Rugby: No Mandela magic for Boks in Paris

Nelson Mandela hands the World Cup trophy to Francois Pienaar in 1995. Photo / Getty Images

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JOHANNESBURG - Nelson Mandela will not be going to France for Sunday's rugby World Cup final, his office said today.

"Because of his age, it is very difficult for Madiba to undertake long trips," the 89-year-old former South African president's spokeswoman Zelda Le Grange said.

After winning Monday's semifinal match against Argentina, the Springboks invited Mandela to come to France and watch the final against England.

Le Grange said Mandela was considering the possibility of sending a video-recorded message, an option the frail Nobel peace prize winner uses increasingly since his retirement from the world stage.

Mandela was president when South Africa won the 1995 tournament and the image of him presenting the William Webb Ellis trophy to Springbok captain Francois Pienaar is one of the enduring images of World Cup history.

The image symbolised the new South Africa where a sport viewed as predominantly white saw a black president handing over the cup to a white captain.

The Springboks presented Mandela with captain John Smit's No.2 jersey when he was in Paris just before the start of the tournament.

South African President Thabo Mbeki has already promised the Springboks he will attend the final.

- AFP