SOUTH AFRICA’S UNPRECEDENTED RECORD FOURTH RUGBY WORLD CUP WIN GOES FAR BEYOND SPORTING EXCELLENCE – IT WAS A STUDY IN FUTURE PLANNING, ORGANIZATION, LEADERSHIP AND MENTALITY.



South Africa’s record fourth World Cup title was a seminal moment for the game in the country and highlighted the huge strides forward rugby has made in igniting a passion for the game among supporters of all races.



In a country struggling with an electricity crisis, economic downturn, high unemployment, crime and corruption, the Springboks’ 12-11 World Cup final win over New Zealand provided a rare chance to celebrate.



But the win goes far beyond sporting excellence and those who spearheaded it hope it can be a blueprint for success in all walks of South African life.


<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter size-full is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="681" src="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/GettyImages-1763424326.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-60650" style="width:797px;height:auto" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/GettyImages-1763424326.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/GettyImages-1763424326-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/GettyImages-1763424326-768x511.jpg 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">DURBAN, SOUTH AFRICA &#8211; NOVEMBER 04: Fans during the South Africa men&#8217;s national rugby team trophy tour on November 04, 2023 in Durban, South Africa. (Photo by Darren Stewart/Gallo Images)</figcaption></figure></div>


The sight of thousands of adoring supporters lining the streets to see the team on their trophy tour in Soweto, South Africa’s largest township, was particularly striking given how rugby was once perceived to be the sport of the white Afrikaner during apartheid.



Those scenes were replicated across the country and showcase not only the love and admiration supporters have for the side, but also the deep respect for an unprecedented achievement.



The Springboks became the first team to lift the World Cup trophy on four occasions and the win was achieved with much more than skill and physical prowess alone, it was a study in future planning, organization, leadership and mentality. No team has had a harder path to victory, with South Africa meeting each of the other top six sides in the world rankings on their road to the trophy.



One point wins over hosts France, a dogged England and old foes New Zealand in the knockout stages was a test of their character as well as skillset.



Former Springbok flyhalf Joel Stransky kicked the winning drop-goal in extra-time when the side lifted their first World Cup title in front of a beaming Nelson Mandela in 1995.


<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="699" src="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/GettyImages-1761533936.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-60649" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/GettyImages-1761533936.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/GettyImages-1761533936-300x205.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/GettyImages-1761533936-768x524.jpg 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA &#8211; NOVEMBER 03: Siya Kolisi during the South Africa men&#8217;s national rugby team trophy tour on November 03, 2023 in Cape Town, South Africa. (Photo by Ashley Vlotman/Gallo Images)</figcaption></figure></div>


He was in France in a broadcast role and got to see the side operate at close quarters. He explains to FORBES AFRICA in an exclusive interview the secret to their success.



“That tough mentality is born from a few things,” Stransky says. “It comes from the huge effort that goes into what they do, a team spirit and genuine love for each other, and a burning desire to succeed. This team has a wonderful culture. “They work their socks off for each other and leave no stone unturned in preparation for every match. They also have that South African never-say-die attitude where they find a way to win games that other teams cannot. They are an exceptional bunch.”



Eloquent captain Siya Kolisi is a hugely-respected figure in the game around the world and in the aftermath of their victory spoke at length about the unity within the side and the fact that their diversity, with players coming from such different backgrounds, is what binds them together.



“We are a diverse and beautiful team from all walks of life. This trophy is for those who come from tough, disadvantaged areas,” Kolisi said.



“For the kid who needs to know that while things are tough for you, and you can’t afford school fees, you have no shoes to walk to school and no food at home, you can make something out of your life. Even when the situation does not look hopeful.



“We come from those backgrounds, this team represents everybody. We want people to say, ‘who can I look to that has made it from this situation’, and that is us. You can look at this team.”



It was a sentiment echoed by scrumhalf Cobus Reinach, whose upbringing could not have been more different than Kolisi’s, but whose mentality is the same.



“It feels very uniting,” he said. “It is not our trophy, it is everyone in South Africa’s trophy. We might be 33 players (in the World Cup squad), but our driving force is the people of South Africa and we couldn’t have done it without them.”



Kolisi is the undisputed captain of the side but as Stransky points out, successful teams are made up of leadership groups, whose own perspectives and experiences are valued and listened to too.



“In every team you have lots of leadership, especially in the national set-up because there are lots of guys who captain other (club) sides and are natural leaders.


