Joel Stransky

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 Johannesburg, South Africa, to a family from England and Czechia. He was raised in Reform Judaism and had a bar mitzvah ceremony. He was educated at Maritzburg College where he was coached by Dave Dell, 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 Stransky was part of the team that beat Northern Transvaal to win the Currie Cup for the first time in 1990. He then moved to Italy where he played for L'Aquila during the 1991–92 season, and for San Donà in 1992–93. Between 1993 and 1996, he won 22 caps for South Africa. He was part of the first South Africa team to play in a Rugby World Cup in 1995, the country had been banned from the previous World Cups because of the apartheid system. 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.

He moved to Leicester Tigers in 1997, where he played for two seasons, winning the 1996–97 Pilkington Cup and the 1998–99 Allied Dunbar Premiership, and then became backs coach. It was suggested that Stransky could play for England in the buildup to the 1999 Rugby World Cup, but he discovered that he was not qualified to do so. He played for the Czech Republic in a 1999 exhibition game against Penguin International RFC, scoring 17 points.

He was engaged by Bristol Rugby as a coach in 2002, but the offer was subsequently withdrawn. He took legal action and was compensated.

Test history World Cup final No. Opposition Result (SA 1st) Position Points Date Venue 1. 19–12 Fly-half 31 Jul 1993 Sydney Football Stadium (SFG), Sydney 2. 20–28 Fly-half 15 (1 try, 2 conversions, 2 penalties) 14 Aug 1993 Ballymore Stadium, Brisbane 3. 12–19 Fly-half 2 (1 conversion) 21 Aug 1993 Sydney Football Stadium (SFG), Sydney 4. 29–26 Fly-half 9 (3 conversions, 1 penalty) 6 Nov 1993 Ferro Carril Oeste Stadium, Buenos Aires 5. 42–22 Fly-half 22 (1 try, 4 conversions, 3 penalties) 8 Oct 1994 Boet Erasmus Stadium, Port Elizabeth 6. 46–26 Fly-half 16 (1 try, 4 conversions, 1 penalty) 15 Oct 1994 Ellis Park, Johannesburg 7. 60–8 Fly-half 7 (1 try, 1 conversion) 13 Apr 1995 Ellis Park, Johannesburg 8. 27–18 Fly-half 22 (1 try, 1 conversion, 4 penalties, 1 dropgoal) 25 May 1995 Newlands, Cape Town 9. 21–8 Replacement 30 May 1995 Newlands, Cape Town 10. 20–0 Fly-half 10 (2 conversions, 2 penalties) 3 Jun 1995 Boet Erasmus Stadium, Port Elizabeth 11. 19–15 Fly-half 14 (1 conversion, 4 penalties) 17 Jun 1995 Kings Park, Durban 12. 15–12 Fly-half 15 (3 penalties, 2 dropgoals) 24 Jun 1995 Ellis Park, Johannesburg 13. 40–11 Fly-half 15 (3 conversions, 3 penalties) 2 Sep 1995 Ellis Park, Johannesburg 14. 40–21 Fly-half 20 (4 conversions, 4 penalties) 12 Nov 1995 Stadio Olimpico, Rome 15. 24–14 Fly-half 9 (3 penalties) 18 Nov 1995 Twickenham, London 16. 43–18 Replacement 2 Jul 1996 Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria 17. 11–15 Fly-half 6 (2 penalties) 20 Jul 1996 AMI Stadium, Christchurch 18. 25–19 Fly-half 25 (1 try, 1 conversion, 6 penalties) 3 Aug 1996 Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein 19. 18–29 Fly-half 8 (1 conversion, 2 penalties) 10 Aug 1996 Newlands, Cape Town 20. 19–23 Fly-half 14 (1 conversion, 4 penalties) 17 Aug 1996 Kings Park, Durban 21. 26–33 Fly-half 11 (1 conversion, 3 penalties) 24 Aug 1996 Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria 22. 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 colour commentator. He joined Altech Netstar (Pty) Ltd. in 2007 as sales and marketing director. He was later employed by the Steinhoff Group in a marketing and promotional capacity. He founded Pivotal Capital in 2012.

Honours At the South African Jewish Board of Deputies' 120th anniversary gala dinner in 2024, he was honoured among 100 remarkable Jewish South Africans who have contributed to South Africa. The ceremony included speeches from Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis, and Stransky was honoured among other rugby union players, such as Fred Smollan, Cecil Moss, and Alan Menter.

Cultural depictions He is portrayed by Scott Eastwood in the 2009 movie Invictus.

International Rugby Board awards World Rugby Hall of Fame Inductee Number 176: 2026