Springboks return into a maelstrom of jubilation

Modern sports science says that teams that have something greater than themselves to play for generally end up as winners and when the Springboks went back into the changeroom with a 12-6 lead after a thoroughly satisfactory first half of the World Cup final, Rassie Erasmus told them to keep playing for the people back home, the coach himself revealed upon their return to South Africa on Tuesday night.

“At halftime we chatted about South Africa, not the game-plan. I just reminded the players that there were so many other things back home that put people under pressure but we were playing for nice things like pride and trying to fix some things back at home. We wanted to win it for South Africa,” Erasmus said at O.R. Tambo International Airport on Tuesday night.

And then, after the game, when England had been walloped 32-12, even the British Royal Family was acknowledging that South Africa’s victory in Yokohama went beyond just the confines of sport.

“Even Prince Harry came to the changeroom and said we were his second favourite team and that our victory meant so much more to the people back home. The coach kept telling us during the World Cup that it was not about us but about every person in South Africa. We knew what we were fighting for. It’s been amazing since then, the messages we’ve received, especially from someone like Roger Federer, I’m a huge fan so that was really special, and Tom Brady as well, it means a lot,” Springbok captain Siya Kolisi, with the Webb Ellis Cup always close at hand, said.

When the Springboks returned home to the people they were playing for, they stepped into a maelstrom of sheer jubilation and ecstatic pride. Having gone through their own emotions after triumphing in such spectacular fashion in the final, the squad on Tuesday saw first-hand the intense emotions their triumph has engendered in their fans.

Thousands of them crammed into the airport arrivals hall and there was singing, dancing and even a band.

Erasmus, ever the visionary, was soon looking into the future as he was asked about celebrating his 47^th birthday on Tuesday.

“If I had one birthday wish it would be to not repeat the mistakes of 1995 and 2007. I want to really work hard with SA Rugby so that we keep on blasting. Let Siya have his glory, Pieter-Steph du Toit too, and all the boys, they were heroes. But whether we are Black or White, in fact all our people with all our differences, let’s work together and get it right so that we really use this victory as a springboard.

“Let’s not lose the things we had in 1995 and 2007, let’s really use this win to make sure everybody has an equal chance to play for the Springboks now. We have so many thigs to fix and if we just focus on the Springboks now then we will only win the World Cup every 12 years,” Erasmus said.

Kolisi, who Erasmus praised as both a top-class rugby player and captain, also gave a glance to the future when he said the Springboks now had a core of players to take the team forward into a golden era.

“As a team, we have gone through a lot of challenges and even at the World Cup we knew that if we lose another game then that’s the end, but we always found a way. We couldn’t have done it without the support of the people back home, who know what it’s like to have their backs against the wall.

“So I would love this core group to stay together and a lot of us have committed and will be staying in South Africa. To youngsters watching us win, I would say anything can be overcome with opportunity. As a nine-year-old I would train every day and then I got my scholarship, and Makazole Mapimpi has also shown what is possible. We just don’t want it to be so tough for anyone else,” Kolisi said.

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