1995 Rugby League World Cup, Matches, Final
Johns then converted the try from the touch-line and the Kangaroos were leading 2 – 6. A few minutes later England were penalised around the centre of the field and Johns attempted the kick at goal but missed. With the game now swinging from end to end, Johns conceded a penalty close to the goal posts and Goulding's kick bounced off the uprights but went in, so England were trailing 4 – 6 by the eighteenth minute.


1995 Rugby League World Cup, Matches, Final
A few minutes later England conceded a penalty in front of their goal posts and Johns kicked Australia to a 4 – 8 lead. Shortly after that England winger Martin Offiah made a break down along the left sideline and was contentiously ruled to have been taken over the sideline by a desperate Tim Brasher tackle as he threw the ball back into the field for Paul Newlove to toe ahead and dive on, though television replays suggested that Offiah had managed to release the ball before he went into touch. After a high shot from Andy Farrell on Mark Carroll, Johns kicked another penalty giving Australia a 4 – 10 lead at the thirty-minute mark. Just before the half-time break England conceded another penalty in the ruck but Johns' kick missed so the score remained unchanged at the break.


1995 Rugby League World Cup, Matches, Final
After making their way into good attacking field position, England played the ball ten metres out from Australia's goal-line where centre Paul Newlove at dummy-half ran the ball at the defence forced his way through to score in the left corner. The sideline conversion attempt by Goulding missed so England trailed 8 – 10 after five minutes of the second half. Around the ten-minute mark the game was interrupted by a topless female streaker.


1995 Rugby League World Cup, Matches, Final
The play continued swinging from one end of the field to the other, with neither team able to capitalise on their scoring opportunities for the next twenty minutes. Australian interchange player Jason Smith was blood binned and had to return to the bench. A few minutes later the Kangaroos had made their way deep into England's half when, on the last tackle, the ball was moved through the hands and eventually flicked passed back from Johns as he was being tackled to the feet of Brasher who kicked it ahead to the try-line.


1995 Rugby League World Cup, Matches, Final
Both fullbacks then scrambled to get to the ball and the referee ruled that Brasher had grounded it, awarding Australia a try. Johns converted the try so Australia lead 8 – 16 with just over ten minutes remaining. England forward Karl Harrison then had to come off the field with an injured arm. A few minutes from full-time Australian forward Mark Carroll was sent to the sin-bin for an infringement in the ruck. The remainder of the match extended into additional injury time but was played with no further points so Australia retained the World Cup with an 8 – 16 victory and their fifth consecutive world title.


1995 Rugby League World Cup, Matches, Final
21-year-old Andrew Johns was named man-of-the-match. Kangaroos coach Bob Fulton had named the young half as the team hooker, and he did indeed pack into the scrums. However Johns played at halfback in general play with Geoff Toovey having the dummy-half duties, necessary because Toovey had actually injured his neck during the tournament and simply could not pack into the front row in the scrums.


1995 Rugby League World Cup, Matches, Final
Following the match Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex presented Kangaroos captain Brad Fittler with the Cup and each of the players with medals. During the 1990 Kangaroo Tour, an 18-year-old Fittler had reportedly broken protocol when he had said "G'day dude" to Prince Edward's father, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh when the team had met the Duke as part of the tour. History allegedly repeated itself as Fittler was heard to say "Thanks dude" to Prince Edward when receiving the World Cup on the Wembley balcony.


1995 Rugby League World Cup, Team of the tournament
The following players were selected as the 1995 World Cup "Team of the Tournament"


1995 Rugby League World Cup Final
The 1995 Rugby League World Cup final was the conclusive game of the 1995 Centenary World Cup tournament and was played between England and Australia on 28 October 1995 at the Wembley Stadium in London, England. Australia won the final by 16 points to 8 in front of 66,540 fans. Australia, the defending champions, won the Rugby League World Cup for the 8th time.


1995 Rugby League World Cup Final
The pre-match entertainment for the Final was provided by British rock group Status Quo.


1995 Rugby League World Cup Final, Background
1995 was the year of the Super League war, with the new Super League causing a split in Australia. As a result, the Australian Rugby League did not select any player who had signed with Super League (though they did not stand in the way of any SL aligned country from selecting players who were playing in Australia).


1995 Rugby League World Cup Final, Background
As 100% of Australia's squad was sourced from Australian Rugby League-aligned players, several test players from the successful 1994 Kangaroo tour of Great Britain and France were not selected for the World Cup, though a number of the team had played in the 3-0 Trans-Tasman Test series win over New Zealand earlier in the year.


1995 Rugby League World Cup Final, Background
After being overlooked for representative games during the year, Super League aligned Canberra Raiders players Laurie Daley, Ricky Stuart, Steve Walters, Bradley Clyde, Brett Mullins and David Furner, took the ARL to court during 1995 in a bid to be able to play in the World Cup. The courts found in their favour and ordered the ARL to consider all players for selection regardless of who they were aligned to. However, as one unnamed ARL official was quoted as saying, the ARL were only forced to consider Super League players, not select them. Just how many, if any, Super League players were actually considered for selection remains unknown and speculation remains that behind closed doors no Super League player was actually considered for selection.


1995 Rugby League World Cup Final, Background
Without the Super League players, many thought that the Kangaroos would be a second-string side despite their series whitewash over the SL aligned New Zealand earlier in the year.


1995 Rugby League World Cup Final, Background, England
England, coached by Phil Larder and captained by Wigan's Denis Betts, had surprised in the opening game of the tournament when they defeated Australia 20–16 at Wembley. England won all three of their group matches.


1995 Rugby League World Cup Final, Background, England
England defeated Wales 25–10 in the Semi-final at Old Trafford to advance to the Final.


1995 Rugby League World Cup Final, Background, Australia
The Bob Fulton coached, Brad Fittler captained Australians began their World Cup defense with shock 20–16 loss to England at Wembley in the opening game of the World Cup. After this the Kangaroos remained undefeated including a then world record 86–6 win over rugby league minnows South Africa.


1995 Rugby League World Cup Final, Background, Australia
Australia defeated New Zealand 30–20 in the Semi-final at the McAlpine Stadium in Huddersfield. The game had gone into extra-time after the score was locked at 20-all at the end of the regulation 80 minutes.


1995 Rugby League World Cup Final, Match details, 1st half
England won the coin toss and Australia's Andrew Johns kicked off the match. In England's first set with the ball Australia were penalised for their skipper Brad Fittler's high tackle on Andrew Farrell. From the resulting good field position England were able to force a line drop-out and get another set of six in Australia's half of the field when Brett Dallas was judged to have caught the ball in the field of play before being tackled by Paul Newlove.


1995 Rugby League World Cup Final, Match details, 1st half
At the end of the second set, Radlinski put up a high kick, which Australia's fullback Tim Brasher failed to secure and Jim Dymock was penalised for regathering the ball when off-side (the referee ruled that Brasher had knocked on, though replays suggested Martin Offiah got a hand to the ball). Bobbie Goulding kicked the penalty goal from fifteen metres out, giving his side a 2–0 lead.


1995 Rugby League World Cup Final, Match details, 1st half
From Australia's resulting kick-off, Andy Farrell tried to trap the ball with his foot but it bounced off upfield and with his teammates failing to react, it was regathered by Andrew Johns only two metres out from the English try line. On the last tackle of the ensuing set, Johns at first receiver put a perfectly weighted grubber kick into the left-hand corner of England's in-goal area where winger Rod Wishart dived in and got a hand on it, giving Australia the first try of the match in the seventh minute.


1995 Rugby League World Cup Final, Match details, 1st half
Johns then converted the try from the touch-line and the Kangaroos were leading 6–2. A few minutes later England were penalised around the centre of the field and Johns attempted the kick at goal but missed. With the game now swinging from end to end, Johns conceded a penalty close to the goal posts and Goulding's kick bounced off the uprights but went in, so England were trailing 4–6 by the eighteenth minute. A few minutes later England conceded a penalty in front of their goal posts and Johns kicked Australia to an 8–4 lead.


1995 Rugby League World Cup Final, Match details, 1st half
Shortly after, Martin Offiah made a break from 15 metres inside his own half and raced 60 metres down along the left sideline with Dallas and Steve Menzies (a second row forward who almost ran down the flying winger) in pursuit and was contentiously ruled to have been taken over the sideline 5 metres out by a desperate Tim Brasher tackle as he threw the ball back into the field for Paul Newlove to toe ahead and dive on, though television replays suggested that Offiah had managed to release the ball before he went into touch. After a high shot from Andy Farrell on Mark Carroll, Johns kicked another penalty giving Australia a 10–4 lead at the thirty-minute mark. Just before the half-time break England conceded another penalty in the ruck but Johns' kick missed so the score remained unchanged at the break.


1995 Rugby League World Cup Final, Match details, 2nd half
After making their way into good attacking field position, England played the ball ten metres out from Australia's goal-line where centre Paul Newlove at dummy-half ran the ball at the defence of Terry Hill and Brett Dallas to force his way through to score in the left corner. The sideline conversion attempt by Goulding missed so England trailed 8–10 after five minutes of the second half. Around the ten-minute mark the game was interrupted by a topless female streaker.


1995 Rugby League World Cup Final, Match details, 2nd half
The play continued swinging from one end of the field to the other, with neither team able to capitalise on their scoring opportunities for the next twenty minutes. Australian interchange player Jason Smith was blood binned and had to return to the bench. A few minutes later the Kangaroos had made their way deep into England's half when, on the last tackle, the ball was moved through the hands and eventually flicked passed back from Johns as he was being tackled to the feet of Brasher who kicked it ahead to the try-line.


1995 Rugby League World Cup Final, Match details, 2nd half
Both fullbacks then scrambled to get to the ball and the referee ruled that Brasher had grounded it, awarding Australia a try. Johns converted the try so Australia lead 16–8 with just over ten minutes remaining. England forward Karl Harrison then had to come off the field with an injured arm. A few minutes from full-time Australian forward Mark Carroll was sent to the sin-bin for an infringement in the ruck. The remainder of the match extended into additional injury time but was played with no further points so Australia retained the World Cup with a 16–8 victory and their fifth consecutive world title.


1995 Rugby League World Cup Final, Match details, 2nd half
21-year-old Andrew Johns was named man-of-the-match. Kangaroos coach Bob Fulton had named the young half as the team hooker, and he did indeed pack into the scrums. However Johns played at halfback in general play with Geoff Toovey having the dummy-half duties, necessary because Toovey had actually injured his neck during the tournament and simply could not pack into the front row in the scrums.


