Marius Hurter thought he'd already enjoyed the happiest day of his life as a member of the South Africa squad that won the 1995 Rugby World Cup - then he was invited to dinner with Clint Eastwood.
It may not have bettered the day that Springbok captain Francois Pienaar lifted the Webb Ellis Cup at Ellis Park in Johannesburg for the first time in front of 62,000 delirious fans, but it was close.
'You get asked to go to dinner with Clint Eastwood. I mean, Dirty Harry, and you wonder if I enjoyed it? Are you serious?' said Hurter. 'Of course I did, I loved it! It was such a privilege.'
Hurter's dinner date with the legendary actor-director came about after he was brought in as a rugby adviser on Eastwood's new film Invictus, which uses the Springboks' march to the 1995 Rugby World Cup as a vehicle to tell the story of the 'Rainbow Nation' - a term used to describe post-apartheid South Africa after its first fully democratic election in 1994; one that intended to sum up unity in a country once identified with the strict division of white and black, and the massive part President Nelson Mandela played in trying to bring it together.
The film had a charity premiere this week at Elements in Kowloon for Operation Breakthrough, an innovative programme run by the Hong Kong Rugby Football Union that targets young people at risk of becoming involved in criminal activity, channelling their energies instead to the healthy focus and ethos of sport, especially rugby.
Hurter spent some time with Eastwood, and actors Morgan Freeman, who played Nelson Mandela, and Matt Damon, who played Pienaar - and loved every minute.
