Inside the Boks: Why South Africa send strongest message in sport

For world champions South Africa rugby means more than just 80 minutes once per week. So why are the Boks pushed by culture and a desire to guide a nation?

When Vinicius Jr’s off-the-ball antics in this season’s Clasico caught the attention of fans, some suggested it contributed to his failed attempt to win a first Ballon d’Or. Similarly Novak Djokovic’s stance on Covid-19 vaccines may have tainted some perceptions when it comes to who is the greatest male tennis player of all time.

Sport can be a brutal place where judgements  about who is friend or foe form both over time and instantaneously, but across the spectrum — and despite their enviable success — you’ll find it difficult to see hatred for the faces and personalities behind South Africa’s Springboks.

Sure, Boks fans can rub others up the wrong way and sometimes the team has been labelled as one which gets away with more on the pitch because of who they are. But rugby and South Africa have a long and complex history, and the sport probably means more to the Rainbow Nation than it does to most others.

And that’s why, one presumes, there’s a streak of humility instilled into the Springboks about the wider purpose of their rugby team; less of a sports organisation and more of a social movement.

The South Africa way

“The South African way is that it is not just about us, it is about our country, our people, the people outside of South Africa itself,” says scrum-half Grant Williams, part of their second-half “bomb squad”.

“We’re trying to give back so it has never been just about us. We’ve always tried to help other people and make sure that we inspire where we go. That’s important for us.”

Springbok assistant coach Deon Davids agrees. “We’ve got quite some challenges in South Africa, and we have this ability to unite our country because of the love of the game,” he says. 

“You feel something when you come back from the World Cup and you see just how much the people appreciate you. They say thank you because it means so much to them and for them. 

“It’s good to be part of something where you feel that you contribute to the country, to give people belief that something can be done whatever challenges you face.”

Downtime

Crazy

City AM has been invited to watch the Springboks at a recent training camp in Jersey. The impression is one of close-knit togetherness and that the culture contributes to a ferocious machine on the pitch. They protect each other on it because they’re strong outside of a stadium’s four walls.

“It’s been crazy, I try to make small chat with the okes [Afrikaans for blokes] but I know more about them than they think I know,” says Cameron Hanekom, the only uncapped player in the training squad at the time.

“I’ve been looking up to them since I was a youngster and it’s always been a dream that I never thought I would be able to make a reality. Like my dad said once, the harder you work the luckier you get.”

There is a sense of conquering Everest when you make it into the Springbok squad, an aura of importance associated with it for those lucky enough to be involved. 

Many look back to Nelson Mandela, Francois Pienaar and a nation that came together in 1995 as a founding principle of the culture. Whatever it was, it was capitalised upon by, first, Siya Kolisi lifting the World Cup in Japan, and then South Africa going back-to-back in 2023.

Ruthless dedication

There’s a ruthless dedication to the cause and it is something Thomas du Toit will look to contribute when they rock up in Twickenham to tackle England this weekend.

Du Toit faced Bath teammates Finn Russell and Josh Bayliss in the 32-15 victory over Scotland on Sunday as the Springboks took a step towards completing a first unbeaten end-of-year tour of Europe since 2013.

This weekend he’ll likely come up against more West Country folk in the form of Ollie Lawrence, fellow prop Will Stuart and scrum-half Ben Spencer when the Boks take on England.

Next weekend against Wales, he may encounter young front row Archie Griffin. It makes De Toit a powerful asset for the Boks to have on this tour. 

“I’m quite excited about facing teammates,” he says. “I’m excited to see them play for their countries as well. Obviously we’ve got some quality players at Bath: Finn and Bayliss at Scotland and then all five chaps in the English squad and then Archie being in the Welsh team, that’s going to be very interesting. I’m very happy that he’s back into the mix. 

“You need to use all the information that you’ve got available to you. And just like they’ve got information about me, I’ve got information about them. Hopefully, when you put all of that together, the better team at the end of the day wins.”

South Africa goals

Jordan Hendrikse, whose brother Jaden is also in the squad, says: “We set goals for this year, and up to the World Cup, and of course it’s going three out of three for this autumn series and then [we will] go into next year. Going unbeaten is our goal, and we focus on that.”

Adds Davids: “To be honest it is something that we really would like to achieve for this year. It’s tough coming here for the end of the year, but it’s been done before, and for us, building towards the 2027 World Cup, every Test match in every series that you play is important.”

The Springboks achieved a long-term goal of winning back-to-back World Cups last year in Paris and earlier this year they won their first Rugby Championship since 2019. An unbeaten European tour would top off a stellar 12 months and push them towards the ultimate goal: going down in history as a team that did it all.

The All Blacks are widely seen as achieving that during their back-to-back World Cup wins in the early 2010s, and England have been spoken of in a similar vein for their 2000-2003 team. 

The dominant Bok era has been let down by their Championship performances between World Cups, until now. But the reality is that, away from the field, they’re not just playing for themselves but a society and deeper meaning.

The powerful message

It is fitting that City AM meets the Boks in a dojo because it is a place of both serenity and peacefulness, and pain. That is South African rugby in a nutshell. 

And when you ask each of them what their advice would be to those who look up to them, it varies.

Du Toit insists he’s been picked for what he has done, not something he needs to learn. Hendrikse’s message is one of belief and enjoyment over performance. Coach Davids says it is about accepting you’re good enough, while Williams preaches dedication.

These sound like generic talking points that any youth coach would want to instil into their promising players, but the buy-in from this international team sets them apart from others. They believe they’re playing for more than rugby; they’re playing for a future.

Their compatriot Mandela famously said that sport has the power to change the world, inspire and unite people in a way little else does. 

So when, at 45 minutes this weekend, the South African bomb squad makes an appearance at Allianz Stadium, it will send fear into the eyes of Englishmen and women. But for many in the Rainbow Nation it is a reminder that the work continues. That the job is not done. It’s as powerful a message as a sports team can send.