Stephen receives praise from as far as NZ for anthem rendition
t was a hugely proud moment to walk on to the Loftus Versfeld Stadium for the Rugby Championship match between South Africa’s Springboks and New Zealand’s All Blacks for Old Queenian Stephen Sass, who sang the New Zealand national anthem and received international praise for his rendition.
Stephen said on his way to the field on October 6, the only thing in his mind was not to mess it up, to breathe, relax and what helped him was having the All Blacks standing behind him and singing with him while he sang their national anthem.
Stephen said, “It was crazy! I kept on looking back, I do not
Iknow if the camera picked that up. It is hard to put the experience into words, but it only hit me after I had performed, because, at the time, all I had in mind was getting the job done.
“However, afterwards it did hit me that all their supporters, their kids, the All Blacks were depending on me to render their national anthem well and hopefully motivate them to play well, which was very important to me.”
Stephen, a huge All Black supporter, said he did not feel bad for singing the opposing team’s anthem. In a tongue-in-cheek moment, he said people sitting next to him remarked that perhaps he had sung that anthem so well for nothing, because New Zealand was behind at that stage.
“I think people understood that their national anthem was equally important to the New Zealanders as ours is to us. I received messages from people Down Under thanking me for singing their national anthem well, in terms of pronunciation, and South African fans were asking to take photos with me,” Stephen said.
He thanked Queen’s College for their support, the newspapers that cared enough to write his story, his family and everyone who supported him. The support made a difference when he stood up to sing, because he knew he was not alone. He said he hoped to get another opportunity like that in the future.
“Whether this will be the start of a musical career is difficult to answer. Until you get that phone call saying we saw and loved your performance, it is hard to know what effect that exposure had.
“I would have to be proactive and post the video of me singing on YouTube if I wanted to follow the path of music, but we will see what the future holds and I am open to whatever comes along,” Stephen said.
Stephen’s dad, Vivian Sass, said the family was ecstatic, and filled with joy and gratitude to think that such a smart young man could probably go on to make singing his career. Yet he also hoped Stephen still aspired to finish his degree and become a medical doctor.
“At the age of 24 to stand so close to the All Blacks, his favourite team that he has supported since he was a youngster, to sing their national anthem with them while his parents are in the stand watching, was just great.
“We thank everyone for the congratulatory messages and are grateful for such an opportunity, that only comes once in a lifetime,” Vivian said.