The Boks are just a team, standing in front of the world, asking it to love them

Or, 'stop talking s**t about our country, man'

In the team hotel wee hours of October 29 last year, with the golden glow of the World Cup winners trophy Springbok Director of Rugby Rassie Erasmus spoke to his players.

“We were all tired and we were actually emotionally buggered. When we sat there, everyone said how great it was. The cup was there, everyone having a drink and I said, ‘Guys, can we go back to South Africa and not fall back into the trap? Somebody talks kak about the country and you keep your mouth shut or you just say, Ah, everything is fucked up in South Africa.’

“Can you say, ‘No, no, we can fix it. Let’s give this guy a chance.’ If you’re a farmer, a teacher or just a rugby player, can you take this away from here because people will listen to you? And if you’re not an outgoing person or someone who can talk like that, just pull that person aside, say, ‘Stop talking shit about our country, man.’ The players said, ‘Yes, for sure, we can.’ Because it was the people that carried us through the World Cup.”

It’s a scene out of Chasing the Sun 2, the documentary of the Springboks journey at the World Cup, which David Walsh of The Sunday Times of London has “watched and rewatched”. The Boks are an example for Steve Borthwick and England, writes Walsh: “United by a unique bond with their country, the Springboks are much more than a rugby team. Watching the documentary Chasing The Sun 2 would be an education for Steve Borthwick’s side.”

Education is something a few journalists on England newspapers could do with when it comes to the Springboks. I wrote about Stephen Jones of the self-same Sunday Times and his naked hatred of Erasmus and disdain for the Springboks recently. Oliver Brown, the chief sports writer of the Telegraph, decided to weigh in with his take on the Boks this week.

Erasmus is the “incorrigible head coach” and the “pantomime villain Springboks must accept they will never be universally loved”. Where does this come from? Well, apparently because the Boks dared to invite British journalists over to Jersey for their pre-Autumn series training camp.

There was some scepticism from a few of those journalists who made the trip. “South Africa are mounting a charm offensive this autumn,” went the Guardian. “Why Erasmus wants Springbok bullies to be loved after years of playing victim,” was the headline in the Times.

“South Africa have only themselves to blame for how they are perceived around the rugby world,” wrote Alex Lowe in the Times. “They are a great team, innovative double world champions with a story of diversity that is genuinely inspiring…. But those emotive stories have existed under a cloud of toxicity and suspicion.”

Back to Brown: “But all this bravado conceals a certain insecurity, a longing to be adored.” The narrative, and it goes on and on, is that the Boks are not the most loved team in the world unless you live in South Africa and or wear Green and Gold. It is tiresome, cliched and too easy to roll out.

Brown described the Boks as merciless bruisers and ugly ducklings. The Boks will never be a global brand because, wrote Brown, they are only sponsored by MTN “a domestic telecommunications company”. Look at the All Blacks who have “Altrad, a worldwide manufacturing giant, on their jerseys”.

In 2023, the Altrad Group reported revenues of €5.3 billion (R100 billion). In 2023, MTN reported R210billion. Keep on trying, Bad Man Mr Brown.

Imagine being England, whom everyone loves. In 2011, Richard Williams wrote:  “Those who represent England on the rugby field generally go about their business in the belief that everyone else hates them. No argument there but they are often wrong about the cause, which they presume to be a reaction against a certain arrogance that comes from being rich, powerful and possessed by an unshakeable sense of entitlement founded on their role in the game's origins. In fact they are disliked because of the way they play, and never was that clearer than on Saturday in Dunedin.

“England have no history of bringing imagination or creativity to the 15-man game and it was evident against Argentina that they are not about to start now. This was a horrible performance in every respect, from the challenges by Courtney Lawes and James Haskell that removed Gonzalo Tiesi from the tournament and put Felipe Contepomi out of Argentina’s next match to the language used by Haskell when drawing the referee's attention to an alleged attempt to gouge his eyes, a complaint he later withdrew, putting his outburst down to ‘over-exuberance’.”

The Boks are just a team, standing in front of the world, asking it to love them. Or not just hate them for the sake of hating them. One more thing: “Stop talking shit about our country, man.”