The day after in the land of the Champions

What a day it was on Saturday!  As South Africans woke up to the finals of the World Cup Rugby this weekend did we really think we would take the cup?  Become the World Champions yet again?

Watching a program on Dutch tv the night before the
commentary there was that England was the favorite, they had shown the better
and stronger play so far.  Not my
words, these were the panel members’ words. 
But it worked out that playing in the finals of the World Cup Rugby is
more than being capable of playing a technically perfect game.  Without a winning mindset it is just a
different ballgame, excuse the pun.  And
the mindset of the South Africans was – and is – what set us apart! 

As coach Rassie Erasmus explained the build up to the finals
at the press conference after winning the finals:

“We started talking about pressure. In South Africa pressure
is not having a job. Pressure is one of your close relatives murdered.

“Because South Africa has a lot of problems and we started
talking about how rugby shouldn’t be something that puts pressure on you. It
should be something that creates hope. But you can’t create hope just by
talking about it, hope is not something you say in a beautiful tweet.

“Hope is when you play well. Hope is when people watch the
game on a Saturday, and they have a BBQ, and they feel good about themselves,
and no matter your political differences, or your belief differences, for those
80 minutes, you all agree. It is not our responsibility as players to create
that hope, it is our privilege.”

Captain Siya Kolisi and his team did just that: create hope.  Hope for a better South Africa, a dream turning into reality as long as we all stand together.  ‘Cause #StrongerTogether is not just about rugby….