1995 Rugby League World Cup Final, Match details, 2nd half
Following the match Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex presented Kangaroos captain Brad Fittler with the Cup and each of the players with medals. During the 1990 Kangaroo Tour, an 18-year-old Fittler had reportedly broken protocol when he had said "G'day dude" to Prince Edward's father, HRH Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh when the team had met the Duke as part of the tour. History allegedly repeated itself as Fittler was heard to say "Thanks dude" to Prince Edward when receiving the World Cup on the Wembley balcony.


1995 Rugby League World Cup Group A
1995 Rugby League World Cup Group A was one of the three groups in the 1995 Rugby League World Cup. The group consisted of Australia, England, Fiji and South Africa.


1995 Rugby League World Cup Group A, Australia vs South Africa
The Kangaroos scored a World Cup and international league record 16 tries against minnows South Africa. Australian halfback Andrew Johns kicked 11 goals (from 16 attempts) to break the record for most goals kicked in a rugby league test. Gideon Watts scored the Rhinos only try of the tournament. With the selection of Cronulla hooker Aaron Raper, he became Australia's first second generation World Cup player following the footsteps of his famous father Johnny Raper who captained Australia to World Cup success in 1968. Australian coach Bob Fulton had been a team mate of Raper's father in the 1968 Rugby League World Cup Final win over France.


1995 Rugby League World Cup Group A, England vs Fiji
England captain Shaun Edwards was on the bench and remained there for the entire game amid rumours of a knee injury. The rumours turned out to be true and Edwards did not play again in the tournament. The captaincy was then handed to former Wigan team mate Denis Betts making history by becoming the first player chosen to captain England while not playing in the English premiership. Betts at the time was playing for the Auckland Warriors in the Australian Rugby League competition.


1995 Rugby League World Cup Group A, England vs South Africa
England went into the match already having booked a Semi-final berth. For South Africa, the Rhinos had pride on the line and the want to not have England put a big score on them. The Rhinos earned the respect of their opponents and the 14,041 crowd at Headingley with a willing display.


1995 Rugby League World Cup Group B
1995 Rugby League World Cup Group B was one of the three groups in the 1995 Rugby League World Cup. The group consisted of New Zealand, Papua New Guinea and Tonga.


1995 Rugby League World Cup Group B, New Zealand vs Tonga
Tonga looked to be pulling off the shock of the 1995 World Cup when they came from 12–6 down to lead New Zealand 24–12 with 20 minutes to go in the game at Wilderspool Stadium. However, late tries to Hitro Okesene and Richie Blackmore (his second), both converted by Matthew Ridge who also landed a field goal in the dying moments, saved the Kiwis from an embarrassing loss.


1995 Rugby League World Cup Group B, Papua New Guinea vs Tonga
Tonga continued their good form to lead Papua New Guinea 20–0 at half time. However, the Kumuls came alive in the second half to pull out a 28–all draw.


1995 Rugby League World Cup Group B, New Zealand vs Papua New Guinea
New Zealand finally showed some good form with a 22–6 win over a game Papua New Guinea at Knowsley Road. The Kiwis lost first choice hooker Syd Eru before the game after he failed a drug test. The New Zealand team doctor confirmed the banned substance was part of an over the counter cough medicine Eru had taken for a cold, but the ban stood and he was out for the rest of the tournament. He was replaced at hooker by Gary Freeman playing his 45th and last test for New Zealand.


1995 Rugby League World Cup Group C
1995 Rugby League World Cup Group C was one of the three groups in the 1995 Rugby League World Cup. The group consisted of France, Wales and Western Samoa.


1995 Rugby League World Cup Group C, Wales vs Western Samoa
With a World Cup Semi-final spot on the line, the largest rugby league attendance in Swansea for 20 years saw Wales defeat the "Samoan Demolition Squad" 22–10.


1995 Rugby League World Cup knockout stage
The 1995 Rugby League World Cup knockout stage took place after the group stage of the 1995 Rugby League World Cup and culminated in the 1995 Rugby League World Cup Final.


1995 Rugby League World Cup knockout stage
The Semi-finals consisted of four teams; 1st and 2nd from Group A, 1st from Group B and 1st from Group C.


1995 Rugby League World Cup knockout stage, Semi-finals, England (A1) vs Wales (C1)
Inspirational Welsh captain Jonathan Davies announced his representative retirement following the match.


1995 Rugby League World Cup knockout stage, Semi-finals, Australia (A2) vs New Zealand (B1)
After showing very little form in their group games, New Zealand almost produced a boilover against Australia in Huddersfield. The Kangaroos were leading 20–16 with just 3 minutes remaining before a Kevin Iro try leveled the scores leaving 'superboot' Matthew Ridge with a sideline conversion to send the Kiwis into the Final at Wembley. However, Ridge shanked the kick and the scores remained 20–all at the end of regulation time. In extra time, Terry Hill and Brad Fittler scored for the Australian's to give them a 30–20 win and put them into their 7th consecutive World Cup Final. Steve Menzies crossed for 2 tries for Australia including a 70-metre run in the second half for his second try after being put into space by Andrew Johns. Menzies had enough pace to out-distance Manly-Warringah teammate Ridge and bump off Sean Hoppe 5 metres from the line to score.


1995 Rugby League World Cup squads
The 1995 Rugby League World Cup squads were made up of players from the national rugby league football teams of ten countries: Australia, England, Fiji, France, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, South Africa, Tonga, Wales and Western Samoa.


1995 Rugby League World Cup squads, Australia
Due to the Super League war, the Australian Rugby League did not select any player who had signed with Super League. As 100% of Australia's squad was sourced from Australian Rugby League-aligned players, several test players from the successful 1994 Kangaroo Tour were not selected for the World Cup, though a number of the team had played in the 3-0 Trans-Tasman Test series win over New Zealand earlier in the year.


1995 Rugby League World Cup squads, Australia
Super League aligned Canberra Raiders players, including Laurie Daley, Ricky Stuart took the ARL to court during 1995 in a bid to be able to play in the World Cup. The court found in their favour and ordered the ARL to consider all players for selection regardless of who they were aligned to. However, as one unnamed ARL official was quoted as saying, the ARL were only forced to consider Super League players, not select them. Just how many, if any, Super League players were considered for selection remains unknown and speculation remains that behind closed doors no Super League player was considered.


1995 Rugby League World Cup squads, Australia
*Gary Larson originally declined selection citing personal reasons. When Paul Harragon was injured he answered Bob Fulton's call to join the squad and ended up playing in the final at Wembley.


1995 Rugby League World Cup squads, England
Long time Wigan, Great Britain and England back rower Denis Betts, playing for the Auckland Warriors in the Australian Rugby League premiership, made history by becoming the first player selected to captain England while not playing for a British club.


1995 Rugby World Cup
The 1995 Rugby World Cup was the third Rugby World Cup. It was hosted and won by South Africa, and was the first Rugby World Cup in which every match was held in one country.


1995 Rugby World Cup
The World Cup was the first major sporting event to take place in South Africa following the end of apartheid. It was also the first World Cup in which South Africa was allowed to compete; the International Rugby Football Board (IRFB, now World Rugby) had only readmitted South Africa to international rugby in 1992, following negotiations to end apartheid. The World Cup would also be the last major event of rugby union's amateur era; two months after the tournament, the IRFB opened the sport to professionalism.


1995 Rugby World Cup
In the final, held at Ellis Park in Johannesburg on 24 June, South Africa defeated New Zealand 15–12, with Joel Stransky scoring a drop goal in extra time to win the match. Following South Africa's victory, Nelson Mandela, the President of South Africa, wearing a Springboks rugby shirt and cap, presented the Webb Ellis Cup to the South African captain François Pienaar.


1995 Rugby World Cup, Qualifying
The eight quarter-finalists from the 1991 Rugby World Cup all received automatic entry, as did South Africa, as hosts. The remaining seven of the 16 positions available in the tournament were filled by regional qualifiers. The qualifying tournaments were broken up into regional associations: Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe and Oceania. Côte d'Ivoire qualified through Africa, Japan through Asia, Argentina through the Americas, Italy, Romania and Wales through Europe, Tonga through Oceania.


1995 Rugby World Cup, Venues
The 1995 tournament was the first Rugby World Cup to be hosted by just one country, and thus, all the venues are within the one country. South Africa were given the rights to host the tournament in 1993, after a meeting between the IRB and both the government led by F. W. de Klerk and the African National Congress. In total, nine stadiums were used for the World Cup, most being owned by local municipalities, and the majority of the venues were upgraded prior to the tournament. Six of the nine stadiums were South African Test grounds. The four largest stadiums were used for the finals, with the final taking place at Johannesburg's Ellis Park.


1995 Rugby World Cup, Venues
There were games originally scheduled to have been played in Brakpan, Germiston, Pietermaritzburg and Witbank, but these games were reallocated to other venues. This reduced the number of venues from 14 to 9. The reasons cited for this change had to do with facilities for both the press and spectators, as well as the security. The change in the itinerary occurred in January 1994. Further changes occurred in April, so that evening games were played at stadiums with good floodlighting. It is also thought that Potchefstroom was an original venue.


1995 Rugby World Cup, Pools & format
The tournament was contested by 16 nations using the same format that was used in 1987 and 1991 and in total 32 matches were played. The competition began on 25 May, when the hosts South Africa defeated Australia 27–18 at Newlands in Cape Town. The tournament culminated with the final between South Africa and the All Blacks at Ellis Park in Johannesburg on 24 June. In total, the tournament ran for thirty days. The nations were broken up into four pools of four, with each pool consisting of two teams that were automatically qualified and two that went through the qualifying tournaments.


1995 Rugby World Cup, Pools & format, Points system
The points system that was used in the pool stage was unchanged from 1991:


1995 Rugby World Cup, Pools & format, Knockout stage
Pool winners were drawn against opposite pool runners-up in the quarter-finals. For example, the winner of A faces the runner up of B, and the winner of B face the runner-up of A. The whole finals stage adopts a knock-out format, and the winners of the quarter-finals advance to the semi-finals, where winner 1 faces winner 2, and winner 3 faces winner 4. The winners advance to the final, and the losers contest a third/fourth place play-off two days before the final.


1995 Rugby World Cup, Pools & format, Knockout stage
A total of 32 matches (24 pool stage & 8 knock-out) were played throughout the tournament over 30 days from 25 May to 24 June 1995.


1995 Rugby World Cup, Pool stage, Pool D
Three minutes into the match between Ivory Coast and Tonga, the Ivorian winger Max Brito was crushed beneath several other players, leaving him paralysed below the neck.


