The formidable South African rugby union team, the Springboks, defeated the New Zealand rugby union team, the All Blacks, 12–11, to seal victory in an exciting Rugby World Cup final at the Stade de France on Saturday, October 27.

With a record four global Cup triumphs (1995, 2007, 2019, and 2023), the Springboks are the current global champions and are ranked #1 in rugby. They are only the second country (after their fierce rivals, the All Blacks) to win the World Cup twice in a row (in 2019 and 2023). They are also the second most successful rugby team in history. However, the issue still stands: how did South Africa get to this high? And how did a team that symbolized the Afrikaner heartland (and apartheid) come to be embraced by South Africans of all colors? 

Before we delve deeper, let’s relive the moment the Springboks became the greatest rugby team in the world … again:

There is no sport more important in South Africa than rugby. It has influenced the history and culture of the nation, and the Springboks are a representation of pride and unanimity among all South Africans. Nelson Mandela saw rugby’s ability to promote a sense of shared national pride and decrease tensions between Black and White South Africans. As seen in the documentary The Real Invictus: How Nelson Mandela unified South Africa through sport, available on the CBC News YouTube channel, Mandela inspired the country to come together prior to the 1995 Rugby World Cup, marking a significant turning point in the nation’s sports and historical narrative.

The nation’s repressive white minority rule is still associated with the Springbok shirt, nonetheless, for some people.

History of rugby in South Africa

The Afrikaner National Party, a political organization predominately composed of Afrikaners—South Africans descended from Dutch, German, and French settlers—rose to power in 1948, ushering in the apartheid system. The party wanted to create a government that supported the white minority because it thought that group was superior. Racial segregation was institutionalized as a result of the white minority’s control over all spheres of South African life, including politics, society, and the economy.

An report by Farrel Evans claimed that there was a close relationship between this party and the national rugby team. For the first 90 years of its existence, the squad was known to only have white players. The party saw the team’s success as its own and sometimes used the team as a way to promote its own members into political positions.

Since 1906, the rugby team’s mascot, the Springbok gazelle, has represented the National Party during apartheid. In order to unite the country, Mandela pursued a conciliatory approach that would have allowed Afrikaners to retain this icon, despite the wishes of Black South Africans to have it destroyed.

When South Africa, a recently democratic country, hosted the World Cup in 1995, the team played for the first time. An important event in South African history, the 1995 Rugby World Cup final between South Africa and New Zealand represented togetherness following the end of apartheid.

After nearly 28 years, South Africa is the current global champion team. They have won the global Cup four times, more than the All Blacks, to tie for the most trophies in history. Given that the nation’s apartheid rule prevented them from competing in the first two World Cups (1987 and 1991), this accomplishment is especially remarkable. The inspiring Siya Kolisi—the first Black man to captain the national team—led the Springboks to victory in the 2019 and 2023 World Cups. This denotes yet another important turning point in the history of rugby in the country.

In a country with a population of over 60 million, rugby is the most popular sport in South Africa, second only to football (soccer). The game has a fan base of around 10 million. The fact that South Africa has the second-highest number of registered players worldwide—after England—with over 804,279 players, speaks volumes about the popularity of this sport in the nation.

A Ruby Pod YouTube video claims that South Africa’s outstanding rugby infrastructure, which includes top-notch fields, coaching facilities, and opportunities, is the reason for the nation’s domination in the sport.

The film also emphasized how, in contrast to other nations, South Africa’s school, college, and university rugby systems are viewed primarily as professional, acting as a major platform for aspiring players to make an impression. For example, since its inception in 1964, Craven Week has trained schoolboys at a level above regular school rugby, serving as a talent pool for regional sides. Rugby talent scouts now use the competition as a breeding ground for the next wave of rising talents.

Numerous rugby networks that cover professional matches in addition to club, university, and school rugby highlight how seriously rugby is taken in South Africa.

University rugby is also essential; every university takes it very seriously and has its own house team, league, age group, and academy. At every level, from professional leagues to private school fields, South African rugby is still dominated by white players in a nation where the majority is Black. Concerns regarding inclusivity are still raised by this racial discrepancy.

It’s clear that South Africa has a strong rugby culture, regardless of any competitive advantages that the nation may possess. Their culture has been shaped by it over history, becoming an integral part of their DNA.The nation’s unity and passion for the game have been greatly aided by the nation’s achievements on the global stage, particularly in World Cup competitions.

Mandela’s influence on rugby in his country is unforgettable. While he did not alter the game or the Springbok symbol, he redefined the meanings attached to them, transforming rugby into a unifying force for all of South Africa — both on and off the pitch.