ago.

In an ongoing series, SA People takes a look at what has happened to the heroic starting Springbok XV from that memorable day at Ellis Park in Johannesburg.

Next up: Joel Stransky.

ALSO READ: Rugby World Cup 1995: Where are they now – Japie Mulder

Stransky was born on 16 July 1967 in Rondebosch, making him 55 years old at the time of publishing. He played in 22 Tests for the Springboks, and of course famously slotted the winning drop goal in the 1995 Rugby World Cup final against the All Blacks at Ellis Park.

Stransky also wrote his name in the history books in the opening match of the 1995 World Cup when he became the first Springbok to score all four possible ways in a Test as he scored a try, a conversion, four penalties and a drop goal to guide South Africa to a 27-18 win over defending champions, Australia.

He was on the winning side in 16 Tests, while losing six, for a win percentage of 73%.

Stransky made his Test debut against Australia in Sydney in Cape Town in July 1993 and played his final Test against New Zealand at Ellis Park in August 1996.

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STRANSKY POST RUGBY

Upon his return from playing and coaching at the Leicester Tigers, Stransky moved into the corporate world. After successful stints at various companies, he became a shareholder in Pivotal Capital, an investment group that owns and manages OneVault, a voice biometric company.

Furthermore, he is a co-founder and director at Pivotal Data, which provides facility, technology and data solutions to call centres.

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According to LinkedIn: “Joel is a successful entrepreneur with firm roots in marketing. With over 10 years’ experience in senior management in the corporate world, he co-founded Pivotal in 2012. Joel spearheads growth strategies for the Pivotal group of companies, a sustainable group of synergistic businesses that are game changers in their respective fields.

“After a successful rugby career, Joel’s business acumen and natural leadership ability led him into the corporate sports marketing world, where he became an Executive Director at Megapro, South Africa’s leading sports marketing company. Joel looked after the commercial affairs of the South African Rugby Union, headed up hospitality at the 2003 Cricket World Cup and consulted to the Bid Book that won the rights to the 2010 FIFA Football World Cup.

“He quickly gained a strong reputation and joined Altech Netstar as Director of Sales and Marketing, which saw the company grow significantly, promoting Joel to the role of Altech Netstar Group Managing Director. This results-driven initiative piqued the interest of the Steinhoff Group, where he took up a management position and then became responsible for the turnaround strategy for Hertz Rent-a-Car group.

“Joel’s entrepreneurial nature and drive prompted his departure from the corporate world. As a Director at Pivotal Capital/Group, he has played a major role in the successfully growing of the group which now includes seven companies that are leaders in their respective fields.”

THE FLYHALF HAS BEEN HIGHLY SUCCESSFUL SINCE HANGING UP HIS BOOTS

Stransky has lent his expertise to Redtree Capital as well, a small asset financing and rental company.

The former flyhalf is also a commentator/analyst for SuperSport and has become a passionate cyclist, completing multiple Cape Epics races.

IN CLOSING | FIVE Springbok backline stars who won’t help defend their title

This article was originally published by Craig Lewis.