Rugby win brings needed positivity to the game

HAS one of rugby’s greatest rivalries been restored?

Maybe not, but one thing is for sure – South African rugby needed that stunningly heroic 36-34 triumph over the world’s best team, the All Blacks. And it couldn’t have come at a better time or in more dramatic fashion.

In the build-up to the Springboks’ biggest Test of the year, it wasn’t difficult to see that virtually no one gave them a chance. The question was not who would win at the Cake Tin, but rather what the margin would be.

So imagine the disbelief and the elation when Willie le Roux kicked the ball out and the Springboks beat the defending world champions in their own backyard for the first time since 2009.

The all-round embraces, the highfives and the tears should have done enough to show just how much that victory, that moment, meant.

After a few troubling years for Springbok rugby, the importance of that wonderful result in Wellington cannot be celebrated enough.

Everything that happened in those 80-plus minutes was massive. And it should be celebrated.

Yes, beating the All Blacks doesn’t mean all is suddenly right in South African rugby. It doesn’t automatically mean the resurgence has finally come and it’s complete. It doesn’t mean all the goals Rassie Erasmus has set himself and the team have turned into reality. It doesn’t mean the Boks will be World Cup winners in Japan next year. But it’s a start. And it brought the muchneeded positivity that South African rugby and its fans desperately needed.

And let’s hope it doesn’t end here. Let’s hope the Boks continue to grow. One of the most encouraging signs in Wellington was that it was not only a heroic defence that won them the day, as they also scored five tries, two of which were real beauties.

So, as the Springboks prepare for their next challenge – against the Wallabies in Port Elizabeth – here’s to more inspiring and courageous performances by captain Siya Kolisi and his team. Here’s to more improvement. And here’s to getting ever closer to bringing that rivalry against New Zealand to real life again.