<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter size-full is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="682" src="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/GettyImages-1762113459.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-60050" style="width:836px;height:auto" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/GettyImages-1762113459.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/GettyImages-1762113459-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/GettyImages-1762113459-768x512.jpg 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">PARIS, FRANCE &#8211; OCTOBER 28: Cyril Ramaphosa, President of South Africa, lifts the The Webb Ellis Cup following the Rugby World Cup Final match between New Zealand and South Africa at Stade de France on October 28, 2023 in Paris, France. (Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)</figcaption></figure></div>


“But at the top of the leadership group you are still a proper, genuine captain who is respected and loved by everyone and Siya is that guy.



“As a human being he is just the most amazing guy. He is obviously thorough in his preparation and training, but as a human being he is sensational, and that is why they will follow him to the ends of the earth.”



The world may love Kolisi, but the Springboks are not universally admired despite their success and drew criticism during the tournament for what was viewed as a dour style of rugby and a controversial use of a 7-1 split between forwards and backs on the bench.



The criticism leveled at them is that they are all power and no finesse, and that does not make for an entertaining product for fans.



“Well done to South Africa, the best at not playing rugby,” screamed a headline in New Zealand Herald, while pundits shouted loudly about the bench being against the spirit of the game, and the need to depower scrums, a major weapon of the Springboks.



“When we look back at it in 20 years’ time, no one is going to say, ‘what was the style of play that day’,” Stransky says. “Where our coaching team has been exceptional is that they have looked at the laws of the game and the areas where the referees are focussing on.



“They have said, ‘these are our strengths, so how can we be at our best inside the parameters of the laws’. They have picked horses for courses and played a different game-plan against different opposition when required.”



Director of rugby Rassie Erasmus and departing head coach Jacques Nienaber had to think out of the box after losing key hooker Malcolm Marx early in the tournament, making the inspired decision to bring in flyhalf Handré Pollard as his replacement. He had missed out in the original squad due to a calf injury.


<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter size-full is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="724" src="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/GettyImages-1762435141.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-60047" style="width:680px;height:auto" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/GettyImages-1762435141.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/GettyImages-1762435141-300x212.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/GettyImages-1762435141-768x543.jpg 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">PARIS, FRANCE &#8211; OCTOBER 28: Kurt-Lee Arendse (L) and Damian Willemse of South Africa celebrate their win in the changing rooms following dthe Rugby World Cup France 2023 Gold Final match between New Zealand and South Africa at Stade de France on October 28, 2023 in Paris, France. (Photo by Julian Finney &#8211; World Rugby/World Rugby via Getty Images)</figcaption></figure></div>


There were question marks over the kicking accuracy of Manie Libbok and given that Pollard was successful with all 13 of his kicks at goal, including difficult shots in the knockout rounds, it was perhaps the key decision from the coaching team that led to the win.



But it meant flanker Deon Fourie had to cover at hooker, a position he had not played in five years and never at test level.



His is a remarkable story, having been the oldest Springbok debutant in history at the age of 35 in July 2022. He played 77 minutes of the final in the front row of the scrum after an early injury for starter Bongi Mbonambi and ended up as captain of the side with Kolisi off the field at the final whistle.



“If you had told me two years ago that I would be standing here with a World Cup winner’s medal, I would’ve laughed and said you are smoking some weird stuff,” Fourie says.



“That emotion you saw after the whistle was relief. The last three weeks (of the tournament), winning by one point, it was stressful. Grafting it out at the end.



“There was relief, then happiness, and finally disbelief that I was on the field and winning a World Cup.”



Players like Fourie will inevitably step aside, some immediately and others in a year or two as the team builds towards the next tournament in Australia in 2027. It is the inevitable nature of a World Cup cycle and key for the Springboks will be maintaining their edge through this process.



“I see huge change coming,” Stransky says. “It will be a huge rebuilding process. In that starting line-up (in the final against New Zealand), I counted maybe five or six players who will be at the next World Cup.



“There are others in the squad who will slot in but there are also a lot of empty spaces where we will need to bring in youngsters and build a new team around some of the older hands. It will be a period of transition.”



What the Springboks have achieved is difficult to illustrate fully. Only four teams have won the World Cup in history, and no-one else has done it four times.



But aside from their on-field excellence, it is also their relatability that sets them apart. This is a team without egos, who show that hard work and unifying behind a common goal can bring the ultimate rewards.



“As a team, we want to be a reference point for our people, to show them how we can do it, and hopefully they’ll get hope from this team,” Kolisi said.



