tournament in France
Victory of hope: World Cup triumph as a ray of hope for South Africa
South Africa’s Siya Kolisi lifts the trophy. photo
© Christophe Ena/AP
South Africa’s victory at the Rugby World Cup should give the entire country a boost. Siya Kolisi serves as a symbolic figure. He once sniffed petrol in the township and now made history as captain of the Springboks.
Noble fan Roger Federer cheered at the Stade de France with a green and gold scarf around his neck, but South Africa’s symbolic figure Siya Kolisi didn’t have a look at the VIP stand after the thrilling World Cup final.
Instead, the captain of the now four-time rugby world champion, who comes from a poor background, thought about the many dramas in his homeland. “Our country brings us together,” said the 32-year-old. “There aren’t many things going right in our country right now. We have the opportunity to do what we love and inspire people in their lives.”
The ultimately dramatic 12:11 against New Zealand should give the whole country a push in the right direction. As he did four years ago, when Kolisi led the Springboks to the title as the first black captain. The fact that the man with number six managed to do this again on a rainy Saturday evening in Paris secured him a place in the history books. Two triumphs as captain. Only New Zealand icon Richie McCaw had previously achieved this.
“We are the hope that people have”
As in the quarter-finals and semi-finals, the Springboks won by the narrowest possible margin. “We like drama,” said Pieter-Steph du Toit, who was voted man of the match, and like Kolisi, used the winner’s interview as a platform: “Honestly, anyone who isn’t from South Africa doesn’t understand the meaning of this victory. It’s not just about the game on the field. Our country has to endure a lot. We are the hope that the people have.” South Africa is struggling with a high crime rate and many violent crimes.
The fact that the final in Paris was so thrilling was due to the indomitable will of the All Blacks. After just two minutes, the team received a ten-minute time penalty against Shannon Frizzell, and after less than half an hour, captain Sam Cane was shown the red card. Facing the physically brutal South African team while outnumbered was actually an impossibility. But New Zealand fought back, the defending champions reeled. Twice – a raise and a penalty – the All Blacks missed the chance to score points and thus the Webb Ellis Cup.
Captain Kolisi from the township to the world championship title
In the end, Kolisi lifted it into the night sky of the French capital, and South Africa is now the sole record world champion. Kolisi has long had hero status at home, perhaps precisely because he was not always the perfect role model. Growing up in Zwide township in Port Elizabeth, Kolisi became involved in drug dealing as a boy, sniffed petrol and witnessed a man being stoned to death. “I could have ended up a criminal. From then on there are two options: prison or death. Or both,” he wrote in his autobiography “Rise.”
Scouts discovered 12-year-old Kolisi in a dusty field. A high school known for its good rugby program accepted him. Kolisi went his own way, but the demons of the past did not let go of him for a long time. He drank, went to strip clubs, and wandered through life without direction. “I am not a saint at all. I am a sinner who tries to do the best he can every day,” Kolisi wrote.
He has now found his calling. He consciously uses the fame he has gained through rugby and points out the situation at home in almost every interview. After the first World Cup victory, he and his wife Rachel founded the Kolisi Foundation, which is committed to equal opportunities in South Africa. “If I didn’t give 100 percent on the field, it would be like cheating on all my compatriots,” said Kolisi after the victory over New Zealand. “We don’t have to look far to be motivated.”