Lessons from the Springboks: ‘They are unapologetically South African’

The face of Springbok rugby from 2018 had three main leads and a world-class supporting cast – the organisation SA Rugby, Rassie Erasmus as director of rugby and Siya Kolisi as captain. The supporting cast included coaching staff and a rugby nation that was getting – in rugby parlance – onside.

Sports editor at Daily Maverick, Craig Ray, together with Stormers coach, John Dobson, and SA Rugby general manager, Dave Wessels, presented the “Lessons from the Springboks” talk at the University of Cape Town’s (UCT) Summer School series on 29 January. They reminded the audience about South Africa’s chequered past with the national rugby team. The emblem of the springbok itself has been the subject of debate, but ever since the 1995 moment when former president Nelson Mandela wore a number six jersey during the final, it has stood the test of time.

And so, when the chips were down once more around 2017 and 2018, there needed to be a new face to the Springboks which represented a forward trajectory. Enter one Kolisi. At the time, he was playing for the Stormers rugby team in Cape Town.

“I could claim that I saw him becoming Springbok captain but no, I could have never imagined he would be,” his former Stormers coach, Dobson, said with levity. “Even when he was with the Stormers, he was a nice guy to everyone and very, very humble.”

Ray added: “I don’t think there was true love [in the past] across the board for the Springboks. Yes, they were the national team and people accepted that but there wasn’t true love.

“The appointment of Kolisi as captain really gave a new image to the Springboks. Not only is he a great player and a great guy, [but] he looks like the majority of South Africans and that resonates with people. He’s really changed the face and look of the Springboks and Erasmus must take a lot of credit for that because it was a bold move at the time [in 2018].”

“You’ve got to stay true to the culture that has made your rugby powerful.”

The appointment of Erasmus and co as coaches by SA Rugby showed a great deal of organisational cohesion, according to Ray. “That has led to a better structure, better cohesion, better coaching and it echoes outwards, and the results are there for all to see. The Springboks stay true to their core values. Former Australia rugby coach Eddie Jones said it best years ago, ‘You’ve got to be culturally sympathetic.’ In other words, you’ve got to stay true to the culture that has made your rugby powerful.”

South Africa is the biggest thing

He continued: “I think the missing ingredient for the Springboks for a long time has been connection – that is, the reason they’re doing what they do, other than winning. They have made South Africa the biggest thing. Not just winning. Yes, winning is the most important thing, but they’re now winning for South Africa, and it comes through authentically. Everything they do feels real. They are unapologetically South African.”

To best illustrate the point, Ray relied on four Cs to speak about the current iteration of the Springboks but added more to the list. The first is connection: “There’s no entitlement. You leave your ego at the door and hold yourselves responsible for those around you. It’s a team that cares for one another and puts the collective above the individual. Craftsmanship: Being brilliant at your job and leading by example. And as good as the guys are, they must put in the work. They must keep working hard because there are several guys snapping at their heels behind them to take their spot.”

“They can’t fix South Africa’s problems, but they are one thing that is the best in the world.”

Ray continued: “The third is clarity: rugby is a complex game with many laws, tactics and techniques, so how do you get the message across? It comes with simplifying complex issues. Following from that is commitment, which, simply put, is not just [on] the field, but it’s also doing extra training and with this iteration of the Springboks it’s gone up an extra level.”

There are more factors which Ray proposes: “Character, then courage. But to get there, there needs to be planning. Then there’s honesty, transparency and accountability. Where does that leave us? With hope. Even in their own words – they can’t fix South Africa’s problems, but they are one thing that is the best in the world. And they show South Africa what excellence really looks like.”