Here’s Why the Rugby World Cup win means more to South Africa

 

Why South Africa’s victory in the Rugby World Cup matters more

Countless spectators swarm South Africa’s streets to see their rugby side defeat New Zealand in the Rugby World Cup final.

Countless spectators flocked to South Africa’s streets to witness their rugby side defeat New Zealand in the Rugby World Cup final.

Siya Kolisi, the winning captain of South Africa, did not disguise the fact that his country’s affluence in Paris contrasted with the lot of people back home.

The Springboks became the first team to win back-to-back tournament editions while playing away from home on Saturday, defeating New Zealand 12–11 at the Stade de France.

Having missed the first two editions due to the sporting ban enforced in response to the country’s apartheid regime, they are now the first nation to win it four times and have won half of the eight tournaments in which they have participated.

Nelson Mandela celebrated on the Johannesburg field wearing a green and gold shirt and cap, reclaiming an image that had been used divisively during apartheid. The Boks had their first taste of success on home soil in 1995.

Mandela had taken office one year earlier, following the ANC’s (banned until 1990) victory in South Africa’s first nonracial elections and the nation’s re-admission to international sports leagues, which permitted black athletes to rejoin teams.

Expansion prospects for the ‘Rainbow Nation’ were high following that much-heralded victory, but after 29 years, South Africa still has the highest unemployment rate in the world (42%), along with numerous other economic issues like high rates of poverty and frequent blackouts.

Since he was named the team’s first black captain a year before they won the 2019 tournament, Kolisi’s reputation as a beacon of optimism has only risen. “The people of South Africa will tell you that there’s not a lot going right in our country,”

“South Africa is a stunning nation with numerous issues. We are concerned about our nation and for each other.”

“We have this together as a group.”

Carrying on Mandela’s legacy, the current president of South Africa, Cyril Ramaphosa, took office four months before Kolisi was appointed captain. He was there during the team’s Paris celebrations and made it apparent that he wanted the team’s unity to be more widely accepted in society.

Ramaphosa stated, “We need more of this, and not just in the domain of sporting achievement,” noting that the proportion of black players in the squad had increased from one in 1995 (the illustrious Chester Williams) to nearly half in the 2023 final.

 

According to Ramaphosa, the team exhibited many of the traits he believes will be necessary to overcome South Africa’s standing as the world’s most unequal nation.

He highlighted that those problems could not be “forgotten or wished away” by the “fleeting moment” of sporting achievement. “The patriotism we display in sports stadiums should be reflected in our approach to overcoming our challenges,” he continued.

“We are all in this together as government, business, labour, civil society and citizens,” said Ramaphosa.

The outcome also brought the president’s opinions into line with those of the Democratic Alliance, an opposition party whose head, John Steenhuisen, issued a Multi-Party Charter declaration endorsing the group’s motto, “Stronger Together.”

“If we unite, nothing can stand in our way,” they declared.

That is undoubtedly true, as many of South Africa’s defeated World Cup opponents will attest.

A Mirror of the Rainbow Nation

Because of what Chulumanco Macingwane of the Gwijo Squad fan movement refers to as a “rebrand” over the last five years—which has allowed players from low-income backgrounds to make unorthodox careers—part of the squad’s appeal to South Africans is their relatability.

Among the players Macingwane mentions is Winger Makazole Mapimpi, who was instrumental in the 2019 victory. He talks about how the squad’s vivid representation of the Rainbow Nation is a result of the diversity of languages and backgrounds present in the locker room.

“It’s incredibly poetic that the Springboks have a black captain now,” Macingwane said to BBC Sport Africa.

“Rugby has made us well-known. It has the same effect on Brazil that football has.

“Rugby provides us a feeling of unity and a cause we can all support, which is why it brings us together.

“If only more of our sporting federations understood that that is exactly what needs to happen.”

After the game, Kolisi admitted that as a child, he “couldn’t have dreamt” of being on the international scene.

“With where we come from, a lot of us shouldn’t be here today,” he stated.

“I play rugby for my own reasons, with my own aspirations and aims. Since I wouldn’t be here without my family and community, I want to make sure I take care of them both.

Some of them are playing for their parents, who are no longer with us. Our nation is what binds us together. You won’t understand it from me.”

Bobby Skinstad, a 2007 World Cup winner and former South Africa international, praises the team’s willingness to take on leadership roles.

Skinstad said on the Rugby Union Daily podcast on BBC Radio 5 Live, “I’m not going to go on a sob story.”

Rugby and South Africa are closely associated. The Springboks are a symbol of their identity and national pride.

It’s incredible that these guys have chosen to represent that culture.

“Yeah, things are difficult, but we can try to improve them or we can try to stand for something greater than ourselves,” they have stated. They’re really good at that.

 

The World Cup trophy is held by Siya Kolisi following South Africa’s triumph over New Zealand in the championship match.

The second captain to win the Rugby World Cup twice is 32-year-old Siya Kolisi.

“It inspires such hope.”

Francois Pienaar, the player who lifted South Africa’s first World Cup, told the BBC before to the competition that he was constantly reminded “on a weekly basis” of the significance of that historic triumph in 1995.

The 56-year-old is told “stories from people in the townships that didn’t like rugby, stood against it [but] started following the game” .

However, he continues to be dissatisfied with the course the nation has taken, just like others.

“For many, their hope has not come true. The ones who suffer are actually the underprivileged and the defenseless.”

Due to the fact that trophy parades to welcome the team home are scheduled for this week in key cities, a sizable number of supporters will seize the opportunity to express their happiness and take a vacation from the hardships of everyday life.

“It’s just not going well, but there will be a big party to welcome the team when they get there,” South African journalist Mo Allie said on Newsday on the BBC World Service.

“We have severe economic issues that affect individuals in our homeland. Every day there are blackouts.

It simply offers the nation so much optimism and something to be happy about.

Politicians have also been forced to think about it since it demonstrates what can happen when people band together and pull in the same direction.

“It just shows the power of sport and what it can do for a nation that is as troubled as South Africa.”