Springbok Glory: Golden moments in the modern era
by Stephen Nell (Tafelberg)
True to the title, Springbok Glory does not get bogged down in the sideshows, scandals and political controversies that have blighted the game in this country throughout the post-isolation era, and it is for this reason that readers – especially Bok supporters – will finish Stephen Nell’s rugby chronicle with an upbeat recollection of what has transpired since readmission in 1992.
It is not that the author turns a blind eye to matters that have negatively affected South Africa’s ability to win Test matches; to the contrary, Nell interviews several role-players who were on both sides of the perennial drama.
But the decision to take their perspectives at face value allows the story to be quickly spun wide through the hands, if you will excuse the metaphor, only slowing occasionally to revel in memorable tries and milestone victories.
Brendan Venter’s international career spanned South Africa’s first two World Cups, and the 17-Test centre’s first-hand account of those campaigns features prominently during a blow-by-blow account of the Boks’s reluctant adaptation to the modern game between the coaching tenures of Ian MacIntosh and Nick Mallett.
Robbie Fleck picks up the story in 2000, reminiscing about his impact on the Boks’s high-octane, 46-40 victory against New Zealand at Ellis Park – a result that ultimately proved too little, too late to save Mallett’s job.
The ignominious tales of Harry Viljoen and Rudolph Straeuli’s teams are skipped over as the end of South Africa’s four-year wait for another All Blacks scalp coincides with the appointment of Jake White.
Ellis Park again emerges as the venue of a famous victory precipitated by a great individual performance, with centre Marius Joubert’s hat-trick laying the platform for a 40-26 win against the Kiwis in 2004, and South Africa’s second Tri-Nations title.
John Smit’s lighthearted account of playing peacemaker between White and Victor Matfield precedes the tragic rise and fall of Solly Tyibilika.
The lows of a five-game slump in 2006 are countered by the highs of a near-perfect performance in a 36-0 triumph over England at the 2007 World Cup, and the Boks’s quest to clinch the Webb Ellis Cup.
Peter de Villiers’s term is remembered for its high points. A historic result against the All Blacks at Carisbrook and an emphatic victory against England at Twickenham at the end of 2008 are followed by the blockbusting 2009 season, which combined a successful series against the British Lions with a 32-29 win against New Zealand in Hamilton and another Tri-Nations title.
And the feel-good factor culminates with coach Heyneke Meyer and captain Jean de Villiers being credited for their respective roles in scrambling to piece together a patchwork team last year, although retirements, injuries and the lure of the euro had accounted for a host of marquee players.