Some South Africans once loudly cheered the All Blacks against their own country. On the eve of the Rugby World Cup final, do the Springboks finally represent the entire Rainbow Nation?
There was tension in Cape Town ahead of the opening game of the Rugby World Cup in 1995. One year into the presidency of Nelson Mandela, the Springboks took to the field in Newlands for to kick off the tournament against the defending world champions, Australia.
Mandela walked out onto the field as the teams lined up for the anthems. Former Springbok captain and 1995 team manager Morne du Plessis was stunned at what he heard.Nelson, Nelson, Nelson They made their way to the final at Ellis Park, Johannesburg against a deeply fancied All Blacks team led by an indomitable winger called Jonah Lomu.
Japie Mulder was a tough-tackling centre for South Africa in 1995 and still lives near Ellis Park. He says he is still asked by strangers to relive the final at least once a day. Mulder knew that something incredible was happening in the country, but it was only in the days and weeks after the final that he came to fully understand the cultural significance of the victory.
“Everybody, whether they are black, white or coloured, they are behind the Boks – and that makes a big difference in this country.” “There was always this residual hatred of the Springboks among many in the black community, and particularly in the coloured community who are traditionally, and I’m generalising here, more into rugby than black South Africans, where soccer is obviously king,” Robbie said.
Robbie is uncomfortable using racial classifications but insists they are necessary when talking about the difficult past of his adopted country. Sadly, present-day South Africa still faces significant challenges. Tobias has seen a gradual shift of opinion regarding the Springboks and is proud of what the team has come to represent today.
“There are still a few that support the All Blacks, but they are slowly but surely moving over to support South Africa as a nation,” Tobias said.
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