JOHANNESBURG – On the day – Wednesday - that Chester Williams, one of South African rugby’s most enduring heroes will be honoured with a memorial service at the University of Western Cape (UWC), he will also feature in an all-day tribute on SuperSport.
The memorial, at 1pm, will be conducted in the UWC Main Hall and the funeral will take place at the Newlands Rugby Stadium, the home of Western Province Rugby Union, on Saturday (start noon).
Williams was born and bred in Paarl and, on Thursday, there will also be a tribute evening at the Boland Cricket Ground in Paarl starting at 6pm.
Williams, who died at the weekend, was one of the Boks’ most famous No 11s, a trailblazer who played an inspiring part in the World Cup triumph of 1995.
From 6am on Wednesday, SuperSport 1 will be dedicated to the majesty of the “Black Pearl” with an array of programming in his memory:
The Chester Williams documentary – an hour-long show recorded in 2018 that focuses on his career; Tries, tries, tries - A RWC special from 1995; 1995 The Dream Team – An hour-long RWC documentary; Springbok Saga 1995; One Team, one dream, one country – the 1995 team;
A full repeat of the 1995 RWC final;
The 20-year anniversary celebration of the 1995 RWC win, recorded at Ellis Park in 2015;
A repeat of SA’s 1995 quarterfinal win over Samoa where Williams famously scored four tries.
Later, SuperSport will also play a recording of the memorial at UWC.