Springbok racism? No, it’s a team rite
The Bomb Squad have their own call, their own spirit … I realised that they were about to make their call
Makazole Mapimpi Springbok wing
● Another day, and another stillborn crisis at the hands of overzealous Twitter users.
The latest commotion sprang to life courtesy of a short video clip showing the celebration of a select group of Springbok players.
In it a group of players celebrate wildly after the Springboks scored a try in their 49-3 romp over the Italians in Shizuoka on Friday. The players in the huddle are Steven Kitshoff, Vincent Koch, RG
Snyman, Franco Mostert, Francois Louw and Frans Steyn. They all happen to be substitutes. They also all happen to be white.
The video selectively shows Makazole Mapimpi walking towards the group, only to suddenly turn away as he is waved off by Steyn.
This prompted a slew of allegations on Twitter of racism in the Bok team.
The clip doesn’t show Herschel Jantjies and Malcolm Marx joining the group moments later.
When a try is scored from their ranks it has become custom for Springbok substitutes to celebrate with their teammates, but they also perform their own special celebration to mark the moment. The Springbok substitutes are dubbed the Bomb Squad and whenever a player from their ranks scores a try, it is enthusiastically received by team members who also started the match on the bench.
The tweet went viral on Saturday with all manner of condemnation directed at the Springboks. It got so heated that Mapimpi took to Twitter to explain what had in fact transpired.
“Here in the team guys we have a Bomb Squad,” he said in a video. “The Bomb Squad are these players coming off the bench in the second half or whatever. So the Bomb Squad have their own call, their own spirit. As you saw yesterday what happened, normally after a game we shake hands with the opposition. So the Bomb Squad at that time they were going to make their call. When I was walking towards them I realised that they were about to make their call.”
Yesterday his video was trending. Sensitivity levels in SA are in the stratosphere following the twists and turns Eben Etzebeth’s case took this week. The Springbok lock has been accused of assault and racial abuse. South African Rugby has said that Etzebeth will not be sent home early.