1995 Rugby World Cup, Final
The final was contested by New Zealand and hosts South Africa. Both nations finished undefeated at the top of their pools. South Africa defeated Western Samoa in the quarter-finals, and then France in the semi-finals to reach the final; New Zealand defeated Scotland in the quarter-finals, and England in the semi-finals, a game in which Jonah Lomu famously scored four tries for the All Blacks. The final was played at Ellis Park in Johannesburg and refereed by Ed Morrison of England.


1995 Rugby World Cup, Final
To this point, New Zealand had led the tournament in production, outscoring their opponents 315–104, while South Africa had outscored their opponents 129–55. The tight Springbok defence would keep the high scoring All Blacks in check – particularly Jonah Lomu and Marc Ellis, who had already scored a then World Cup record seven tries each in the tournament – with neither team scoring a try in the match.


1995 Rugby World Cup, Final
South Africa led 9–6 at half time, and New Zealand levelled the scores at 9–9 with a drop goal in the second half. Though Andrew Mehrtens almost kicked a late drop goal for the All Blacks, the score remained tied at full-time, forcing the game into extra time. Both teams scored penalty goals in the first half of extra time, but Joel Stransky then scored a drop goal to win the final for South Africa.


1995 Rugby World Cup, Final
What happened after the match has become an iconic moment in the history of the sport. Nelson Mandela, wearing a Springbok rugby jersey and baseball cap, presented the Webb Ellis Cup to South African captain François Pienaar to the delight of the capacity crowd. The moment is thought by some to be one of the most famous finals of any sport.


1995 Rugby World Cup, Statistics
The tournament's top point scorer was France's Thierry Lacroix, who scored 112 points. Marc Ellis and Jonah Lomu scored the most tries, seven in total.


1995 Rugby World Cup, Broadcasters
The event was broadcast in Australia by Network Ten and in the United Kingdom by ITV.


1995 Rugby World Cup, Commemorative coins
The South African Mint issued a one-ounce gold proof "Protea" coin with a total mintage of 406 pieces to commemorate the event being hosted by South Africa.


1995 Rugby World Cup, Popular culture
Mandela and Pienaar's involvement in the World Cup is the subject of the John Carlin book Playing the Enemy: Nelson Mandela and the Game That Made a Nation, its 2009 film adaptation Invictus, and the ESPN TV documentary The 16th Man in 2010.


1995 Rugby World Cup Final
The 1995 Rugby World Cup Final was the final match of the 1995 Rugby World Cup, played in South Africa. The match was played at Ellis Park Stadium, Johannesburg on 24 June 1995 between the host nation, South Africa, and New Zealand.


1995 Rugby World Cup Final
South Africa won the encounter by three points in their first Rugby World Cup Final, which was also the first to require extra time. Unusually, the points were scored by only one player from each team, with Andrew Mehrtens of New Zealand scoring all 12 of the All Blacks' points (three penalties and one drop goal) and Joel Stransky tallying all 15 points (three penalties and two drop goals) for the Springboks, including a drop goal in extra time, which sealed the victory and their first Rugby World Cup title.


1995 Rugby World Cup Final
At the end of the match, South African President Nelson Mandela, wearing a number 6 Springbok rugby shirt and cap, presented the Webb Ellis Cup to South African captain François Pienaar.


1995 Rugby World Cup Final, Path to the final
The final was contested by the hosts, South Africa, and New Zealand. Both teams finished at the top of their pools, both undefeated in the pool stages. South Africa defeated Western Samoa in the quarter finals, and then France in the semi-finals to reach the final; the All Blacks defeated Scotland in the quarter-finals, and England in the semi-finals, a game in which Jonah Lomu famously scored four tries.


1995 Rugby World Cup Final, Path to the final
Going into the final, New Zealand had led the tournament in points scored, outscoring their opponents 315–104, while South Africa had outscored their opponents 129–55. The high scoring All Blacks had been led by a then World Cup record 7 tries each by Lomu and Marc Ellis.


1995 Rugby World Cup Final, Match summary, First half
No tries were scored but this did not diminish the tense atmosphere and climactic finish. The South Africans played a largely defensive game. Due to the strength of flanker Ruben Kruger and No. 8 Mark Andrews plus scrum-half Joost van der Westhuizen, the expansive attacks from New Zealand were repeatedly closed down. Andrew Mehrtens opened the scoring with a penalty after six minutes to give New Zealand a 3–0 lead. A Joel Stransky penalty put South Africa on the scoreboard after 11 minutes. Mehrtens and Stransky swapped successful penalty kicks. Following a period of pressure, Stransky landed a 32nd minute drop goal to give South Africa a 9–6 lead at half time.


1995 Rugby World Cup Final, Match summary, Second half
The All Blacks levelled the scores at 9–9 with a Mehrtens drop goal after 55 minutes. Though All Blacks fly-half Andrew Mehrtens almost kicked a late drop goal, the score remained unchanged at full time, forcing the game into extra time for the first time in a Rugby World Cup final.


1995 Rugby World Cup Final, Match summary, Extra time
Extra time began with South Africa needing to take the initiative, due to the ruling that if extra time finished with scores still level with no side having scored more tries than the other, then the team with the better overall disciplinary record during the tournament would win. But early in the first half, the Springboks were penalized for chasing a Stransky kick from an offside position. From just inside the half-way line, Mehrtens kicked truly to give New Zealand a 12–9 lead.


1995 Rugby World Cup Final, Match summary, Extra time
As half-time approached, Stransky put a high kick for his teammates to chase, and from the resultant play referee Morrison penalized the All Blacks for diving to the ground near the tackle, and right on the stroke of half-time Stransky levelled the scores at 12–12. Seven minutes from time it was Stransky who scored the final point. From thirty metres out he struck the drop goal, securing South Africa's victory and the Rugby World Championship crown.


1995 Rugby World Cup Final, Inspiration
What happened after the match would become an iconic moment in the history of sport. Nelson Mandela, wearing a Springbok rugby shirt and cricket cap, presented the William Webb Ellis Cup to South African captain François Pienaar to the delight of the capacity crowd. The moment is thought by some to be one of the most famous finals of any sporting event in recent years. Mandela's presentation was listed at number 70 in a list of the 100 Greatest Sporting Moments on a British television programme.


1995 Rugby World Cup Final, Inspiration
However, the after match mood soured considerably during the end of tournament banquet when South Africa's rugby president, Louis Luyt said in his speech that "There were no true world champions in the 1987 and 1991 World Cups because South Africa were not there." This claim that South Africa were the first "true world champions" led the New Zealand team to walk out of the dinner.


1995 Rugby World Cup Final, Depictions in media
Mandela and Pienaar's involvement in the 1995 World Cup became the subject of Clint Eastwood's Oscar-nominated 2009 film Invictus, featuring Morgan Freeman as Mandela and Matt Damon as Pienaar (and including Chester Williams, a member of the 1995 champions and the only black player on the 1995 Springbok squad, as a technical consultant), with the final as the climactic scene and filmed on location at Ellis Park.


1995 Rugby World Cup qualifying
The 1995 Rugby World Cup was preceded by a qualifying campaign in which forty-five nations were entered. 16 teams participated in the finals tournament in South Africa, seven of which came through qualifying matches. Eight were granted automatic entry as they were quarter-finalists at the 1991 Rugby World Cup, and South Africa qualified automatically as hosts.


1995 Rugby World Cup squads
This article lists the official squads for the 1995 Rugby World Cup in South Africa from 25 May to 24 June 1995. Players marked (c) were named as captain for their national squad. All details, such as number of international caps and player age, are current as of the opening day of the tournament on 25 May 1995.


1995 Rugby World Cup squads, Pool A, Australia
Note: Flags indicate national union for the club/province as defined by World Rugby.


1995 Rugby World Cup squads, Pool A, Canada
Note: Flags indicate national union for the club/province as defined by World Rugby.


1995 Rugby World Cup squads, Pool A, Romania
Note: Flags indicate national union for the club/province as defined by World Rugby.


1995 Rugby World Cup squads, Pool A, South Africa
Note: Flags indicate national union for the club/province as defined by World Rugby.


1995 Rugby World Cup squads, Pool B, Argentina
Note: Flags indicate national union for the club/province as defined by World Rugby.


1995 Rugby World Cup squads, Pool B, England
Note: Flags indicate national union for the club/province as defined by World Rugby.


1995 Rugby World Cup squads, Pool B, Italy
Note: Flags indicate national union for the club/province as defined by World Rugby.


1995 Rugby World Cup squads, Pool B, Western Samoa
Note: Flags indicate national union for the club/province as defined by World Rugby.


1995 Rugby World Cup squads, Pool C, Ireland
Note: Flags indicate national union for the club/province as defined by World Rugby.


1995 Rugby World Cup squads, Pool C, Japan
Note: Flags indicate national union for the club/province as defined by World Rugby.


1995 Rugby World Cup squads, Pool C, New Zealand
Note: Flags indicate national union for the club/province as defined by World Rugby.


1995 Rugby World Cup squads, Pool C, Wales
Note: Flags indicate national union for the club/province as defined by World Rugby.


1995 Rugby World Cup squads, Pool D, France
Note: Flags indicate national union for the club/province as defined by World Rugby.


1995 Rugby World Cup squads, Pool D, Ivory Coast
Note: Flags indicate national union for the club/province as defined by World Rugby.


1995 Rugby World Cup squads, Pool D, Scotland
Note: Flags indicate national union for the club/province as defined by World Rugby.


1995 Rugby World Cup squads, Pool D, Tonga
Note: Flags indicate national union for the club/province as defined by World Rugby.


1995 Rugby World Cup statistics
This article documents statistics from the 1995 Rugby World Cup, hosted in South Africa from 25 May to 24 June.


1995 Rugby World Cup statistics, Team statistics
The following table shows the team's results in major statistical categories.


1995 Rugby World Cup statistics, Hat-tricks
Unless otherwise noted, players in this list scored a hat-trick of tries.


1995 Rugby World Cup – Africa qualification
For the 1995 Rugby World Cup in South Africa, the Confederation of African Rugby was allocated one direct qualifying place (Africa 1) in addition to the automatic qualifying place granted to South Africa as host of tournament.


1995 Rugby World Cup – Africa qualification
Seven teams participated in the qualification tournament. The teams were split into two pools for the first stage held in 1993, with the matches in Pool A taking place in Nairobi and the matches in Pool B being played in Tunis. the two top teams in each pool progressed to the second stage which was another round robin held at Casablanca in 1994. Ivory Coast was the first placed team after the second stage and secured qualification for the 1995 tournament.


1995 Rugby World Cup – Americas qualification
For the 1995 Rugby World Cup in South Africa, the Americas were allocated one direct qualifying place (Americas 1) in addition to the automatic qualification of Canada which was granted a place due to reaching the quarter-final stages of the 1991 tournament.


