Rugby must transform

THE SPRINGBOKS begin their whirlwind tour of the country today, starting in Gauteng.

They will bring the Webb Ellis Cup to the people, lifting Bill aloft as they traverse the country, travelling through Pretoria, Joburg, Soweto, Durban, East London, Port Elizabeth and Cape Town.

For 20 weeks the men in green and gold have grafted to bring back the cup, labouring, sacrificing, fighting, through the highs and lows, through pain, injury, the constant doubt and eventually to jubilation, to create a sense of unity seldom seen since 1995 and 1996 when the Boks and Bafana Bafana were champions respectively.

They deserved the scenes that greeted them on Tuesday night at OR Tambo International Airport and the jubilation that will occur onwards. So too can the SA Rugby Union (Saru) bask in the glory for these next handful of days, for on Tuesday next week, their real work begins.

The custodians of the game in this country dare not let this opportunity slip, as they did in 1995 and then again in 2007.

In captain Siya Kolisi they have an affable leader, a man who represents the majority of the country, a face that can help transform rugby in our poorer communities.

Kolisi’s importance in the next few years cannot be overstated, and Saru must capitalise on his celebrity to drive forward transformation.

There is no reason for that debate to rear its head again in the coming future.

They now have the means, the face, the opportunity to bring rugby to the masses.