“This was not about us as players. This victory was for every South African, and we showed what is possible with this diverse team. “I hope that going forward in business, in everyday life, that we understand that the team only won because we decided to put our different cultures and differences aside and focus on the country. I think that’s the most important thing.”

New Zealand v South Africa: Final – Rugby World Cup France 2023

ROAD TO THE TROPHY: ‘This was not about us as players. This victory was for every South African’

In an electrifying match that had the world on the edge of its seat, South Africa&#8217;s Springboks made history by clinching their fourth Rugby World Cup title. Defeating the formidable New Zealand All Blacks 12-11, the Springboks claimed the Web Ellis Cup for the fourth time.



On October 28, 2023, the Springboks etched their names into the annals of rugby history. For the first time ever, a team hoisted the coveted Webb Ellis Cup four times. The moment was profound, and its ripple effect was felt far beyond the walls of Paris&#8217;s Stade de France. South Africa defeated New Zealand 12-11 in a nail-biting battle for rugby supremacy, marking their fourth win in the history of the Rugby World Cup.


<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter size-full is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="700" src="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/GettyImages-1762438181.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-60048" style="aspect-ratio:1.4628571428571429;width:654px;height:auto" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/GettyImages-1762438181.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/GettyImages-1762438181-300x205.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/GettyImages-1762438181-768x525.jpg 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Photo by Julian Finney &#8211; World Rugby/World Rugby via Getty Images)</figcaption></figure></div>


In 80 tense minutes that could have gone either way, South Africa displayed a level of intensity that was palpable from the get-go. Leading 6-0 just 13 minutes into the game thanks to two penalty goals from flyhalf Handre Pollard, the Springboks signaled their intent early. The All Blacks notched their own penalty goal in the 17th minute, but Pollard&#8217;s third penalty four minutes later kept South Africa ahead; by halftime, the Boks led 12-6.



The New Zealand All Blacks left no room for complacency. Despite being a man down for much of the game due to red cards and injuries, they nearly clinched it. Their first try was disallowed due to a clear knock-on, but when Beauden Barrett scored the first valid try of the match, the tension was almost unbearable.



However, South Africa managed to hold their lead during the All Blacks&#8217; sensational second-half performance, driving the Springboks constantly back toward the try-line but never quite managing to cross it again. By the final bell, South Africa had clinched the victory by a single point.



South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa was on the sidelines of the match itself and joined the team to hoist the Webb Ellis Cup. His office congratulated the team in a statement: &#8220;Stronger Together is a belief that came to life for Springbok supporters all around our country, continent, and the world. Sport has the power to transform lives and lift the spirits of entire nations.&#8221; The President also extended his congratulations to New Zealand for a hard-fought campaign, calling them &#8220;deserving finalists.&#8221;



In South Africa, fans swarmed public venues like the Durban International Conference Centre and Montecasino, many of which reached full capacity hours before kickoff. &#8220;Tonight, Siya Kolisi and the 2023 World Cup champions have gifted us an extraordinary, inspired, and inspiring national achievement that lifts our hearts and hoists our flag even higher,&#8221; President Ramaphosa added.


<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="682" src="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/GettyImages-1762113459.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-60050" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/GettyImages-1762113459.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/GettyImages-1762113459-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/GettyImages-1762113459-768x512.jpg 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Cyril Ramaphosa, President of South Africa, with Springboks. (Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)</figcaption></figure></div>


This win has lifted the gloom of a nation plagued by corruption, power outages, and social strife, allowing South Africans, for a moment, to dare to dream again. &#8220;We found a way,&#8221; said Springbok Captain Kolisi in the post-match interview, still breathless from the game. &#8220;Honestly, I don’t think people not from South Africa understand what this means for our country… Our country goes through a lot, and we are that glimmer of hope that they have.&#8221;


<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="alignleft size-full is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="724" src="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/GettyImages-1762435141.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-60047" style="aspect-ratio:1.4143646408839778;width:462px;height:auto" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/GettyImages-1762435141.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/GettyImages-1762435141-300x212.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/GettyImages-1762435141-768x543.jpg 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">(Photo by Julian Finney &#8211; World Rugby/World Rugby via Getty Images)</figcaption></figure></div>


As the dust settles on this monumental victory, one thing is abundantly clear: the Springboks have done more than win a tournament; they&#8217;ve won the hearts of a nation desperate for unity and triumph. And that, perhaps, is the greatest victory of all.

