François Pienaar was the captain of the South African rugby team, the Springboks, that won the Rugby World Cup in 1995. As captain, he inspired the team and helped promote racial equality in South Africa. Pienaar played wing for the Springboks and led them to victory in the 1995 World Cup in South Africa. Rugby is a popular contact team sport that originated in England and involves two teams of 15 players trying to score tries or conversions by carrying an oval ball over the opponent's goal line. The rules do not allow rigid protections but some padded protections are permitted.