Springboks an example of what we could be as a nation

One of the most abiding images of this Rugby World Cup will surely be that of the Springbok and Tongan teams linking hands, forming a circle and praying after their hard-fought encounter on Sunday night.

More than any song or schmaltzy marketing campaign, the moment personified the idea of a true “world in union” brought about by a sporting contest … a struggle in which no quarter was asked, or given, by either side, but in which the battle transcended so many things.

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It was about a shared triumph (even in loss for one team) – a victory over distance, over differences of culture and ethnicity. And that it was the Springboks – one of the most stereotyped teams in the history of rugby – who were part of it, made it all the more remarkable.

These are not the dour, primitive, unemotional, unimaginative men their detractors would like to think they are. This is a new team, built on diversity and talent which is, above all, united. These are men who will just as easily go to war as to a braai together.

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They are an example of what we could be, as a nation, if we recognise that our strength lies in our diversity.