South Africa’s Springboks Make History with Fourth Rugby World Cup Win: A Nation Rejoices

After their epic win beating England at the 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan on November 2, the Springboks returned home to South Africa, undertaking a nation-wide tour, in an open-top bus, holding high the Webb Ellis Cup. In this image, in the township of Soweto, they pass the iconic Vilakazi Street with throngs of screaming, cheering residents and Springbok fans lining the street. The sport united the racially-divided country. For the third time in history, the South African national rugby team was crowned world champions.



Image by Motlabana Monnakgotla

Boks 298

The Springboks And The Cup Of Good Hope

The Welwitschias are committed to world cup glory, and to elevate other structures within Namibian rugby.



<hr class="wp-block-separator"/>



Namibia’s 20-year hunt&nbsp;&nbsp;
for a victory at the Rugby World Cup will continue in Japan later this
year, where Africa’s second best rugby nation face a daunting pool that
includes ‘big brother’ South Africa and defending champions New Zealand.



Namibia have shown a marked improvement in recent
tournaments and swept to qualification for the 2019 World Cup in emphatic style
by lifting the Rugby Africa Gold Cup, a competition that does not include the
Springboks.



Under Welsh coach Phil Davies, who will be leading the team for the second time at the global showpiece tournament, Namibian rugby has improved in leaps and bounds, even while the country’s union struggles with funds to keep the game afloat.



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The Welwitschias, as the side are known, have lost all 19
previous games at the World Cup since their first qualification in 1999, but in
the last tournament in England scored their most points (70) and conceded their
fewest (174) in a pool that also included eventual winners New Zealand.



“We are positive we can continue to make improvements at the
World Cup and get that first win,” Corrie Mensah, president of the Namibia
Rugby Union, told FORBES AFRICA in an exclusive interview from Windhoek.



“Together with the head coach [Davies], we have mapped out a
plan for the build-up to the tournament and already have most of our players
together in camp.



“We have a tough program, the guys know they have to work hard to be part of our World Cup plans, but the preparation is there, the structures are in place and we are looking forward to a big year for Namibian rugby.”



The side open their World Cup campaign against Italy, in
Higashiōsaka on September 22, before a clash with the Springboks in Toyota, six
days later and another encounter against the All Blacks in Tokyo on October 6.



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But the game the team will, realistically, be targeting for
their first victory is the match-up with fellow minnows Canada, in their final
pool match in Kamaishi a week later.



“Our main objective is to get that first World Cup win,”
Mensah says. “That would be a big moment for Namibian rugby and another sign
that we are on an upward curve. I think then we could call our tournament a
success.



“The second objective is to try and be competitive against
the All Blacks, Springboks and Italy. If we can do that, with a fraction of the
resources of those sides, then we can say we are punching above our weight.”



Namibia will compete in the 2019 World Rugby Nations Cup in
Uruguay in June along with the hosts, Romania and Russia, which will give them
three matches against fellow second-tier nations.



They then defend their title in the African Gold Cup, before
playing a couple of World Cup warm-up games that have yet to be confirmed.



The team will also play in South Africa’s domestic
SuperSport Rugby Challenge, a tournament that has proven vital in giving their
players quality, competitive matches that they would, simply, not get at home.



But while the team continues to show improvement on the
pitch, Mensah admits that it has been a hard slog off it to keep Namibian
rugby’s development goals in place.



“The biggest challenge we face is a financial one and the allocation of grants from World Rugby should be used in the right areas,” Mensah says.



<blockquote class="wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow">“High performance grants should go to high performance protocols, development funds likewise. Making sure we do that is a major commitment we have made.”<cite> Corrie Mensah </cite></blockquote>



Mensah has also committed to improving other structures
within Namibian rugby, away from the senior men’s team.



“We have had major difficulties, with the economic slump in
the country, in terms of attracting sponsorship, which has had a major impact
on our league structures.



“Women’s rugby is non-existent in Namibia, but it is part of
our strategic plan to get it off the ground. 



The place to start is with regional teams, which we are
seeking to do this year, and then, hopefully, in future that filters down to
club sides.”



Mensah is also hoping to improve Namibia’s Sevens
structures, with that version of the game growing in popularity around the
world.



“With Sevens … it is about creating a whole new culture
around it because it is not something that is traditional to Namibian rugby. 



“It is part of our three and five-year strategic plans, but
again the funding for that kind of development is a challenge. We need to get
players into an academy structure and work with them constantly, but that all
costs a lot of money.”



In many ways, Namibia, with a population of 2.6-million is
already punching above their weight just to be at the World Cup, especially
with their fiscal challenges.



