- What a weekend it was for our little country on the Southern tip of Africa.
- Brad Binder, the Proteas, and of course our netball ladies are holding their own against Australia. It also helps that the Poms are getting some special treatment at the Cricket World Cup.
- Speaking of world cups – VIVA VIVA VIVA to Siya and the lads on bringing home a record 4th William Webb Ellis trophy.
- All of which brings me neatly to the brand that is “the Springboks”
- Besides winning a record 4th cup, back to back for the last two, they have achieved something even more remarkable.
- They have managed to unite an entire country behind them – yes, even the EFF has had to change their tune.
- When one looks at the history of the Springbok emblem, you can only marvel at what this team has been able to achieve.
- The Springbok brand was once a very divisive emblem in our country.
- It was not that long ago that some politicians were hell bent on removing the Springbok emblem from the bookshelves of history.
- It was seen as an emblem of the past, the last vestige of white domination.
- Court cases, angry debates, loud opinion, but yet the little Springbok held on , much like the current team, it refused to give up.
- President Mandela was one of the first to realize that our troubled nation needed something to galvanize the entire public. Something that all 60 million of us could get behind.
- And for the last 5 years this team has built upon the legacy of the 1995 winning team.
- In 2018 our rugby team resembled some of Mike Tysons opponents in his heyday. Beaten regularly, we were slowly sinking down the rankings and given no hope.
- Five years and two world cups later they have managed to provide an entire country with much needed hope for our future.
- To be sure none of their achievements will change the nature of our many problems.
- But what they have done is to provide a blueprint for future success for South Africa as a nation.
- And none of this success is coincidental.
- The new management team introduced in 2018 changed everything about the Springbok setup.
- And much of that change revolved around the culture of the organization that represents SA’s elite rugby team.
- One team one dream became the motto…let the main thing be the main thing. Set your egos and your prejudices aside and focus on the goal.
- And in five years, from the depths of despair they are being hailed in some circles as the greatest rugby team of all time.
- Its telling that only one Springbok made the team of the World Cup. For sure, the other 32 team mates would not care – the SA team after all, is the winner of the tournament.
- Such a historic divisive emblem has now become the symbol of hope for an entire nation.
- It shows what can be achieved for our Country if we all just manage to wind our necks in and set our historic differences aside and focus on the goal.
- It shows what can be achieved when masterful leadership is put in place.
- It shows what can be done in a relatively short space of time.
- I have to pay credit to a very classy All Blacks team.
- 4 years ago the losing finalists couldn’t wait to divest themselves of the silver medals – The Kiwis did not stoop to that level.
- One of the greatest rivalries in sport delivered a marvelous spectacle of competition.
- We would all do well to take some lessons and learnings from the entire experience.
- In a few weeks’ time, we may well be celebrating a double world championship. The Proteas seem to be drawing some inspiration from the rugby players. A man can dream!!!
- A Country can dream.
