Local fan’s tattoo predicted Springboks’ win 15 months before RWC final

WHILE much of the focus post-South Africa’s Rugby World Cup triumph has been on Damien Willemse’s ‘cheek’y tattoo, you may have missed the story of another tattoo, in a less risqué place but equally important because it predicted the Boks’ win 15 months prior to the final.

The tattoo in question belongs to local resident and Crusaders Athletics Club member Gavin Ross.

Ross was in the resort town of Marmaris, Türkiye, in July 2022, when he decided to get a tattoo of the Webb Ellis Cup with all the years the Springboks had won the World Cup.

“I had a tattoo on my arm that I wanted to cover up, and I always thought of having the Webb Ellis Cup trophy on my body. I was on holiday in Türkiye when the opportunity presented itself. I happened to walk past a tattoo shop when the thought occurred. I can’t lie, there were a few beers involved,” Ross explained. “I asked for a quote, and I felt the price was very reasonable. Initially, I wasn’t going to have the 2023 inked on my arm; it was only when he got down to the 2019, I thought, ‘What the hell, let’s go all the way.’

“I’ve played rugby and have always supported the Springboks, so I was confident we could do it. The whole tattoo took about an hour to complete. The biggest problem through the process was actually the language barrier. I actually used his computer and built the design for the piece so my biggest takeaway or piece of advice for those thinking of getting a tattoo is don’t get them done in countries where there are language barriers,” Ross quipped.

What followed was disbelief from friends and fellow clubmates when he arrived back in South Africa – they thought it was a henna tattoo.

Ross also has a map of Africa with South Africa marked in green on his left shoulder.

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