South Africa too proud to break
Chris Waldburger tells us why he feels the Springbok will leap proudly once more, in the not too distant future.
If England thought Saturday's defeat to Argentina was the nadir, they hadn't reckoned on Sunday's papers. Look away now if your name is Andy Robinson…
As the Springboks falter and splutter from year to year with temporary highs seemingly providing only false dawns, one is forced to wonder why any of us South Africans even continue to watch and this support this great game.
But therein lies the answer. It is a great game. And what's more, South Africa is a great rugby nation. No bungled administration, no troubled coach, no poor selection can ultimately have the final say. We will bounce back, the Springbok will re-emerge.
Danie Craven once noted that rugby is a fellowship. Never is this more evident than in the way the other proud rugby nations of the world continue to respect us no matter how low we sink.
Truth be told, our rugby has never really been the same after the 1999 Rugby World Cup. It is not this article's task, however, to delve into a sordid analysis of our rugby's tribulations. But in the midst of this, our New Zealand and Australian counterparts have always wanted a competitive Springbok.
In 2004, New Zealand noted that the return of a competitive Springbok side was welcome, despite the prospect of defeat.
In 2006, Richie McCaw, in all his interviews after defeating the Springboks, commented that the match was "real test rugby", even when it didn't seem that way on our part.
Rugby is indeed a fellowship – before it is a business – and South Africa forms an integral part of this global fellowship. We have a specific place in this fellowship, and that is near the top. Perhaps not always at the top, but surely always leading the way in terms of how we play the game and in our attitude towards the game and toward other teams.
As I write, one feels that South African rugby pauses pregnantly, on the eve of a World Cup year, on the eve of a tussle with what should be a below-par English side. Our rugby is pregnant with failure, but, as always, it is pregnant with redemption.
One thinks only of one Luke Watson, captain of the fabled Western Province – set to once again play with the vivacity and tenacity with which history and tradition commands them play – and one realises that there is a future. Ultimately the destructive forces in our rugby will not be overcome by the passion of those who have a genuine love for South African rugby, and desire to see it at its best, in all facets – a truly national sport that shines internationally.
One thinks of our Super 14 sides, currently in training for next year's competition.
All of them have made gigantic strides this season. The Stormers and the newly-named Lions look poised for resurgence; the Cheetahs under the inspirational Rassie Erasmus look set for higher honours; the Sharks possess enormously exciting youth; while the Bulls in recent years have managed to pull themselves out of the doldrums, making Loftus one of the most intimidating places to play in the world.
It would seem, in the midst of strife, that our rugby stands on the cusp of something great. Something that is bigger than the politics of a national coach or a national board.
One of our great heroes, Kitch Christie, when he took the helm only months before the 1995 World Cup, remarked that he was being asked to do "an ambulance job". His "ambulance job" brought about our greatest sporting triumph. The world stood up when Nelson Mandela, wearing the green and gold, cheered his team onto an impossible victory.
There are lessons to be learnt in that.
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