1995 Rugby World Cup – Americas qualification
The regional bodies, CONSUR representing South America and NAWIRA representing North America, conducted their own qualification matches in the first round determine their respective top teams. A home and away play-off between those two teams then decided the World Cup qualification place. Argentina won both matches over the United States to secure qualification for the 1995 tournament.


1995 Rugby World Cup – European qualification
For the 1995 Rugby World Cup qualifiers, the European Federation was allocated three places in the final tournament. This was in addition to the four places granted to England, France, Ireland and Scotland based on their results from 1991.


1995 Rugby World Cup – European qualification
Twenty two teams played in the European qualifiers that were held over three stages in 1993 and 1994. Wales, Italy and Romania were the top three sides and secured their places as Europe 1, Europe 2 and Europe 3, respectively, for RWC 95.


1995 Rugby World Cup – European qualification, Preliminary round, Central Group
Yugoslavia was banned from qualification process due to the political situation in the country at the time.


1995 Rugby World Cup – European qualification, Round 3
Wales, Italy and Romania qualify for RWC 1995 as Europe 1, Europe 2 and Europe 3, respectively.


1995 Rugby World Cup – Oceania qualification
For the 1995 Rugby World Cup in South Africa, the Oceania teams from Australia, New Zealand and Western Samoa were granted automatic entry due to reaching the quarter-final stages of the 1991 tournament.


1995 Rugby World Cup – Oceania qualification
Oceania was granted one further qualifying place, which was decided by a simple home and away play-off between Fiji and Tonga in 1993. Each team lost their home match, but Tonga won the play-off on aggregate score.


1995 Rugby World Cup – Oceania qualification, Match results
Tonga qualified as Oceania 1 for the 1995 Rugby World Cup, winning 34–26 on aggregate.


1995 Russell Hill subway accident
The 1995 Russell Hill subway accident was a deadly train crash that occurred in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, on Line 1 Yonge–University of the Toronto subway on August 11, 1995. Three people were killed and 30 were taken to hospital with injuries when one train rear-ended another train. The subway line was shut down for five days following the incident. Investigations found that human error and a design flaw in the mechanical safety devices caused this accident. It remains the deadliest accident in a rapid transit system in Canadian history.


1995 Russell Hill subway accident, Overview
At 6:02 p.m. on Friday, August 11, 1995, a subway train running southbound on Line 1 Yonge–University ran into the rear of a stationary train halfway between St. Clair West and Dupont stations. There were between 200 and 300 passengers on the two trains, of whom three (Christina Munar Reyes, 33; Kinga Szabo, 43; and Xian Hui Lin, 23) were killed and 30 taken to hospital with injuries; about 100 more later filed injury claims against the TTC. Many of the seriously injured were extracted from the twisted remains of the most damaged subway cars by rescue workers who worked through the evening under extremely hot and humid conditions. Of the four crew members, three were taken to hospital with injuries.


1995 Russell Hill subway accident, Direct causes
The accident had two direct causes: first the inexperienced driver, Robert Jeffrey, who mistook the signals; and the train stop which failed to protect the train due to a design error.


1995 Russell Hill subway accident, Direct causes, Signals
At the time of the accident, the TTC subway used conventional wayside signals without cab signalling. Thus drivers were expected to remember each signal aspect and act accordingly until they receive new information from the following signal. As of 2019, the TTC has converted some sections of the line, including the Russell Hill portion, to more modern automatic train control. The following description is limited to aspects relevant to the accident.


1995 Russell Hill subway accident, Direct causes, Signals
Some signals are "automatic" and have a single head that shows one of the three basic colours. Red means stop and stay (until presented with a less restrictive signal aspect), yellow means that the next signal is red and the driver should prepare to stop, and green means that the next signal is not red and it is safe to proceed at normal speed.


1995 Russell Hill subway accident, Direct causes, Signals
"Interlocking" or "home" signals have a double head and show two coloured lights. The top light has the same meaning as that of an automatic signal. The second light is red if the top light is red; otherwise it shows yellow if the switches are set for a secondary route, and green for the main route or if no relevant switches exist. Thus the combination yellow over green means the same as a single yellow.


1995 Russell Hill subway accident, Direct causes, Signals
At locations such as downgrades, curves, and switches, the same signals additionally serve to enforce speed limits. A system called "grade timing" regulates speeds, and is indicated by an additional "lunar white" light below the one or two coloured lights previously mentioned. The white light means that the next signal is red (or double red) only because of grade timing, and if the train approaches at the proper speed, the signal will clear to a less restrictive aspect before the train gets there. If the train goes too fast, it will pass the red signal and be stopped by the train stop.


1995 Russell Hill subway accident, Direct causes, Signals
In 1995 the second signal did not provide any confirmation that it was about to change and the operator was expected to remember the previous signal aspect correctly. With the tolerant attitudes of management, it had become common practice for operators to travel at the fastest speed that the system allowed, passing the signals at the same instant they were clearing.


1995 Russell Hill subway accident, Direct causes, Signals
A long downgrade would therefore have several consecutive grade-timing sections. If all the signals were automatic and no trains were present, the first signal would be yellow over white, followed by a series of red over whites, and finally a red. When the train approaches each red over white signal, it would clear to yellow over white and the train stop would be lowered; and the final red signal would clear to green. Interlocking signals can also take part in grade timing, with aspects such as yellow over green over white (meaning the same as yellow over white).


1995 Russell Hill subway accident, Direct causes, Signals
From St. Clair West to Dupont the subway runs continuously downhill and grade timing is used. The signal at the end of St. Clair West station, SP77/X38, is an interlocking signal and therefore shows yellow over green over white whenever there is nothing to delay a train. As Jeffrey's train passed the signal, however, it was showing yellow over green. He should have stopped at the following signal, SP71, which was red because another train was occupying the block ahead.


1995 Russell Hill subway accident, Direct causes, Signals
After the accident Jeffrey said he remembered SP77/X38 as yellow over white (actually an impossible aspect for that signal) therefore he must have either "misremembered" it at the time, or else have been fooled by some reflection off the signal head into thinking he had seen the usual yellow over green over white. In any case, he believed that grade timing was in use and so approached signal SP71 at the same speed as he would normally drive on this section.


1995 Russell Hill subway accident, Direct causes, Signals
After this Jeffrey did not remember what he had seen, but it is easy to reconstruct the events. When the train passed SP71 without him seeing it change, he must have assumed that he had passed it just as it cleared. He continued coasting downhill, still thinking that he was under grade timing and violated the signal, without realizing that if this was true, the signal would have shown red over white as he approached.


1995 Russell Hill subway accident, Direct causes, Signals
He must therefore have expected the third signal, (the SP65) to clear in the same way. Again it was showing red, not red over white, but Jeffrey repeated his mistake and violated the signal. He braked only when he actually saw the train just ahead (it was stopped at the next signal, SP53); by then, a collision was unavoidable.


1995 Russell Hill subway accident, Direct causes, Signals
News media accounts of the accident often say that Jeffrey "passed three red lights." This count includes the repeater signal provided in advance of SP65 because a curve in the tunnel interferes with sighting. Drivers are not expected to stop at the repeater even if it is red.


1995 Russell Hill subway accident, Direct causes, Train stop
The "trip" or "train stop" consists of a T-shaped arm placed just outside the right-hand rail near each signal (except a repeater). If the signal is red (or double red), with or without a lunar white, the trip arm rises enough for its crossbar to strike a "trip valve" or "tripcock" lever on the bottom of a train's first car as it passes; and by doing so triggers the emergency brakes of the train.


1995 Russell Hill subway accident, Direct causes, Train stop
On the relevant class of trains, the trip valve is located near the centre of the right side of the leading bogie, where its position in relation to the rail is well controlled.


1995 Russell Hill subway accident, Direct causes, Train stop
Wismer and Becker, Inc., the contractors who installed the signal system on the Spadina line portion of the subway, chose to use an Ericsson train stop that was designed to have the trip arm located in the middle of the track. A subcontractor, Gayle Manufacturing, designed a mechanical extension that would allow the device to drive a trip arm in its actual position outside of the rail.


1995 Russell Hill subway accident, Direct causes, Train stop
What was not realized was that the mechanism they designed (when the trip arm was raised) did not have the clearance specified for the train and therefore would not have the desired effect of activating the train's emergency braking system.


1995 Russell Hill subway accident, Direct causes, Train stop
When both the trip arm and trip valve were new, this did not matter; the train did not fill its entire clearance envelope, and the trip arm would contact the trip valve normally. However, with normal wear of the wheels and rails, and with the train rounding a curve at speed (and therefore riding off-centre) it was another matter. The first wheel on the right-hand side of the train hit a bolt in the mechanism attached to the trip arm and knocked the arm down. It would then rise again, but too late: with the train moving quickly, the trip valve, just a few feet behind the wheel, would already have gone past, thus making the train stop useless for ensuring signal compliance.


1995 Russell Hill subway accident, Inquest
The 18 recommendations were taken by the TTC and turned into a 236-point "Due Diligence Checklist" of items to be addressed. Each year the Toronto Transit Commission receives a report on the outstanding items. By 2009, only 2 of the recommendations had yet to be completed. By 2015, all 236 recommendations had been implemented.


1995 Russell Hill subway accident, Aftermath
The TTC acted quickly following the accident to repair the defective modified Ericsson train stops. They also began requiring drivers to traverse grade-timing sections at a speed that would allow them to actually see the red signal change before they left the section.


1995 Russell Hill subway accident, Aftermath
In 1997 and 1998, the behaviour of the signals themselves was changed. Now, when a signal is red (or double red) only because of grade timing, the (top) red light begins flashing once a train has passed the preceding signal that displayed the lunar white light. The trip arm remains up during this phase, but the flashing red confirms to the driver that there was a lunar white on entry to the section and that the signal can be expected to clear at any moment. Jeffrey's mistaken interpretation of the red signal SP71 would no longer be possible.


1995 Russian Figure Skating Championships
The 1995 Russian Figure Skating Championships (Russian: Чемпионат России по фигурному катанию на коньках 1995) took place in Moscow. Skaters competed in the disciplines of men's singles, ladies' singles, pair skating, and ice dancing. The results were one of the criteria used to pick the Russian teams to the 1995 World Championships and the 1995 European Championships.


1995 Russian First League
The Russian First League 1995 was the 4th edition of Russian First Division. It was the first season when 3 points were awarded for a win.


