The pioneering Boks, dreadnoughts of world rugby turned rampaging innovators, were the story of 2023.
Their journey to the summit of world rugby was a wild ride that threw in elements of luck, intrigue, drama, controversy and even a little rugby, played mightily.
Their triumph reflected the virtues of team work, hard work, honesty and courage, unfamiliar aspects across many other sectors of modern SA life. Which is probably why we were so drawn to them; such excellence is attainable, if all too rare.
Elsewhere, women’s sport enjoyed its finest year. If trophies were in short supply, the spotlight wasn’t and a slew of cricketers, netballers and footballers shot to prominence. But my pick for the best of them all falls to little-known Kirsten Neuschafer, a sailor, whose feat in winning the 30 000-mile Golden Globe race is worthy of every acclaim.
Here, then, the roll call of hits, misses and headline makers and shakers of 2023:
Best thing to happen to SA sport in 20 years: The whizz-bang SA20.
Cape Town envy: No, not the beach. Formula E action. Through the city streets. Slick.
Power game: Proteas reaching the women’s T20 World Cup final and Banyana Banyana forging new frontiers at the World Cup. Months later, in July, in what may have been the greatest single day in women’s sporting history in SA, Banyana earned their first ever point at a World Cup and the Proteas got off to a winning start at the Netball World Cup.
Silent star: For Ashleigh Buhai, a fourth SA Women’s Open and an Australian Open title adding to her growing lustre.
Mad stat: SA chasing down a world record 259 to beat the West Indies in their T20 showdown in March. Hendrik Klaasen’s 170 against Australia in September was also mind-blowing. Pieter Steph du Toit’s 29 tackles in the final. Lung-busting.
Followed by . . . Casey Jarvis becoming the second youngest person, at age 19, to shoot 59 or lower in a 72-hole tournament on one of the major professional tours – and the first to shoot a “genuine” 59 on the Sunshine Tour in South Africa, in the third round of the Stella Artois Players Championship.
Try of the year: Take your pick, but for sheer flair and instinct, there was none better than Damian Willemse’s scorcher against Harlequins in April. Honourable mention to Kurt-Lee Arendse, who benefited from Manie Libbok’s outrageous no-look kick that was impossible for Scotland to defend.
SA Sports Woman of the Year: SA sailor Kirsten Neuschafer becomes the first South African sailor to win a round-the-world event (Golden Globe race). She previously cycled the length of Africa.
KKirsten Neuschafer Pic: Instagram@kirstenggr
SA Sportsman of the Year: Outrageously overlooked for World Player of the Year honours, Eben Etzebeth was a colossus.
Best overseas SA Sportsman: Brad Binder. Not satisfied with producing the fastest MotoGP lap ever, he continued to race hard whenever he lined up.
Second best SA team: Mamelodi Sundowns, who won the PSL title and then captured the inaugural African Football League title.
Most surprising result of 2023: Bafana 2 Morocco 1.
Podcast of the year: Science of Sport (Ross Tucker and Mike Finch).
Non-story of the year: The Tom Curry-Bongi Mbonambi shemozzle.
Best engines: Comrades record breakers Tete Dijana and Gerda Steyn.
Worst retirement: Champion boxer Ludumo Lamati, forced to retire after catastrophic injuries suffered in his fight against Nick Ball. Thankfully well on the way to recovery.
Just no: The aquamarine Bok jersey.
Pure class: Reaffirming her pedigree, Olympic champion Tatjana Schoenmaker added the world championship 200m breaststroke gold medal to her impressive collection. And got married.
Rising star: If you think Dricus du Plessis is big now, wait until he belts Sean Strickland for UFC middleweight glory next month.
Sweetest win: Not that one, but the one in London where the Boks destroyed the All Blacks 35-7, and pioneered their 7-1 bench.
Disappointment of the year: The Proteas fizzing out in Kolkata.
Point to ponder: Has Cheslin Kolbe taken off his strapping yet?
Moment of the year: Siya and the boys doing their magic in Paris. The most brutal run ever – beating four of the top five-ranked countries, three by a single point. Mad. And magnificent.
Greatest 40 minutes ever played: The first half of the quarterfinal between France and South Africa. Just staggering. And exhausting to watch.
Best numbers of the year: 7-1.
Quote of the Year: “Salads don’t win scrums.” – Tractor-cum-prop Ox Nche.
Sport book of the year: The Fireside Springbok by Mike Greenaway.
Rest in Peace
Boxing: Mfusi Maxhayi; Gerrie Coetzee; Ronald Malindi; Gideon Borias.
Football: Peter Mancer; John Moeti; Oshwin Andries; Phil Setshedi.
Golf: Dennis Bruyns.
Cricket: Joe Pamensky.
Road running: Mbuleli Mathanga.
Rugby: Ian McIntosh; Nick Koster; Theuns Stoffberg; Botha Rossouw; Eric Sauls; Hannes Strydom.
As a Pom who has enjoyed the privilege of working on any number of different sporting projects in SA in the last 17 years including the 2010 WC Final at Soccer City. The scale, depth, skill and passion of the country’s sportsmen and women at senior and junior levels as well as the recreational athletes never ceases to amaze and inspire me. If only the country’s top sporting administrators and organisations could get themselves fully aligned with the needs and hopes of their participants. SA would corner the global market in sport at the elite and grass roots levels. Here’s hoping 2024 will bring about the structural changes to makes this happen and unlock the nation’s true sporting potential.
Hi Jeremy. Sorry to get to this so late. Such a profound comment about our athletes, and the disconnect with administrators. SA’s athletes often succeed despite – rather than because – of them. I am frequently staggered by the performances produced by our sports people when so much is stacked against them. Fortunately, there are rays of light. But there must be more.