But how far they can go in terms of developing rugby in the country is an exciting prospect, and a good showing in Japan will confirm that they are a nation on the rise.



-Nick Said

gettyimages-989670358-594×594

Namibia To Kick It Up A Notch

South Africa mourns the death of its Rugby World Cup hero Joost van der Westhuizen who fought motor neuron disease, with the same aggression he showed on the rugby field. Van der Westhuizen was diagnosed in 2011 and succumbed on February 6. Many remember Van der Westhuizen from his heroic show when he threw his body at All Blacks bully winger Jonah Lomu, denying them a 1995 World Cup victory at Ellis Park stadium, in Johannesburg.
On that day June 24, 1995, millions of South Africans, many watching rugby for the first time, watched the final against the 1987 World Cup winners. Both teams were undefeated. The match was a bookie’s headache.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-medium wp-image-4648" src="/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/GettyImages-188052620-300x209.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="209" />
The All Blacks menacing winger Lomu, a 120-kilogram giant, was the man to mark. The 20-year-old carried his team throughout the tournament. He crashed his way to becoming the tournament’s top try scorer. But the Springbok scrumhalf Van der Westhuizen, who stood at 1.88 meters and weighed 88 kilograms, was having none of it. Undoubtedly, he was the best scrumhalf that ever played in my lifetime. On defence, a scrumhalf is the weakest link, but Van der Westhuizen reinvented the position. He was what the coaches call an extra flank. The opposition avoided breaking in his channel because he scared you with his green eyes before destroying you, ball and all, with his massive shoulders.
Needless to say, Van der Westhuizen stole the spotlight as he cut down the aggressive attacks from Lomu. At full-time the game ended at 9-9, no tries. Seven minutes before the end of extra time, Van der Westhuizen picked up the ball behind a moving scrum and unleashed a bullet pass to the hands of Joel Stransky who booted it to victory.
In November 1993, a young Van der Westhuizen made his debut for the Springboks against Argentina, and within two years he was a fixture in the team. He captained the Boks 10 times and scored 38 tries in 89 test matches.
It is rare for a South African player to represent only one province, Van der Westhuizen played for one team only – the Blue Bulls of Pretoria.
In 2009, almost six years after retiring from the sport, all the good work that Van der Westhuizen did came close to destruction when a video with a blonde woman in a compromising position was leaked to the media. In the video he wore only underwear while sniffing white powder, believed to be cocaine. After denying it for some time, Van der Westhuizen manned up and admitted he was the man in the video. But that could not salvage his marriage to his popstar wife, Amor Vittone, who wanted a divorce.
Shortly after the devastating separation, the big-hearted Van der Westhuizen lost weight and   was diagnosed with motor neuron disease in 2011. From then on he became a different champion, this time off the field. Van der Westhuizen dedicated his time to raising awareness about the disease. The J9 Foundation was formed – the name was in honor of his scrumhalf position.
Van der Westhuizen epitomized fighting spirit on and off the field.
“It’s a reminder that I achieved a lot in my lifetime. It’s a reminder of success. It’s actually a reminder of what it took for us a team to win the World Cup, if I can take that characteristic into my personal life in trying to fight this disease. That’s what I am doing at this stage,” said Van der Westhuizen before his death.
His former Springbok captain, Francois Pienaar, spoke at his memorial service in Pretoria.
“Joost loved winning, he was a competitor… In the times of amateur rugby, Joost had professional mind-set and discipline… Captaining Joost was incredibly easy and incredibly difficult. He always pushed the boundaries. An individual spirit that would do anything for his teammates. On the field he played like a rock star. Off the field he partied like a rock star. He was after all a rock star. He was funny and bloody naughty,” says Pienaar.
Apparently he was truly the naughty guy among his teammates. One of the tales says Van der Westhuizen sneaked under the table and tied teammates’ shoelaces together.
He was 45 years old and is survived by his two children, Jordan and Kylie, and his mother Mariana and father Gustav, and two brothers.