1995 Russian Indoor Athletics Championships
The 1995 Russian Indoor Athletics Championships (Russian: Чемпионат России по лёгкой атлетике в помещении 1995) was the 4th edition of the national championship in indoor track and field for Russia. It was held on 24–26 February at the WGAFC Indoor Stadium in Volgograd. A total of 26 events (13 for men and 13 for women) were contested over the two-day competition. The racewalking events for men and women were dropped from the programme and ceased to be a regular part of the championships thereafter.


1995 Russian Indoor Athletics Championships, Championships
In the winter of 1995, Russian championships were also held in the following disciplines:


1995 Russian Indoor Athletics Championships, Russian Combined Events Championships
The Russian Combined Events Indoor Championships were contested on 3–4 February 1995 in Chelyabinsk in the Ural State University of Physical Culture Stadium. Svetlana Moskalets achieved the second best score in women's indoor pentathlon ever at that time.


1995 Russian Indoor Athletics Championships, Russian 24-Hour Run Indoor Championships
The Russian 24-Hour Run Indoor Championships was held on 4–5 February in Podolsk on the 133-meter circle of the arena of the local youth sports school. Competitions were held as part of the Podolsky Day super marathon and were held in memory of Nikolay Safin, who established a world best two years earlier (275,576 m),


1995 Russian Indoor Athletics Championships, International team selection
Following the results of the championships, taking into account the qualifying standards, the Russian team for the 1995 IAAF World Indoor Championships included:


1995 Russian Indoor Athletics Championships, International team selection, Women
† Had exemption for selection and allowed not to compete at the national championships


1995 Russian Second League
The 1995 Russian Second League was the fourth edition of the Russian Second Division. It was the first season when 3 points were awarded for a win. There were 3 zones with 62 teams starting the competition (1 was excluded before the end of the season).


1995 Russian Third League
The Russian Third League 1995 was the 2nd time competition on the fourth level of Russian football was professional. It was the first season when 3 points were awarded for a win. There were 6 zones with 98 teams starting the competition (5 were excluded before the end of the season).


1995 Russian Top League, Medal squads
Goalkeepers: Zaur Khapov (29), Dmitriy Kramarenko (21) , Soso Grishikashvili  (3). Defenders: Omari Tetradze (30), Artur Pagayev (28 / 2), Sergey Timofeev  (24 / 2), Murtaz Shelia  (22 / 4), Inal Dzhioyev (22 / 2), Oleg Kornienko  (19), Aslan Datdeyev (18 / 1), Igor Gorelov (9), Alan Agayev (7 / 1), Ali Alchagirov (7), Sergei Gorlukovich (5). Midfielders: Igor Yanovskiy (29 / 2), Bakhva Tedeyev (28 / 10), Sergei Derkach (26 / 5), Mirjalol Qosimov  (22 / 10), Georgi Botsiyev (9), Shamil Isayev (1), Zaza Revishvili  (1). Forwards: Anatoli Kanishchev (26 / 7), Mikhail Kavelashvili  (24 / 12), Nazim Suleymanov  (13 / 4), Tamerlan Sikoyev (3), Aslan Goplachev (2). (league appearances and goals listed in brackets)


1995 Russian Top League, Medal squads
One own goal scored by Stanislav Bondarev (FC Zhemchuzhina Sochi).


1995 Russian Top League, Medal squads
Transferred out during the season: Igor Gorelov (to FC Dynamo-Gazovik Tyumen), Aslan Goplachev, Shamil Isayev (both to PFC Spartak Nalchik).


1995 Russian Top League, Medal squads
Goalkeepers: Sergei Ovchinnikov (27), Khasanbi Bidzhiyev (3). Defenders: Igor Chugainov (30 / 1), Andrei Solomatin (27 / 4), Sargis Hovhannisyan  (23 / 2), Aleksei Arifullin (21), Oleg Pashinin  (14), Sergei Gurenko  (13), Vyacheslav Tsaryov (4). Midfielders: Yuri Alekseevich Drozdov (30), Alexei Kosolapov (29 / 9), Yevgeni Kharlachyov (26 / 11), Oleg Elyshev (26 / 2), Aleksandr Smirnov (16 / 2), Ansar Ayupov (14 / 1), Vladimir Maminov  (11 / 1), Yevgeni Kuznetsov (10 / 1), Yuri Baturenko  (3), Sergei Zhukov (1). Forwards: Oleg Garin (28 / 13), Aleksandr Katasonov (13 / 1), Vitaliy Parakhnevych  (10), Aleksei Snigiryov (9 / 3), Aleksandr Tatarkin (6), Serhiy Perepadenko  (4).


1995 Russian Top League, Medal squads
One own goal scored by Andrey Shkurin  (FC Chernomorets Novorossiysk).


1995 Russian Top League, Medal squads
Transferred out during the season: Ansar Ayupov (to  FC Twente), Vitaliy Parakhnevych  (to  Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors).


1995 Russian Top League, Medal squads
Goalkeepers: Ruslan Nigmatullin (15), Dmytro Tyapushkin  (8), Stanislav Cherchesov (8). Defenders: Ramiz Mamedov (30 / 3), Viktor Onopko (29 / 6), Dmitri Khlestov (26 / 1), Yuriy Nikiforov (22 / 9), Andrei Afanasyev (19 / 1), Andrei Ivanov (9), Sergei Chudin (5), Dmitri Ananko (3). Midfielders: Dmitri Alenichev (27 / 4), Ilya Tsymbalar (21 / 8), Valery Kechinov (21 / 4), Andrey Tikhonov (20 / 7), Nikolai Pisarev (14 / 2), Yegor Titov (12 / 1), Vasili Kulkov (12), Andrei Konovalov (11 / 2), Andrei Piatnitski (10). Forwards: Valeri Shmarov (20 / 16), Mukhsin Mukhamadiev (15 / 7), Serhiy Nahornyak  (10), Sergey Rodionov (9 / 3), Sergei Yuran (8 / 2), Valery Vyalichka  (2), Valeri Masalitin (1), Aleksandr Shirko (1).


1995 Russian Top League, Medal squads
Transferred out during the season: Nikolai Pisarev (to  Mérida), Serhiy Nahornyak  (to  FC Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk).


1995 Russian gubernatorial elections
Gubernatorial elections in 1995 took place in fifteen regions of the Russian Federation.


1995 Russian gubernatorial elections, Background
On 3 October 1994, the President of Russia Boris Yeltsin signed the Decree No. 1969 stating that elections for heads of administrations should be held only with the president's permission, until another procedure is established by federal law.


1995 Russian gubernatorial elections, Background
The head of administration is included in the unified system of executive power in the Russian Federation, formed by the federal executive bodies and executive bodies of the regions ... is subordinate to the President and the Government of Russia ... Appointment and dismissal of heads of administrations of krais, oblasts, federal cities, autonomous entities is made by decrees of the President on the proposal of the Chairman of the Government


1995 Russian gubernatorial elections, Background
In August 1995, elections for the head of the administration of Sverdlovsk Oblast, unauthorized by the president, were held, and on December 17, in accordance with a presidential decree, elections were scheduled in 11 regions. In the same year, the president of Kalmykia was re-elected and the head of the Chechen Republic was elected.


1995 Russian gubernatorial elections, Kalmykia
In October 1995 Kirsan Ilyumzhinov was re-elected as President of Kalmykia in early elections, running unopposed. This term (seven years) was the longest among the Russian governors. According to Ilyumzhinov himself, his competitors failed to collect signatures for registration, and Ilyumzhinov's administration decided not to find any nominal candidate, because he did not want to "fool the people".


1995 Russian gubernatorial elections, Chechnya
The 1995 elections for the head of Chechen Republic were held on December 17, simultaneously with the elections to the State Duma. Contrary to the laws of Russia, but according to the decision of the Supreme Council of the former Checheno-Ingushetia (which was restored as a temporary authority of Chechnya), every resident of Chechnya could vote wherever it suits them. The separatists staged a number of provocations. A few hours before the elections, a hospital in Gudermes was stormed by them. One of the schools in Grozny, where the polling station was located, was thrown by militants with grenades.


1995 Russian gubernatorial elections, Chechnya
On December 6, the congress of the "Union of the People for the Revival of the Republic" was failed to held because of the government restrictions: delegates from the southern parts of Chechnya were stopped at checkpoints. The union was headed by the former chairman of the Supreme Soviet of Russia Ruslan Khasbulatov, considered Zavgayev's only real rival. For these reasons, on December 9, Khasbulatov withdrew from the elections.


1995 Russian gubernatorial elections, Chechnya
According to official sources, 50.43% of Chechnya's residents took part in the voting. In addition, Russian military contingent stationed in Chechnya (about 40 thousand people) took part in the elections. The elections were monitored by 60 OSCE representatives, as well as 150 Russian and international observers, and no serious violations were identified. Other sources stating that OSCE representatives left Chechnya during the elections and none of the international observers attended the voting.


1995 Russian legislative election
Legislative election were held in Russia on 17 December 1995. At stake were the 450 seats in the State Duma (Gosudarstvennaya Duma), the lower house of the Federal Assembly.


1995 Russian legislative election, Rules
The election law adopted for the 1995 election was similar to that adopted for the 1993 election, with some minor modifications. First, to secure a place on the proportional representation ballot, parties had to have registered with the Ministry of Justice no later than six months before the election, and the number of signatures they had to gather rose from 100,000 to 200,000. Second, invalid votes were now included in the calculation of the 5.0 percent threshold. Third, on the single-member district ballot, party endorsements of candidates were indicated.


1995 Russian legislative election, Campaign
Out of the forty three parties and coalitions contesting the elections, only four cleared the 5% threshold to qualify for the proportional seats.


1995 Russian legislative election, Campaign, Pro-Government parties
Our Home – Russia had weightier resources and soon acquired the nickname of "party of power" for its reliance on elite political and economic office holders. It was also referred to as "Our Home Is Gazprom" for its close ties to Gazprom's substantial financial resources. Most of the cabinet ministers joined the bloc, and a number of business leaders and regional political elites affiliated with it. However, almost no other parties entered it, and many SMD candidates who had initially affiliated with the party soon left it.


1995 Russian legislative election, Campaign, Pro-Government parties
One of the early parties to enter the bloc, Sergei Shakhrai's Party of Russian Unity and Accord, also deserted it in August. The party program called for "stability and development, democracy and patriotism, confidence and order" as well as "pragmatism" and "a civilized market". Other proposals were contradictory as the party proposed, among other things, to encourage foreign investment while protecting Russian manufacturers, and to promote agricultural reform while regulating land ownership.


1995 Russian legislative election, Campaign, Pro-Government parties
In the election, the Our Home Is Russia bloc took 10.1% of the vote, enough to form a faction in the State Duma but not enough to serve as a dominant or pivotal force in parliament orin the regions. At its peak, the party claimed the membership of around one third of Russia's governors. However, both the center and regional elites made only ephemeral commitments to Our Home is Russia.


