# 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 Pietermaritzburg, 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 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. On 20 June 1999, Stransky played for the Czech Republic in an exhibition game against Penguin International RFC, scoring 17 points.
In 2002, he was engaged by Bristol Rugby as a coach, but the offer was subsequently withdrawn. Stransky took legal action and was compensated.

### 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.