South Africa regains rugby supremacy

Peter Lalanabaravi
Rugby union – Super 14

South Africa will regain its dominance of international rugby this weekend when the Bulls play the Stormers in the final of the tri-nation Super 14 competition.

The two provincial teams from the Republic easily won their semi-finals last weekend, with the Bulls beating the Crusaders from New Zealand, and the Stormers beating the Waratahs from Australia.

The South African dominance of the Super 14 caps a long, complicated journey back to the top of international rugby.

The Africans held that position almost unopposed for a century until the side was barred from international competition following a controversial tour of New Zealand in 1981. The ban was part of an international campaign against the Republic』s apartheid policy, which ensured white dominance.

After the collapse of apartheid, the Springboks were readmitted to international competition in 1992.

The South Africans hosted – and won – the 1995 Rugby World Cup, with Nelson Mandela presenting the trophy to Springboks captain François Pinaar. The photo of Mandela wearing Pinaar』s No. 7 jumper while presenting the trophy to the captain became an iconic image, seemingly symbolic of the unification of white and black people.

However, the win over the much-better All Blacks was controversial, with credible claims that the New Zealand players were poisoned, possibly by bookmakers.

In the intervening period South African fortunes have fluctuated. In the late 1990』s the Springboks won 17 straight Tests and also the Tri-Nations competition, which includes New Zealand and Australia.

The Springboks again won the Rugby World Cup in France in 2007, but that win was also considered fortuitous, with their major competitors, New Zealand and Australia, being knocked out early in the competition.

Iconic image of the unification of white and black people…Springbok captain Francois Pienaar (R) receives the Rugby World Cup from South African President Nelson Mandela in 1995.

So, while the post-apartheid record has been sound, the Africans have never dominated the international game like they did before expulsion.

But now they appear to have regained that former glory. The journey back to the top has been complicated and confounding.

Until about 18 months ago, the Africans retained their traditional strategy of brute-force over brilliance. This strategy was all-conquering in the rough-and-tough, pre-expulsion days.

But in their absence, rugby changed, becoming more adventurous and less thuggish.

After their return, the South African brute-force approach was obviously outdated. The Africans knew it. The rest of the world knew it. But they persisted. Out of machismo? Out of a blinkered self-belief? Who knows?

Adding a layer to this approach was a policy of quotas for black players, which was hotly debated, raising questions of team unity. Without unity, success would be impossible. And resolving long-standing racial divisions was proving difficult.

Fuelling the malaise, a white player was dumped for refusing to room with a black player, and it seemed that the 1995 Mandela-Pinaar image of unity was made more of hope than fact.

However, the slow influx of black players, like Springboks wing star Brian Habana, coincided with a more-disciplined, more-skill focussed style of play.

Throughout this year』s Super 14 the old brutality has disappeared: the brawler has become the boxer. The combination of discipline, skilfulness and strategy has rejuvenated South African rugby, giving it a ruthless, winning elegance.

Further, the Springboks are coached by Peter de Villiers, the team』s first black coach, which has symbolic significance, though his tenure has been marked by controversy, partly bought on by his nebulous style of speech.

In a last twist, the Super 14 final on Saturday May 29 between the Bulls and the Stormers will be played in the famous Black township of Soweto.

This scheduling is due to fate, not design. All the traditional rugby grounds have been set aside for use during the Football World Cup.

Iconic image of the unification of white and black people…Springbok captain Francois Pienaar (R) receives the Rugby World Cup from South African President Nelson Mandela in 1995. GIANLUIGI GUERCIA/AFP/Getty Images