1995 Russian legislative election, Campaign, Opposition parties
As a result of these elections, the Communists and their satellites, the Agrarians and other left-wing deputies, controlled a little less than the half of the seats. The populist LDPR occasionally sided with the left majority, but often supported the government. As in the previous Duma, the parliamentary groups of independent deputies had a significant influence on the balance of power in the parliament.


1995 Russian legislative election, Campaign, Opposition parties
On January 17, 1996 a Communist, Gennady Seleznyov, was elected the Speaker of the Duma.


1995 Rutgers Scarlet Knights football team
The 1995 Rutgers Scarlet Knights football team represented Rutgers University in the 1995 NCAA Division I-A football season. In their sixth and final season under head coach Doug Graber, the Scarlet Knights compiled a 4–7 record, were outscored by opponents 412 to 304, and finished in sixth place in the Big East Conference. The team's statistical leaders included Ray Lucas with 2,180 passing yards, Terrell Willis with 773 rushing yards, and Marco Battaglia with 894 receiving yards.


1995 Ryder Cup
The 31st Ryder Cup Matches were held September 22–24, 1995 at the East Course of Oak Hill Country Club in Pittsford, New York, a suburb southeast of Rochester.


1995 Ryder Cup
The European team won the competition by a margin of 141⁄2 to 131⁄2 points to win back the Cup. At the time, this was only Europe's second victory on U.S. soil, the first was eight years earlier in 1987. This was the third consecutive Ryder Cup where Bernard Gallacher captained the European side and the only victory.


1995 Ryder Cup
Going into the Sunday singles matches, Europe trailed by 2 points, 7 to 9. For the first time, they overcame a deficit entering the singles to win the Cup. The unheralded Irish rookie Philip Walton secured victory for Europe by defeating Jay Haas by one hole. The next Ryder Cup where Europe won from behind was 2012, also held in the U.S.


1995 Ryder Cup, Format
The Ryder Cup is a match play event, with each match worth one point. The competition format used in 1995 was as follows:


1995 Ryder Cup, Format
With a total of 28 points, 141⁄2 points were required to win the Cup, and 14 points were required for the defending champion to retain the Cup. All matches were played to a maximum of 18 holes.


1995 Ryder Cup, Teams
Captains picks are shown in yellow. The world rankings and records are at the start of the 1995 Ryder Cup.


1995 Ryder Cup, Teams
Two changes were made to the selection process for the European team. For the first time prize money in the three Major Championships played in the USA was included. This change was meant to provide more opportunities for the leading players to gain automatic qualification. The number of captain's picks was, however, reduced from three to two. The qualifying period remained the same, starting with the Canon European Masters in Switzerland at the beginning of September 1994 and ending with the Volvo German Open on August 27, the remaining two team members being chosen soon afterwards by the team captain.


1995 Ryder Cup, Teams
In the final event Ian Woosnam had a chance to overtake Philip Walton but a poor last round left him out of the automatic qualifying places. Gallacher announced his picks on August 28. He had already indicated that he would choose Nick Faldo as one of his choices. José María Olazábal was chosen as the second selection. Olazábal had finished in the top 10 in two recent PGA Tour events but had been troubled with a foot injury during the season. Olazábal continued to be troubled with his foot injury and withdrew from the team on September 11. Gallacher immediately chose Ian Woosnam as his replacement. Olazábal had finished 12th in the points list and had a world ranking of 10 at the time of the Ryder Cup.


1995 Ryder Cup, Individual player records
Each entry refers to the Win–Loss–Half record of the player.


1995 SANFL Grand Final
The 1995 South Australian National Football League (SANFL) Grand Final saw the Port Adelaide Magpies defeat the Central District Bulldogs by 48 points. The match was played on Sunday 1 October 1995 at Football Park in front of a crowd of 45,786..


1995 SANFL Grand Final
This was Port Adelaide's 33rd premiership, and Central District's first grand final since their admission to the league in 1964.


1995 SANFL Grand Final, Teams and statistics
Port Adelaide was captained by Tim Ginever and coached by John Cahill. Central District was captained by Roger Girdham and coached by Alan Stewart.


1995 SANFL Grand Final, Umpires
The game was umpired by Tim Pfeiffer, Kevin Chambers, and Mick Abbott.


1995 SANFL Grand Final, Jack Oatey Medal
The Jack Oatey Medal for best player in the Grand Final was awarded to Anthony Darcy of Port Adelaide. For the third year in a row, the St Kilda Football Club in the AFL drafted the Jack Oatey medallist, following on from Steven Sziller and Darryl Wakelin.


1995 SANFL season
The 1995 SANFL season was the 116th season of the highest level Australian rules football competition in South Australia.


1995 SCCA Pro Racing World Challenge
The 1995 SCCA Pro Racing World Challenge season was the sixth running of the Sports Car Club of America's World Challenge series. The season marked the start of a long reign of Honda in the touring car classes. The classes were changed from World Challenge, Touring Car, and Super Production to Sport, Touring, and Super Production.


1995 SCCA Pro Racing World Challenge, Results
Neil Hannemann /  Kermit Upton IIIPaul Booher / Ron Emmick


1995 SEC Championship Game
The 1995 SEC Championship Game was won by the Florida Gators 34–3 over the Arkansas Razorbacks. The game was played in the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Georgia, on December 2, 1995, and was televised to a national audience on ABC.


1995 SEC Men's Basketball Tournament
The 1995 SEC Men’s Basketball Tournament took place from March 9–12, 1995 at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Georgia. The Kentucky Wildcats won the tournament and the SEC’s automatic bid to the 1995 NCAA Men’s Division I Basketball Tournament by defeating the Arkansas Razorbacks in a 95–93 overtime win.


1995 SEC Men's Basketball Tournament, Television coverage
The entire tournament was regionally televised and syndicated by Jefferson Pilot Sports. JP Sports, at the time, was in its eighth season in covering SEC Basketball, and the 1995 tournament was the fourth time that Jefferson Pilot Sports covered the entire tournament. However, the championship game was also broadcast by ESPN2 in areas outside the SEC’s geographical footprint, meaning that the ESPN2 broadcast was blacked out in areas where Jefferson Pilot’s broadcast was available on a local station.


1995 SMU Mustangs football team
The 1995 SMU Mustangs football team represented Southern Methodist University during the 1995 college football season.


1995 SMU Mustangs football team
SMU returned to the Cotton Bowl on a permanent basis for the first time since 1978. The Cotton Bowl was SMU's home stadium from 1932 through 1978, during which SMU rose to national prominence. SMU opened the season with an upset over eventual SEC West champion Arkansas 17–14. This was SMU's final season in the Southwest Conference, their home since 1918. SMU, along with TCU and Rice, would join the Western Athletic Conference for the 1996 Season.


1995 Sacramento State Hornets football team
The 1995 Sacramento State Hornets football team represented Sacramento State University during the 1995 NCAA Division I-AA football season.


1995 Sacramento State Hornets football team
Sacramento State competed in the final season of the American West Conference (AWC). In 1996, Sacramento State would move to the Big Sky Conference. The Hornets were led by first-year head coach John Volek and played home games at Hornet Stadium in Sacramento, California. Even though the team finished with a sub-500 record, they were still champion of the AWC. Their overall record was four wins, six losses and one tie (4–6–1, 3–0 WFC). Sacramento State was outscored by its opponents 255–377 for the season.


1995 Sacramento State Hornets football team, Team players in the NFL
No Sacramento State players were selected in the 1996 NFL Draft.


1995 Saga gubernatorial election
A gubernatorial election was held on 9 April 1995 to elect the Governor of Saga Prefecture. Incumbent Isamu Imoto was re-elected.


1995 Saint Kitts and Nevis general election
General elections were held in Saint Kitts and Nevis on 3 July 1995. The result was a victory for the Saint Kitts and Nevis Labour Party, which won seven of the eleven directly-elected seats. Voter turnout was 68.4%.


1995 Samoa rugby union tour of Great Britain
The 1995 Samoa rugby union tour of Great Britain was a series of matches played in October and November 1995 in Scotland and England by the Samoa national rugby union team. The tour was made after the good results at the 1995 Rugby World Cup.


1995 San Antonio Texans season
The 1995 San Antonio Texans season was the third season for the franchise in Canadian Football League and their first in San Antonio, Texas after their relocation from Sacramento, California. They earned a 12–6 record and finished 2nd in the South Division, allowing the team to advance to playoffs where they lost the South Final to the Baltimore Stallions. The Texans would cease operations following the end of their season.


1995 San Diego Chargers season
The 1995 San Diego Chargers season was the team's 36th, its 26th in the National Football League (NFL), and its 35th in San Diego.


1995 San Diego Chargers season
The season began with the team as reigning AFC champions and trying to improve on their 11–5 record in 1994. After starting 4–7, the Chargers won their final five games to get into the playoffs. It ended in the first round with a loss to the Indianapolis Colts. That game would mark the last time the Chargers would make the playoffs until the 2004 season - by then, only long snapper David Binn remained from the 1995 roster.


1995 San Diego Chargers season
While most of the offensive starters returned from the Super Bowl run were back, the Chargers slipped down the rankings for both passing and rushing. They were hampered by an injury to Natrone Means, who finished with 730 yards despite only having 5 carries in the 2nd half of the season. Tony Martin established himself as the club's leading receiver, with 1,224 yards from 90 catches - this broke Kellen Winslow's club record for receptions in a season. The defense continued to be solid.


1995 San Diego Chargers season
Safeties Darren Carrington and Stanley Richard were both released after disappointing performances in the Super Bowl; Rodney Harrison began to see more action as a strong safety, and led the team with five interceptions. Leslie O'Neal, in his final year with the club, was once again the sack leader with 12.5; Junior Seau's 130 tackles were 45 more than the next best of his teammates. Andre Coleman continued to be dangerous, running one punt and two kickoffs back for touchdowns, though he also fumbled ten times. Former Aussie Rules pro Darren Bennett was voted to the Pro Bowl in his first season as a starting punter.


1995 San Diego Chargers season
The Chargers suffered a tragedy during the offseason, when linebacker David Griggs was killed in a road accident.


1995 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 1
The defending AFC Champions lost their opener to a Raiders team celebrating their return to Oakland. All 17 of the Raiders' points came following turnovers, though they had to go the length of the field for the first of these, following an Eddie Anderson interception of a Stan Humphries pass at the Oakland 1. A 14 play, 99-yard drive made it 7-0, but the Chargers were level at the break after a 39-yard strike from Humphries to Jefferson.