The Life Of A  Brave Fighter Who Could Be Naughty

It was never going to be a normal night. I remember my friend getting his South African rugby cap autographed by Springbok wing James Small just before our shift, among the bottles, glasses and bustle of a Johannesburg restaurant, started. A few hours earlier, South Africa won the Rugby World Cup for the first time, beating New Zealand’s All Blacks in the final and sparking a massive party around the country. The players were in a party mood as well and decided to have some drinks where I worked. It was a memorable night and something that was only possible before professionalism gripped rugby.
I was in my second year of studying graphic design, and paying it off by working as a waiter at one of the busiest restaurants in Johannesburg. Storyville was reputed for its Cajun cuisine, celebrities and a dance floor that often only died down when the kitchen started serving breakfast. I always wanted to be the barman because they earned around three times as much as the waiters.
The crowds poured in, most of them already drunk from celebrating the Springbok victory, making it difficult to navigate from the bar to the balcony.
I remember the piercing shrieks of the fans as Small and his Springbok teammate Kobus Wiese arrived at the club. They arrived with a handful of the All Black players they had just beaten, including Jonah Lomu, Zinzan Brooke and Sean Fitzpatrick. After some high fives and handshakes, they disappeared into the heaving mass of revellers.
Around a week before, I saw Lomu having lunch with a young blonde girl at a restaurant next door. I was told that he met a South African girl and fallen madly in love with her. I remember thinking it was quite rock ‘n roll of him. The New Zealander, then, seemed like a blissful giant with a delicate flower in his hands. But now Lomu was talking to another colossus, the two-meter-tall Wiese, at the end of the bar. It seemed like they were reliving the intense battle they shared hours before at Ellis Park, a 20-minute drive away.
The club was heaving, it was almost impossible to make your way towards the exit. I went through the kitchen to the back for a cigarette when one of the managers asked me to help behind the bar. Finally, I had my chance. I flicked my smoke away and ran in to help. Small decided he would help as well. He jumped behind the bar, took his shirt off and haphazardly served drinks to the ladies.
Behind the bar, the sludge from spilled drinks soaked my feet while broken glass was piling up in a corner. Smoke was thick in the air and the bar was bursting with thirsty customers.
I had a searing headache and was trying to think straight while looking at a slip that a waiter had given me. I felt like I was forgetting something but I was distracted by something in the corner of my eye. I looked across the bar – Fitzpatrick, the All Black captain, was dancing on a table to a Michael Jackson song, attracting the attention of all the ladies. I still, however, had a nagging feeling that I was forgetting something.
I decided to escape the chaos and made my way to the kitchen when a hand grabbed my shirt and dragged me back. I could feel the short, prickly hairs of his fingers on the back of my neck. I am a big guy, but the sheer strength of my assailant made me feel helpless. It was Brooke, the gigantic All Black, reaching from the corner of the bar.
I suddenly remembered him ordering a fruit juice a while ago. Still clutching my shirt, he brought his large head close to my ear and explained sternly that, although he was a patient man, he was concerned that he had to wait 20 minutes for a juice. The calmness on his face was more frightening than the wrath he was capable of unleashing. I wriggled out of his grasp and said that the orange juice was coming while slowly moving away from him. As I looked for a glass, he grabbed me again. “One mango juice, please,” he said from his unsmiling mouth.
That’s when I learned not to mess with an All Black, especially when thirsty after they’ve lost the most important match of their life.

Never Turn Your Back On A Thirsty All Black

There are two African countries playing in the Rugby World Cup. One is a powerhouse of the world, the other a minnow; neither is likely to win.
South Africa and Namibia carry the continent’s hopes when the tournament begins in England on September 19. The best Namibia can hope for is a headline-grabbing upset. South Africa are expected to win every time they play. That’s where the problem lies; they haven’t won an official match this year. Narrow defeats to arch-enemies Australia and New Zealand were followed by a first loss to Argentina.
<div id="attachment_4051" style="width: 173px" class="wp-caption alignleft"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-4051" class="size-medium wp-image-4051" src="/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/unnamed-1-163x300.jpg" alt="" width="163" height="300" />Schalk Burger (C) of the Springboks during the Castle Lager Rugby Championship match South Africa v New Zealand at Emirates Airline Park, Johannesburg South Africa Saturday 25 July 2015. Photo by: Christiaan Kotze/SASPA</div>
The embarrassment of this result was coupled with fury from the rugby-mad South African public. Just weeks before the World Cup starts, there were calls for the coach, Heyneke Meyer, to be sacked. It also reignited the debate on quotas. Labor union, Cosatu, former Springbok coach, Peter de Villiers, and journalists joined the uproar over the lack of black players in the national team.
A lack of transformation has always been a criticism the sport endures in South Africa. Although there have been high-profile black players in the green-and-gold jersey, such as World Cup winners Bryan Habana and Chester Williams, they are still too few. Critics say a country with a black majority should reflect this in its rugby team.
Meyer denies any racial bias in his selections, claiming players are chosen on merit. The only way to silence his critics, perhaps, is to win a record third title for South Africa.
Former Springbok player, Jan Boland Coetzee, is not giving up on a South Africa that is given little chance.
“In modern times, any team can beat any other team on any day; it just depends on the team. But you need to put yourself in the way of luck. Luck won’t come to you. You prepare properly and you play properly, and you can change your game-plan while playing,” he says.
Fans are praying he is right.

