The Springbok rugby team will have to get used to wearing their hearts on their sleeves.
That’s because the leaping bok that has always featured on the front of Springbok rugby jerseys is now on the sleeve of the team’s World Cup jersey.
Sportswear maker Canterbury of New Zealand, the official producer and supplier of team jerseys, recently unveiled the new Springbok jersey specially designed for the Rugby World Cup, which will be held in New Zealand later this year.
Over their hearts, the players will wear the Protea emblem. Over the right breast, they will wear the Rugby World Cup 2011 logo. And the Springbok emblem has moved to the left sleeve.
But are loyal fans of the green and gold worried that the next leap for the buck would be from the sleeve to the dustbin of history?
Not if initial sales are anything to go by, said salesman Tauriq Moose, a shift leader at the Canterbury store in Canal Walk.
“We had a pre-launch of the jersey on Tuesday last week and then the jersey was officially made available from Saturday,” he said.
“We had quite good sales since then. It did of course help that it was a payday weekend,” Moose said.
But a snap survey by the Cape Argus this morning suggests that not all fans are happy with the bok’s new position.
“I think they are working towards dropping the Springbok altogether,” said Bevan Bester of Bellville.
“I am dead against it, but is that going to help? It is a political thing. They want to get rid of the Springbok emblem.”
Jack Sago of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, who works in Cape Town, said he loved watching the Springboks’ games.
“Maybe a change is good, but it is not tradition,” he said.
Avid Blue Bulls supporter Vukile Mpawu of Milnerton was emphatic – the Springbok emblem should be on the chest, he said.
“The only place for it is here,” he said, pounding his heart with his fist.
And Khanyisa Dyubeni of Gugulethu was even more critical.
“It is just wrong to have the Springbok anywhere else but on the chest,” he said.
“I support the Boks all the way. I cannot wait for the World Cup. Come on, we have to support our team and they are the Springboks,” he said.