1995 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 1
In the 3rd quarter, fumbles by Natrone Means and Andre Coleman set the Raiders up in good field position; they scored 10 points from the opportunities. The Chargers drove into Raider territory three times the rest of the way, but turned the ball over on downs each time.


1995 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 2
San Diego laboured to a win in their home opener. They enjoyed a considerable advantage in yards gained (397 to 209), but twice turned the ball over in Seattle territory. The Chargers did manage to put together two complete drives: 75 yards on 12 plays on the games opening possession, 80 yards in 11 plays for the winner with 13:41 to play. These drives were capped by touchdown passes from Humphries to Tony Martin and Ronnie Harmon.


1995 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 2
Natrone Means rushed for 115 yards on 26 carries. On defense, Rodney Harrison had the first two interceptions of his career.


1995 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 3
A trio of big plays helped the Chargers recover from a 14-0 deficit. Randall Cunningham threw for two TDs in the early stages, the second of these set up by a Means fumble. A 38-yard touchdown pass from Humphries to Jefferson began the comeback; shortly before halftime, Humphries fumbled when sacked in the Eagles red zone, but center Courtney Hall recovered and John Carney kicked a field goal to further narrow the gap.


1995 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 3
On the first play of the following drive, Calvin Williams fumbled, and Junior Seau returned the loose ball 29 yards up the sideline, before diving over a tackle for the only touchdown of his Hall of Fame career. Early in the 3rd quarter, Andre Coleman returned a punt 88 yards down the right sideline for another score; a 2nd Carney field goal then made it 27 points in a row.


1995 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 3
Cunningham responded with his 3rd TD pass of the game, but the Chargers' defense stiffened thereafter, and didn't let the Eagles cross midfield on their final four possessions. Another pick by Rodney Harrison clinched the win. Means rushed for 122 yards on 23 carries.


1995 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 4
A third consecutive 100-yard rushing performance by Natrone Means saw the Chargers win their third straight game. With San Diego trailing 3-0 in the second quarter, Means carried 6 times for 30 yards on a drive he capped with a 3-yard touchdown run; in the second half, he rushed 7 times for 38 yards on a drive which finished with his 2-yard TD run, and a 14-6 lead. After John Carney added a 45-yard field goal, John Elway led the Broncos to the San Diego 31, but threw four consecutive incompletions to end the final Denver threat. Means finished with 115 yards on 27 carries, with two touchdowns.


1995 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 5
A big 1st quarter helped the Steelers avenge their AFC Championship Game defeat. After Pittsburgh scored 7 on their opening drive, Stan Humphries threw pick-sixes on two of the first three Charger possessions. Both of these passes were topped in the air by the intended receivers; Willie Williams and Alvoid Mays returned them for touchdowns. Matrone Means and Tony Martin scored for the Chargers as they attempted a comeback, but a dropped touchdown by Martin and further interceptions by Williams and Mays kept them at arm's length.


1995 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 6
The Chargers lost a Monday Night Football epic in overtime. The first quarter saw only one possession each; San Diego opened with a 19-play drive before the Chiefs' response took 14 plays; both drives ended with short field goals. A 54-yard kickoff return by Andre Coleman then set up the Chargers for a short touchdown drive capped by Means' 2-yard TD run.


1995 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 6
After a Chiefs field goal, Coleman fumbled the ensuing kickoff, and Kansas City recovered to set up a short touchdown drive and a 13-10 lead. The Chiefs were in position to add to that advantage shortly before halftime, but on 1st and 10 from the Chargers' 18, Steve Bono was sacked by Raylee Johnson and fumbled. Shawn Lee recovered the loose ball with 43 seconds remaining in the half, and Humphries managed to drive the Chargers into range for Carney to tie the scores.


1995 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 6
Tony Martin fumbled away the best scoring chance of the 3rd quarter at the Chiefs' 11; the next score was a Lin Elliott field goal 13 minutes from time. On the next drive, Humphries ran for two first downs, hit Shaun Jefferson for 45 yards down to the Chiefs' 4, then threw the go-ahead touchdown on the next play. After Junior Seau and Dennis Gibson stopped Marcus Allen in mid-flight for no gain on 3rd and 1, Kansas City punted. A 44-yard connection from Humphries to Ronnie Harmon took San Diego into Chiefs' territory, but Humphries fell awkwardly on his throwing arm while completing another pass, and had to leave the game.


1995 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 6
The Chargers ran the clock down to 1:12 before extending their lead with a field goal. However, Bono led a whirlwind 8 play, 79-yard drive and found former Charger Derrick Walker to tie the game with 15 seconds remaining. The game went to overtime, where San Diego won the toss. Gale Gilbert led the team to the edge of field goal range, but was then sacked by Neil Smith, forcing a punt. The Chiefs also had to kick the ball away, but not until after Lewis Bush had dropped a potential interception at the 22-yard line. Another Smith sack forced the Chargers to go three-and-out; Tamarick Vanover fielded the ensuing punt at his own 14, cut back to the left sideline, broke Darren Bennett's tackle and completed the first overtime punt return touchdown in NFL history.


1995 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 6
Stan Humphries went 24 of 34, for 315 yards and a touchdown, but would miss the next game with a bruised shoulder. This was the lone overtime game the Chargers played between the 1991 and 1999 seasons.


1995 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 7
Gale Gilbert had a difficult game in relief for Stan Humphries, getting sacked six times and turning the ball over on each of the Chargers' first four possessions. The first of these was a misplaced deep ball which Larry Brown picked off near the Dallas goal line; the defense salvaged something when Reuben Davis sacked Troy Aikman for a safety. However, a fumble on the next possession led to a Dallas touchdown. Gilbert then converted a 3rd and 26 with a 41-yard completion to Andre Coleman, and led his team down to a 2nd and goal at the Dallas 5.


1995 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 7
However, he then threw another pick to end the threat. After a third interception, Dallas drove 85 yards to Emmitt Smith's second TD of the game. A career-long 48-yard rushing touchdown by Ronnie Harmon cut the deficit to 14-9 in the 3rd quarter, but the Cowboys rebuilt their lead, while San Diego didn't get closer than the Dallas 35 the rest of the way.


1995 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 8
The Chargers snapped a three-game losing streak as Stan Humphries overcame a rocky start. Humphries, back from injury, threw an early interception that Seattle converted into a touchdown 6 plays later. On the next series, rookie Terrell Fletcher sparked San Diego by taking a direct snap on a fake punt for 46 yards. Humphries found Harmon for a TD shortly afterwards; on the next possession, he converted a 4th and 1 with a QB sneak, and hit Mark Seay for another score.


1995 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 8
Shortly afterwards, Darren Bennett pinned the Seahawks at their own 1 yard line, and Shaun Gayle recovered a fumbled snap in the end zone two plays later. After a Seahawks field goal, Means broke off a 36-yard run, then went the final 7 yards to the end zone on the next play - it was 25-10 at the break. Another Humphries to Harmon connection helped keep Seattle at bay in the 2nd half.


1995 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 8
Leslie O'Neal led the defense with four sacks. San Diego had lost the turnover battle by a cumulative 11-3 over the past three games, but won it 4-1 in this game.


1995 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 10
Miami avenged their recent postseason defeat in a hard-fought encounter. San Diego suffered an early blow when Means was forced out of the game with a groin strain - he had only a handful of carries throughout the remainder of the season. In his absence, the Chargers could muster only 3 points in the first half; Dan Marino found Irving Fryar to put Miami ahead, and was threatening to extend the lead in the 2nd quarter when Seau came up with a goal line interception. The scoring accelerated in the 3rd quarter - after a Charger field goal, Marino threw his second touchdown, then Humphries found Martin behind the defense for a 50-yard score. A Humphries-to-Seay two-point conversion levelled the scores.


1995 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 10
Miami restored their lead with a field goal, and then the turnover issues which had plagued San Diego's season thus far returned. A Humphries pass was thrown behind Martin, tipped and intercepted, setting up a Dolphins touchdown. Attempting a quick response, the Chargers drove inside the Miami 10, where Alfred Pupunu lost a fumble, and the Dolphins ran out the clock.


1995 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 10
Tony Martin caught 7 passes for 121 yards. With Means out of the game, Ronnie Harmon rushed for 52 yards while catching passes for a further 54.


1995 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 11
While they were only outgained by three yards, the Chargers generated few threats against the division-leading Chiefs. Down 7-0 early, the Chargers put together an 80-yard touchdown drive in response. They had a stroke of luck when officials missed Duane Young fumbling two plays before Rodney Culver's game-tying score. Thereafter, Charger drive repeatedly broke down around midfield, while the Chiefs steadily built a game-winning lead.


1995 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 12
A spirited fightback couldn't prevent the Chargers from slipping to their sixth defeat in seven games. John Elway and rookie running back Terrell Davis were dominant as Denver scored touchdowns on their first three possessions, leading 21-0 in the 1st quarter. A 91-yard kickoff return touchdown got San Diego on the board, before the scoring calmed down in the middle quarters. Denver led 27-13 when Jason Elam missed a 46-yard field goal. That sparked a Charger recovery, as they drove 64 and 72 yards on their next two possessions, tying the game with touchdowns by Harmon and Culver. However, following an exchange of punts, Davis ran on six consecutive plays for 53 yards, and Elam kicked a game-winning field goal with two seconds left.


1995 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 12
Davis, a native of San Diego, rushed 30 times for 176 yards, the highest totals of his young career. Denver rolled up 463 yards, the most the Charger defense gave up all year. At 4-7, San Diego were now dead last in their division, and two games back in the wildcard race.


1995 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 13
San Diego upset the 8-3 Raiders on Monday Night Football, aided by three Dwayne Harper interceptions. Harper, who only had one other pick all season, also made the most crucial tackle of the game. The Chargers led 9-3 early in the 4th quarter, when Harvey Williams broke through the middle for a 60-yard run. Harper chased him down at the San Diego 33-yard line, and Oakland ultimately settled for a field goal. On the next Raider possession, Chris Mims sacked Vince Evans, forcing a fumble he recovered himself; John Carney's fourth field goal from five attempts restored the six-point margin for San Diego. Harper's third interception came in the final minute, and clinched the win.


1995 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 14
Rookie running back Aaron Hayden rushed 32 times for 127 yards with two touchdowns, guiding the Chargers to another much-needed win. Hayden's TDs had the Chargers up 17-3 at the half, before a Vinny Testaverde touchdown pass pulled Cleveland within seven. San Diego broke the game back open in the 4th quarter, going 96 yards on 10 plays and scoring with a Humphries to Martin connection. A Terrell Fletcher touchdown run extended the lead. In total, the Chargers rushed for a season-high 186 yards, having failed to gain as many as 80 in the four games since Means was injured.