Green And Gold But Not Black Enough

Broad and tall, Francois Pienaar is a big man in every sense of the word. A man who ploughs his own furrow. He muscled his way to win the Rugby World Cup before millions of viewers and nearly 20 years later had the guts to dress up as a potato chip in a Lays commercial.
“Sometimes you will be remembered for that, not for the rugby career. When I check-in at the airport the lady at the counter would look at me and say: ‘Oh, the Lays guy,’” says Pienaar.
In many ways, Pienaar is an enigma. He is the law graduate who never argued a case; the conservative Afrikaaner who led his reluctant players to coach black youngsters in the townships; a man as South African as a springbok, who now spends most of his life outside of the country. On the way, he is trying to find the next Pienaar destined for rugby glory.
The image of Pienaar accepting the World Cup trophy from former president Nelson Mandela, dressed in a number six jersey, is one that lived long in the memory.
“Seeing Mr Mandela wearing my jersey was very incredible, emotional and humbling,” says Pienaar.
Overnight Pienaar became a household name through that unifying moment—an Afrikaaner and a former political prisoner together.
“For Mandela to ask everyone in the country to support the Springboks as their team was unusual but also visionary. The 1995 story was a story about human triumph, where a country that was much divided got an opportunity to celebrate together. All religions and creeds became world champions for the first time.”
The celebrity status stuck. In March this year, Pienaar the businessman shared a stage with Steve Wozniak, the co-founder of Apple, and Jordan Belfort, the American stockbroker, at the South African Success Summit in Johannesburg, before 5,000 delegates.
Pienaar and Belfort grew up worlds apart but both saw their life stories told by Hollywood. In the 2009 movie Invictus, Matt Damon played Pienaar. Leonardo DiCaprio played Belfort in The Wolf of Wall Street.
The only disappointment about the movie for Pienaar was the rugby.
“It’s the human story of how South Africa came together and there are a lot of emotional scenes that I like about it but I don’t like the rugby scenes. They are awful. If you played the game, rugby is more beautiful than what is shown in the movie. But, I can understand it was made for the American audiences.”
Pienaar has business interests in university sports development, media and entertainment but says his initiative, Make A Difference Foundation (MAD), is his way of giving back to the poor. Pienaar is the chairman of MAD and it enjoys the support of other former international captains, such as David Kirk, the first winner of the World Cup for New Zealand in 1987, John Eales of Australia, Martin Johnson of England, John Smit of South Africa and Nick Farr-Jones of Australia.
“Make A Difference gives back to the poor people. We founded it 10 years ago in order to help kids in the townships and impoverished areas,” he says.
“We get them to good schooling and give them financial backing to achieve success. One of our first learners we brought on board will be receiving an engineering degree at Harvard University this year,” says Pienaar.
Pienaar says these days he lives for sport development. He runs a business called Varsity Rugby which was founded in 2008. It gave birth to the Varsity Cup tournament, in which eight universities compete. A second tier competition, the Varsity Shield, arrived in 2011 and was then followed by the under-20 category, Young Guns.
“I am passionate about sport. My first love at school was cricket but rugby took over. I have been very privileged to see how sport can change people; it can transform people as well as communities and a country.”
Varsity Rugby not only makes money, Pienaar says it has produced nine Springboks (players that have represented South Africa internationally) and hundreds of professionals in the domestic leagues.
“Sport is powerful; it can unite or divide a nation. Rugby in the years of apartheid divided us and in the democracy it united us.”
Pienaar was among the first group of South African rugby players to play in Europe. He signed with Saracens in London and became CEO of the club, before returning to Africa to live in Cape Town.
He thinks it is naïve to stand in the way of players who want to maximize their earning potential in the richer overseas leagues. This is the exercising of freedom that Mandela would no doubt have approved of.

