By John Goliath
Are you excited about the Springboks? I know I am.
While we are in the midst of a very mild winter (except for today, of course), spring has sprung for the Boks over the last two weeks as they prepare for their first Test series under new coach Allister Coetzee.
Certainly, the public relations and marketing jobs have been top class, especially the #LoveRugby campaign, which has seen the Boks training in Belhar this week.
The new coach, having experienced the savage Cape rugby media over the last eight years, has made all the right noises and the right selections.
Suddenly, SA Rugby is sending out emails announcing sponsorship deals, while the ANC Youth League has also decided to embrace this newfound love between them and the country’s rugby bosses. As a friend of mine likes to sing: “Love is in the air! Wil jy staan of wil jy lê???”
Yep, it’s a new beginning for everyone – for SA Rugby, the players and the coaching staff. It’s a new beginning for the supporters as well, especially those who still support the All Blacks.
“Toetie is picking black players and they are talking about playing running rugby. What now? I need someone to turn my silver fern tattoo into a Bok, my bra.” These could maybe be some of the conversations in various communities around Cape Town.
I’m excited because the previous regime left me cold and disheartened towards the end of their tenure. Yes, I’m a journalist and I have to be objective, but as a South African and a rugby lover I never want to feel the way I felt watching last year’s World Cup semi-final.
I grew up in a house and a family environment that has a deep, deep love for this amazing country. We rejoiced when Madiba was released from prison not too far from my parents’ house in Paarl.
We danced the night away to PJ Powers when the Boks won the 1995 World Cup, while my grandpa’s 80th birthday celebrations were put on hold so we could watch Bafana Bafana win their 1996 African Cup of Nations semi-final. We celebrated just as hard when Mark Williams helped to secure the title.
But, going into last year’s semi-final against the All Blacks, the biggest game in rugby and my favourite sports fixture, I didn’t feel that same passion. The beer wasn’t as refreshing as it was always is.
I think everything that happened prior to that match contributed to my feelings surrounding the Boks. The furore over the lack of transformation, and that coach Heyneke Meyer washed his hands in Dettol and threw the great Jean de Villiers under the bus following the loss against Japan and then reverted to an antiquated game plan for the remainder of the tournament after that defeat, left me numb.
But here we are, staring a new beginning in the face and loving the smirk that is smiling back at us.
Meyer is a guy who wears his heart on his sleeve and probably shows more emotion in one match than Coetzee has over the last four years. But why did I get the feeling last year that the Boks just lost that little spark which has lit a nation’s flame almost every time they walked onto a field?
Coetzee is trying to create that spark again, and I’m sure one of these days we are going to see a beautiful fireworks display. I am very excited about the new era for the Springboks. You should be excited too.
* Follow John on Twitter: @JohnGoliath82