1995 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 15
The Chargers overcame six turnovers thanks to a purple patch around halftime. After Mark Seay had opened the scoring, Tony Martin fumbled, setting up a short Arizona touchdown drive. Two possessions later, a Humphries pass was tipped, intercepted and returned for a touchdown by defensive end Clyde Simmons. The Chargers responded quickly, Humphries passing on 12 consecutive plays and converting a 4th and 10 en route to a TD pass to Harmon.


1995 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 15
Andre Coleman put San Diego ahead to stay when he returned the opening kickoff of the second half 92 yards for another score, then Seay scored again for a 28-14 lead. The Cardinals attempted a comeback, but an onside kick recovery by Seau ensured San Diego could run out the clock.


1995 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 15
Humphries had a busy day, going 26 of 41 for 288 yards, 3 touchdowns and 4 interceptions. Mark Seay finished with 7 catches for 114 yards and 2 touchdowns.


1995 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 16
Two John Carney field goals in the final two minutes gave San Diego a thrilling win in a battle of playoff hopefuls. In the first half, Tony Martin got behind the coverage for a 51-yard touchdown on 3rd and 20, but Carney missed two kicks and the Colts led 10-7 at the break. San Diego took a 21-13 lead early in the 4th quarter, with two touchdowns either side of a Colts field goal: Humphries scored the first on a QB sneak, before finding Martin on another long pass, this time of 38 yards. The Colts responded immediately, tying the game with a touchdown and two point conversion, and setting up a wild final seven minutes.


1995 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 16
Humphries was intercepted by Quentin Coryatt on the next play, but Willie Clark picked off Jim Harbaugh just three plays later, and San Diego put together a 47-yard drive capped by Carney first field goal with 1:59 left. Back came the Colts, reaching the San Diego 33 before Harbaugh threw three incompletions and they had to settle for a game-tying field goal with 48 seconds left. A 26-yard Humphries-to-Pupunu completion then moved the ball to the Colts' 49, before a tipped ball flew straight to Coryatt, who dropped the easy interception. Humphries found Harmon for 17 yards on the next play; after a Hayden run netted 7 yards, Carney's winning kick came from 43 yards out with three seconds remaining.


1995 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 16
Martin caught 10 passes for 168 yards and the two scores. Carney's two field goals took his tally with the Chargers to 148, breaking a tie with Rolf Benirschke for the club record. The win left San Diego needing only to beat the Giants a week later to clinch a playoff berth.


1995 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 17
The Chargers clinched a playoff spot by overcoming both a 14-point deficit and a barrage of snowballs in New York. Following recent snowfall the aisles at Giants Stadium had been cleared, but there was a substantial amount of snow and ice in the seating area. Fans began throwing snowballs at each other and, increasingly as the game wore on, onto the pitch.


1995 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 17
Humphries was knocked out of the game in the 1st quarter, and the Giants appeared in control at the break, 17-3 up. However, Seau recovered a fumble on the third play of the second half; Rodney Culver then converted a 4th and 1 before Aaron Hayden scored two plays later. Following a missed field goal by the Giants, the next four drives ended in punts.


1995 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 17
Increasing numbers of snowballs were raining down on the field during this period, with fans targeting both the officials and the Charger sideline. At the end of the 3rd quarter, an announcement over the stadium's PA warned Giants fans that the match could be awarded to San Diego if the barrage continued. One play into the 4th quarter, referee Ron Blum stopped the game and headed over to the Charger sideline to call up to the booth and have the threat repeated. While he bent to pick up the phone, a ball of hard ice was thrown in his direction; it struck San Diego's equipment manager Sid Brooks on the bridge of the nose, briefly knocking him out.


1995 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 17
The game continued, with stadium security removing over 100 fans. Gale Gilbert converted a 4th and 6 with a 13 yard completion to Martin; on 4th and 2 from the 8, Culver then ran in the game-tying touchdown. The Giants quickly moved into position to respond, but on 2nd and goal from the 12, Seau hit Dave Brown as he threw, and the ball looped up to be intercepted by Shaun Gayle at the 1 yard line.


1995 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 17
He returned it 99 yards for a touchdown, covering the ball with both hands as he crossed the goal line to ensure that the continuing volleys of snowballs didn't knock it loose. Shortly afterwards, Leslie O'Neal forced a fumble, Lewis Bush recovered, and John Carney clinched the win with a 45-yard field goal.


1995 San Diego Chargers season, Postseason, Game summaries, AFC Wildcard Playoffs: Indianapolis Colts at San Diego Chargers
Rookie fullback Zack Crockett rushed for 147 yards and 2 touchdowns as the Colts pulled off an upset win.


1995 San Diego Chargers vs. New York Giants game
On December 23, 1995, the San Diego Chargers and the New York Giants faced off in Week 17 of the 1995 NFL season. The game was played at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, United States and was the last regular season game for both teams. The Chargers defeated the Giants, 27-17.


1995 San Diego Chargers vs. New York Giants game
The game, which was nationally televised by NBC, became infamous due to the conduct of the fans in the stands that afternoon. A major snowstorm had swept through the New York metropolitan area during the week leading into the game, leaving maintenance crews unable to clear the seating areas in time for the game; as a result, many fans took to throwing snowballs in the stands and onto the field. The chaos that ensued nearly resulted in the Giants being forced to forfeit the game.


1995 San Diego Chargers vs. New York Giants game, Background, Chargers
Entering the final week of the 1995 season, the defending AFC champion Chargers were 8-7 and in danger of missing out on a playoff spot. The team had started the season with three wins in their first four contests, but had followed that up with six losses in their next seven to put them at 4–7. The Chargers had won their last four and needed only to record a win in their final Week 17 matchup with the Giants to secure one of the AFC's three Wild Card spots.


1995 San Diego Chargers vs. New York Giants game, Background, Giants
The Giants’ fortunes, meanwhile, were quite the opposite. Looking to return to the playoffs for the second time under Dan Reeves and coming off their second consecutive winning season, the Giants opened the 1995 season with a blowout loss to the Dallas Cowboys on national television. New York lost four of its first five games, and a four-game losing streak in November ensured a losing record for the season. The Giants entered the matchup with the Chargers at 5-10, having again lost to the Cowboys a week earlier; the last time the team had lost at least ten games was under Ray Handley, Reeves’ predecessor, in 1992.


1995 San Diego Chargers vs. New York Giants game, Background, Broadcast information
At the time that this game was played, the NFL had been scheduling a Saturday afternoon doubleheader of games during the last few weeks of the season. One game would be carried by the network with the broadcast rights to the NFC, which in 1995 was Fox, and the other would be carried by the network with the broadcasting rights to the AFC, which in 1995 was NBC. The NFL would later add a third game to their Saturday schedule, which was aired in prime time on either ABC or ESPN, and would keep this schedule until the end of the 2005 season, after which the NFL greatly reduced its scheduling of Saturday games.


1995 San Diego Chargers vs. New York Giants game, Background, Broadcast information
Since this was an interconference matchup, the NFL broadcast rules (which have since been loosened significantly) dictated that the broadcasting rights for the game would belong to the network holding the visiting team’s conference broadcast rights. Since the Chargers were members of the AFC, that meant that NBC would carry the game. Marv Albert provided the play-by-play, with Cris Collinsworth as the analyst.


1995 San Diego Chargers vs. New York Giants game, Background, Broadcast information
The Chargers' radio broadcast was carried by flagship XETRA-AM with Lee Hamilton as play-by-play. The Giants' broadcast was produced by WFAN but carried over its then flagship WOR (AM), with Bob Papa and Dick Lynch in the booth. The game was also carried nationally by CBS Radio Sports.


1995 San Diego Chargers vs. New York Giants game, Game summary
The Giants opened the scoring after forcing the Chargers to punt on their opening possession. After converting consecutive third downs and crossing into San Diego territory, Dave Brown found Charles Way for a long pass play that put the Giants inside the Chargers' 10-yard line. New York settled for a field goal after Brown fumbled, Rodney Hampton gained three yards, and an incomplete pass. Brad Daluiso's 30-yard field goal put the Giants ahead 3–0.


1995 San Diego Chargers vs. New York Giants game, Game summary
On the ensuing drive, Chargers starter Stan Humphries suffered a neck injury and was unable to continue. Backup quarterback Gale Gilbert came in but the Giants forced another punt. The Chargers responded by stopping Tyrone Wheatley after two short runs and Brown missed Chris Calloway on third down. Chargers punt returner Andre Coleman fumbled the kick on fourth down, however, and the Giants recovered. With the ball on the San Diego 23-yard line, it took the Giants four plays to score as Brown ran in from three yards out. The extra point made the score 10–0.


1995 San Diego Chargers vs. New York Giants game, Game summary
The Giants then forced the Chargers into a three-and-out on their next drive, but they would suffer their own punt miscue as Arthur Marshall fumbled and the Chargers recovered on the 16-yard line. After Aaron Hayden got two short gains, Gilbert threw an incompletion on third down. John Carney put the Chargers on the board with a field goal, making the score 10–3.


1995 San Diego Chargers vs. New York Giants game, Game summary
New York scored their second touchdown on a long drive just before the half. Brown completed all six passes he threw on the drive, including a third down completion to Marshall that brought the Giants to the San Diego 1-yard line. Hampton would cap off the drive with a touchdown run and Daluiso added the extra point to make the score 17–3. These would be the last points the Giants would score.


1995 San Diego Chargers vs. New York Giants game, Game summary
On the opening drive of the second half, the Giants turned the ball over when Mike Sherrard fumbled after catching a short pass from Brown on third down. The Chargers took advantage of the short field and on the seventh play of their drive, Hayden scored on an eight-yard touchdown run. Carney's extra point cut the deficit to seven.


1995 San Diego Chargers vs. New York Giants game, Game summary
The Giants tried to make up for their gaffe on the previous drive and moved the ball again into the opposing side of the field, as Brown's completion to Aaron Pierce gained twenty-four yards and put New York at the San Diego 29. Three straight incompletions followed, however, and Daluiso missed his field goal attempt.


1995 San Diego Chargers vs. New York Giants game, Game summary
After both teams traded punts, San Diego tied the game in the fourth quarter. The Giants had a chance to stop the Chargers on fourth down at their 29-yard line, but Gilbert found Tony Martin for a 13-yard completion to keep the drive going. The Chargers again found themselves down to a fourth down three plays later, but Rodney Culver found the end zone on an eight-yard touchdown run. Carney made the extra point to even the score at 17.