What Mandela’s Captain Did Next

Money, money everywhere—what a contrast to the first time an African nation won the trophy 16 years ago in the twilight of the amateur game.
<div id="attachment_111" style="width: 484px" class="wp-caption alignleft"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-111" class="size-large wp-image-111" src="/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/Morne-657x1024.jpg" alt="" width="474" height="739" />February 1980. South African rugby legend and Springbok rugby captain Morne du Plessis.</div>
On 24 June 1995, a collection of South African schoolteachers, estate agents and business professionals achieved something very rare; they won the Rugby World Cup on home soil at the first time of asking. What a different game it was just over 16 years ago. At the time, toplevel rugby in the world was run as an amateur sport with players being paid under the table through so-called ‘shamateurism’. On the field, the forwards were a heavy-footed collection of giants and portly gentlemen, who pummeled each other in the scrums and loose, while the backs were a group of lithe speedsters who claimed all the glory. Modestly built men such as Wilf Rosenberg and Hugh Bladen were masters of the sidestep and looked it up the middle’, in the manner of England’s Mike Tindall, France’s
Mathieu Bastareaud or the imposing All Black No 12—Ma’a Nonu. That golden tournament in 1995 will be remembered for Mandela in a Springbok jersey, a last-gasp winning kick from Joel Stransky and a juggernaut of a man called Jonah Lomu.
Here was a 20-year-old man from New Zealand. He was 1.96 meters and around 120 kilograms and yet played on the wing, where he struck fear into the hearts of those who dared get in his way. One Springbok said the mere sight of Lomu striding from the team bus listening to music through oversized headphones put the fear of God into him. Lomu arguably won the semi-final for the All Blacks by shellacking England, in the process bulldozing their tough fullback, Mike Catt, to score four tries in a 45-29 victory. The sport had rarely seen such an athlete and Lomu’s explosive impact pushed the game towards professionalism within a year.
Cut to 2011: the Springboks are in New Zealand to defend the Webb Ellis trophy and a small player in the backline is a rarity. There are now more like four or five ‘Jonahs’ on a team. Players spend five days a week, eight hours a day, working at their game. Highly paid fitness experts, sports psychologists and doctors all play a huge part in preparing players for peak performance and for this there is one requirement—money. Compared to 1995, the present day South African Rugby Union (SARU) is awash with money. According to its financial report for 2010, SARU had R102 million ($14.6 million) in cash reserves, with R82 million ($11.7 million) of these cash reserves attributable to deferred broadcasting and sponsorship revenue.
Television has put many times more money into the coffers of rugby and its players than gate receipts ever could. On top of that, the South African team has three hefty sponsors: Absa, Canterbury and BMW are all pouring millions into the game. Former Springbok captain Morne
Du Plessis, who played from 1971 to 1980 and was also the manager of thevictorious ’95 South African team, believes that although players these days are well paid, the salaries are nowhere near those of professional footballers. “It’s a different game now. It’s a profession. It’s from 08h00 to 17h00— even more. We were amateurs, we practised twice a week,” says Du Plessis. “If you look at footage from my day, it looks like a different sport now. The skills today and the strength is something to behold, the guys today are just so powerful. Professionalism and money in the sport has made it a better sport.”
<div id="attachment_110" style="width: 484px" class="wp-caption alignleft"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-110" class="size-large wp-image-110" src="/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/Trophy-689x1024.jpg" alt="" width="474" height="704" />24 Jun 1995: South African rugby captain Francois Pienaar receives the William Webb Wellis Trophy from President Nelson Mandela after they defeated New Zealand to win the Rugby World Cup Final at Ellis Park, Johannesburg, South Africa. Mandatory Credit: Dave Rogers /Allsport</div>
Looking to the World Cup, Du Plessis, who led the Springboks, is optimistic about the defending champions’ chances. “Don’t take anything that happened in the Tri-Nations as a marker for the World Cup. There are probably three important matches at the World Cup—the quarter final, the semi-final and the final. To be ready on those days will be key. I think we will go in as underdogs but I believe it’s the best position we play from. “I think we can do it. We’ll be up against the Australians and the All Blacks, the Irish team is to be reckoned with and England is also a good team. There are no real favorites,” adds Du Plessis. The final will be on October 23. For South Africa it is the chance of retaining the trophy and winning it for a third time in the land that bore the mighty Jonah Lomu. Win or lose, the Springboks will return home with bigger bank balances than the heroes of ’95 could ever dream of.
<div id="attachment_109" style="width: 484px" class="wp-caption alignleft"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-109" class="size-large wp-image-109" src="/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/Rugby-1024x809.jpg" alt="" width="474" height="374" />New Zealand winger Jonah Lomu is tackled by South African scrumhalf Joost Van der Westhuizen during the Rugby World Cup final played against New Zealand June 24. On left is South African centre Hennie le Roux, on right No 8 Mark Andrews</div>

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