Players Who Shook the Crumbie #36: Joel Stransky

[Iain]

Joel shook the world before he shook the Crumbie. A magnificent drop goal in extra time of the 1995 World cup Final at Ellis Park won the World Cup for a South African side finally allowed to compete on the world stage again after the shadow of the apartheid era in front of a jubilant President Nelson Mandela. Joel's part in this remarkable triumph was huge, and at the time was undoubtedly one of the biggest names in the World Stage.
Speculation began to spread around Christmas 1996 that Tigers may have been interested in signing Stransky. This of course in a time when such signings just didn't happen. But the rumours proved true, and the jaws of almost every Tigers fan hit the floor when Bob Dwyer clinched the most remarkable signing domestic rugby had ever known.
But Joel was never to be a journeyman just happy to tick along at Leicester and live off his reputation. Over the next few years his towering kick out of hand, his creative eye from ten, his crucial drop goals and his frightening accuracy from the tee were invaluable. He almost single handedly dragged the back line into the professional era with the control of a game that we hadn't seen the likes of ever.
Joel had too many crowning moments to list, but stand out moments were his kicking winning the Pilkington Cup at Twickenham against Sale in 1997, a flawless kicking display in the earlier rounds of that competition at a gale-swept Kingston Park, where he accounted for the wind by aiming at the corner flag and watching it go over, and a dramatic last minute drop goal against Saracens on a bad-tempered Boxing Day at Vicarage Road to win the game.
Following Dwyer's departure, Joel coupled his key role on the pitch with the role of backs coach. He retired from the game at the turn of the century after a bad knee injury, and had a brief stint as backs coach at Bristol before moving back to South Africa, where he can now be seen commentating on Currie Cup and Super 14 games in his homeland.
It is fair to say since he retired that Tigers have never managed to properly replace him. But it is also probably just as fair to point out that this is probably as Joel was irreplacable, and his importance to Tigers should never be understated.

[Bill W]

I had the privalege of being "with" Joel for the Henley Sevens the year before he departed.

A nicer guy and a more genuine fellow it is not possible to meet.

And I swear that at times he had the ball on a piece of elastic - you saw it leave his hands - but no - he still had it and the side step had taken him clear!!!

[TigerTimmy]

By far my favourite player ever, as my flatmate last year will testify. Mention him at every oppourtunity :D

[dailywaffle]

A class act both on and (I'm told) off the pitch. Casts a very long shadow at WR and, as Iain said, we have never really replaced him.

Was said to have absolutely hated the English weather (can't imagine why), but took to it like a duck to water.

Useless trivia .... I think I once read that he'd never dropped a goal for SA before the '95 world cup. Not a bad tournament to start !