THE Springbok’s third Rugby World Cup triumph in seven attempts is still hard for me to process considering they were ranked outside the top five when the World Cup draw took place two years ago.
Not only did the win bring the nation together in celebration, it also showed how influential a sport like rugby is to the people of South Africa.
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One could argue that it’s the case with every team sport where South Africa does well in, but for the longest time, rugga has always given us young people an excuse to socialise, drink and have fun. In my pre-teens, children my age would go to high school rugby games to be a part of that culture and atmosphere.
In high school, my alma mater would attract thousands of supporters ranging from parents and Old Boys to boys and girls from neighbouring schools.
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Rugby’s effect on youth culture definitely started with first-tier high school rugby. I remember us playing against our old foes, Maritzburg College for their 150th anniversary game.
It was probably the biggest schoolboy rugby game I’ve ever seen, with more than 10 000 supporters and the best referee in the world at the time, Craig Joubert – being the man with the whistle.
My school obviously won the affair in the most dramatic fashion, with a close 44-40 win. I’ll never forget the amount of people at that ground, an unforgettable moment for me and the boys.
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Another thing that surprised me that afternoon was the number of learners from other high schools that attended the fixture, it must have been thousands of them.
A close friend of mine from university told me how she attended with her friends, even though she admitted that they weren’t bothered about who won. They were only there for the vibes!
Which brings me back to the World Cup final. My homies and I bar-hopped to most of the pubs and restaurants in Westville, WOB, Waxy’s, Lupa and later down in Durban at the Kingston Beach Club.
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The number of friends I saw that day, of which I’m 100 per cent sure don’t watch that much rugby, was so amazing to see. It felt like the 2010 Fifa World Cup again.
I don’t remember seeing so many non-sport fans so happy and purely festive.
Someone joked on Twitter and said Siya Kolisi has outdone Nelson Mandela’s legacy, which is obviously a joke but what Kolisi and his troops did has certainly instilled a lot of faith and a feel-good feeling in the never-ending drama that’s in South Africa.
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