Scaled-back Bok trophy tour missed the mark

Two Boks on the back of a bakkie, driving through the streets of Nelson Mandela Bay, showcasing the William Webb Ellis trophy. It sounds like a joke, right? But for many angry Springboks fans in the Bay, it was no laughing matter. To some, it felt like an insult, especially as the city is home to Springbok captain Siya Kolisi and coaching staff members Rassie Erasmus and Mzwandile Stick.

Promised another “significant Springbok event” in 2024 after a huge outcry when the Bay was left out of the list of cities included in the trophy tour shortly after the team’s Rugby World Cup triumph, the city’s residents were instead presented with a scaled-back tour on Saturday which was met with confusion and frustration.

Some people expressed dismay, asking where Kolisi was and criticising the decision to send only two players on a bakkie.

Though the players, Deon Fourie and Jesse Kriel, were all smiles during the muted victory celebration, they received few cheers. They were given a warm reception at Kolisi’s father’s home, but in other areas of the city some residents felt that they had been disrespected.

On HeraldLIVE’s Facebook page, one reader wrote: “Mara why they should’ve just cancelled the whole thing it’s embarrassing (sic)”.

Another wrote: “Wait. This actually happened? I thought it was a joke when it was announced. Who on earth thought this was a good idea in the first place?”

A third reader commented: “Springboks should have come in numbers along with coaching staff for [this] World Cup victory parade before going for alignment camp. It’s like the trophy show was just window dressing, a moral obligation due [to] popular demand but [there was] no interest [due to the] fact that only [two] Springboks players were available. It left a [lot] to be desired”.

The public’s main gripe is not that the trophy tour came late, but rather that two players with no roots in the Bay were sent in what felt like a rushed job that was poorly advertised. It felt like an obligation, a box-ticking exercise to keep Bay supporters happy, but it missed the mark.

Fourie and Kriel are not at fault, but SA Rugby should shoulder the blame for what felt like a slap in the face and a missed opportunity to curry favour with Bay supporters.