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1999 World Cup:
The ITV Commentary Team - Experts
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FRANCOIS PIENAAR
In 1995 François Pienaar, as captain of South Africa, stepped forward to receive the World Cup from President Nelson Mandela. Four years later, he has been signed up by ITV to join an all-star panel of rugby pundits featuring some of the biggest names in the sport.
François represents not only the sporting glory of his country, but is an 'ambassador' for the new South Africa and the changed values of the post-apartheid era.
One of the enduring images of the last tournament was Mandela wearing François' green and gold No 6 shirt.
"There were a special couple of words that were spoken between us as he (Nelson Mandela) handed me the trophy," says François. "He said to me 'thank you for what you have done for South Africa' and I said 'no, thank you for what you have done for our country, my contribution is very small in comparison'.
"It was an extremely emotional win. There was pressure on me but only pressure that had been put on me by myself as South Africa were not the pre-tournament favourites. As the World Cup went on, we went from strength to strength, and as we did so, the country united behind us.
"It just goes to show the amazing powers of sport - people under-estimate the powers of sport, whether it is soccer, rugby or whatever. It was so special because previously rugby had been seen as a white sport in South Africa due to the history of apartheid but in 1995 the team was being supported by all the black people."
François adds: "For me, it is the best thing in my life that I have ever achieved. There was, of course, the birth of my first child, but in a sporting field the 1995 victory is the best."
Born the youngest of four brothers in January 1967 near Johannesburg, François went on to study law at the Rand Afrikaans University.
At home, he had considerable success for Transvaal, winning the Currie Cup in 1993 and 1994, with the team turning in strong performances in the Super 10 tournament. In 1993 Transvaal were unbeaten at home and abroad.
He won his first international cap in 1993, leading the team on his debut against France. The first game of that series ended 20-20 but France won the second 18-17. A series in Australia followed - South Africa lost 2-1 - but François' team was taking shape.
A strong and mobile flanker, he has led the side in all his tests, making a record 29 appearances as South Africa captain - eclipsing the previous record held by Dawie de Villiers.
Under his charge, South Africa secured 15 successive Test victories in 1994-95.
In 1996 he led his Transvaal team-mates on a walk-out over pay and though skipper for the Tri-Nations series he was to lose his place in the team because of injury and with it the captaincy, which passed on to Gary Teichmann.
François then accepted an offer to play in England for Saracens and when the club was restructured became player-coach.
François adds: "New Zealand are the pre-tournament favourites - they have not suffered injuries and are in great form - but Australia are coming better. There is no guarantee though that the pre-tournament favourites will win - indeed the favourites have rarely won, and that trend can also be seen in the soccer world cup.
"I always say that the Rugby World Cup is a tournament of four hard games - you will face one hard game in the group stage and then, of course, the quarter-final, semi-final and final. The World Cup is a knockout tournament and so if you can win those four games, you will win the cup.
"What we have seen previously is that the side which wins the World Cup could easily have lost an important game and been kicked out earlier on. In 1995 we could have been defeated by France in the semi-finals, while back in 1991 Australia only just managed to beat Ireland in the quarter-finals.
"You need to have a bit of luck on your side, and as Gary Player once said, 'the harder you practice, the luckier you get'."
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WILL CARLING
Will Carling led England's revival in the late-1980s to become a world force. After being appointed captain of his country by (fellow ITV World Cup pundit) Geoff Cooke in 1988, Will became England's longest-serving and most successful skipper ever.
He captained England for 59 Tests, winning 44 of them, until he gave up the job in 1996.
As Geoff Cooke says: "Will was a very, very good international player. We made him captain at the tender age of 22 - some might have seen it as a gamble - but it went pretty well. He had an inner steel and was a winner."
Will's leadership qualities ensured England dominated the Five Nations in the first-half of the 1990s. After Scotland picked up the 1990 Championship, England completed Grand Slams in the following two seasons, added a third in 1995, plus a further Championship with Triple Crown in 1996.
Will led England to the World Cup final in 1991 but Australia managed to hold on at Twickenham for a 12-6 win. The World Cup in 1995 saw England reach the semi-finals and despite two scores from Carling, a Jonah Lomu-inspired New Zealand emerged victors.
The Harlequins centre was selected for the 1993 British Lions tour but only played one Test. He retired in the 1997/98 season but made a come-back last year and has just been named as Harlequins captain for this season.
A dynamic figure on the field, and a high-profile figure off the pitch, Will has never been scared to criticise England's rugby authorities.
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PRESENTERSJim Rosenthal
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COMMENTARYJohn Taylor
Steve Smith
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REPORTERSDamien Hopley
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EXPERTSFrançois Pienaar
Will Carling
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Take a look into our crystal ball - do you agree with us?
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