Shock and awe as 747 swoops on Ellis Park

Brendan Gallagher delves into some of Rugby’s most enduring images, their story and why they are still so impactful

- Brendan Gallagher

What’s going on here?

It’s 2.34pm on the afternoon of June 25, 1995 and Captain Laurie Kay and a skeleton crew is flying a South African Airways 747 over Ellis Park just minutes before South Africa and New Zealand run out for the 1995 Rugby World Cup Final. Just 90 seconds before – at precisely 2.32 and 45 seconds and approaching the ground from the south – they had completed the first fly-past to the amazement and shock of the 63,000 capacity crowd.

After that first fly-by fans could track the Jumbo on the big screen as it executed a tight but graceful right turn and it became obvious that Captain Kay was coming in for a second run only this time much lower. This time the crowd noise rose to a crescendo that nearly matched the roar of the plane’s four Rolls Royce RB211 engines as Kay gunned them for dramatic effect.

The story behind the picture

South Africa was going nuts. Their team had reached the World Cup Final and the very visible support of President Nelson Mandela for the Boks – the totem pole sport of white South Africa – had sent an important message into the townships and impoverished parts of black South Africa.

The build up to the final was massive, the biggest game in South African rugby history and it was against the old enemy New Zealand who had unearthed a freak of nature and ‘superman’ player in Jonah Lomu. On paper the Boks, although at home, were underdogs.