Having found a new identity, Proteas target a return to the top

Proteas coach Mark Boucher says the team have found a new vision and identity for themselves, as well as a new way of playing which he hopes will bring greater success as the rebuilding side look to regain their glory days.

The SA team’s Culture Camp at Skukuza last month not only dealt with wrongs of the past – especially those that involved racial discrimination – but also plotted a way ahead for the future.

#ProteaFire, the mantra of the team that went to number one in all three formats with Boucher as a player, has now officially been extinguished, replaced by three watchwords: Belonging; Empathy; Respect.

“One of the biggest changes came in terms of #ProteaFire, which gave us direction and the values to become the number one side, especially when under pressure. But none of those guys are playing anymore and we have outgrown that,” Boucher said on Monday.

“It’s an outdated identity. Maybe it became too commercialised, but it ended up just being on paper and the guys no longer live it.

“There are more cultures in the team now and it was time those came through. It’s important for a new team to create a new identity and that’s exactly what we got – a new set of values.

“It will start with how we play and the players chose the same route that myself and Enoch Nkwe (assistant coach) wanted. Everything aligned without us really trying.

“It’s also about how new guys coming into the team must feel and management did not choose the vision. The players did.”

Boucher said the Culture Camp also gave players the opportunity to talk about their pet peeves, and he found the revelations to be eye-opening.

“We all come from different backgrounds and have been brought up in different ways, and we must understand our shortfalls in the past. We can’t turn a blind eye. We must acknowledge them,” Boucher said.

“That’s empathy, which is a big word for us. We need to use our four or five different cultures to our advantage and I came out of the camp with a completely different understanding.

“I educated myself, and I found it quite fascinating, things I have never thought about before. The camp opened my eyes in a massive way and I would encourage people to get out there and try and understand the feelings of different races.

“Now the best thing for the game would be for our biggest assets – the players – to be able to take over the headlines for good things, and let the game do the talking rather than the other things that have been hogging the headlines.”

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