The past four weeks have been quite an exciting time for many Springbok supporters following the shortened version of the Rugby Championship, as they anxiously check on the team’s progress, hoping for a good result.
For many a supporter, the first game against Australia was met with cautious optimism, but also some uncertainty, as there were quite a few new names and faces in the team. As the game kicked off, there was a lot of nervous energy among the South African supporters, but it did not take too long before the spirited Springbok team found their feet and started to play quite an impressive game of rugby, something that has not been seen in quite a long time.
As the debutant, Herschel Jantjies, scored his second brilliant try, to ensure an emphatic win for the Boks, a small flame of hope and faith was sparked in the hearts of the nation.
The performance of the team did not satisfy everyone, and quite a number of pessimists and Doomsday prophets predicted a loss for the next week against the All Blacks, and it almost happened. But the Boks did not give up and played with a hunger that saw them snatch a draw in the dying minutes of the game, placing them in the top spot on the log.
The team was on the verge of breaking a 10-year trophy drought, with only Argentina standing between them and the coveted trophy. I am sure that every Springbok supporter sat glued to their television screens, not deterred by the late 9.30pm kick-off time, urging the team to give their all, not moving until, after a hard-fought 80 minutes of tough rugby, the Boks secured a 46–13 win.
Now, I know that there will be a lot of pessimists and negative supporters out there, telling me not to read too much into this and that there is still a lot of work to be done before the World Cup kicks off in September.
But, to be honest, what I saw made my heart beat just a little bit faster, resulting in the green and gold in my blood pumping through my veins a little stronger, because I saw a team that was hungry, a team that played for each other and a team brimming with confidence.
I always say that I am not a ‘glass half empty’ or ‘glass half full’ kind of person, I see the glass as refillable. I am also that person that tends to listen to my heart more than my brain (my Superbru pick history is a solid example of that!), so maybe my opinion might not be that accurate.
But, I do believe that the team will make us proud at this year’s World Cup, and that they even have an outside chance of bringing the Cup back home, ringing in a new era of the type of Springbok rugby we, as the supporters, know and love so much.
What do you think about the team’s performance and their World Cup chances?
Until next week…
