Siya Kolisi has such a rush to meet with the story that when it speeds up towards the podium, out of sight to Handré Pollard. The captain, in charge of receiving, to their host, rotates and receives the approval of the smiley opening. Minutes later, he received in his hands the Webb Ellis cup and lift it to the infinite. Reza and points out several times to the sky, recalling perhaps his mother, to which it lost during a childhood terrible. The rugby south african, repudiated during the Apartheid era, embodies the transformative power that saw him as Nelson Mandela. A black holding the glory of the sport that for decades was the farmhouse of a white minority.
The rugby made it to Johannesburg to attend in a late summer of 1995, a fact unheard of: thousands of white people screaming “Nelson”, the president that deemed years ago of being a terrorist. The All Blacks understood at the time what that was supposed to leave Ellis Park with the cup and give up at that end. So in order to rebuild south Africa as a world power after decades of conflict. There were few movements contrary in any country opponent, paralyzing games –in the 60’s in London or in New Zealand in the 80’s– against the great ambassadors for sport of a racist regime.
François Pienaar, with the same dorsal Kolisi –6 for the history– captained a selection of white, in 1995, it inspired a mass of young blacks. Among them was Bryan Habana, who left the college and toured the country with his father during the tournament. This breeding ground he became in 2007 the protagonist of the second title to south african, in Paris from the English. Then, the teenager stunned was Kolisi, which he had discovered in the rugby a way of escape.
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“Since I am alive, I had never seen south Africa as well”, he thanked Kolisi after the match to boast of a team “with different origins and races, but able to come together for a common goal.” A lesson I wanted to extend to the whole country: “we Can achieve anything if we work together. We appreciate all the support from the people of the farms to the homeless”.
Kolisi, 28 years old, regained speech of their coach, Rassie Erasmus: “With all the challenges that we have in the country, we are no longer playing for us, but for our people.” The technician that picked up a selection torn, with a background unknown of defeats and humiliation supreme in New Zealand (57-0), bet strong by giving him the captaincy. “It was hard at the beginning. It was something very large, at home and at the global level, and I went toll. My game crashed and I had to work hard”. The flanker is not a figure of hegemony in his post, but yes a balancer unbeatable, on and off the field. Has left space to other references such as Handré Pollard, Duane Vermeulen or the controversial Eben Etzebeth –accused of abusing a beggar– and have been given a free rein to your personality, emotional.
The final was the 50th international match of Kolisi. His father arrived in Japan on Friday, his first ocean voyage. “To be able to do something like that for your family is one of the things I am thankful for playing rugby”. The lord Fezakel went to a shock one-dimensional in that south Africa dominated the territory (57%) with 43% of possession thanks to their balls stolen, and the constant failures of English. South africa has not lost a single touch and forced 11 scrums failed the English. The Springboks placaron more (154 for 98) and earned more than double of metres with the ball to the XV of the Rose (380 for the 173).
Erasmus, who leaves the bench despite the victory, he explained the feat. “We have only used our players and their intelligence. There are so many good things in south Africa… it Seems that whenever we look at all the bad things of the past. We’ve decided to be together, work hard, play well in the field and the rest would come later”. The technician did his work to protect this legacy. “Our great challenge is to use this for the next eight or nine years and ensure that south Africa is strong again and is unified on many different levels. What I’m going to turn in my mission”.
The Springboks are the first champion to lose a match in the tournament. His defeat in the duel inaugural before New Zealand is the only of an immaculate 2019 that aúpa to the first position in the world ranking. The south africans (in the first two Global Apartheid, even with three titles at the top of the list of winners the All Blacks, they have played all. Mandela saw in a selection hegemónicamente white a vehicle of transformation that, six years after his death, represents a diverse society. In south Africa, the rugby and the green t-shirt and gold are a precious common denominator.
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