One of the many lessons drawn from the Springboks’ sensational triumph last weekend was the virtue of sport bosses getting out of the way.
There are many other variables that go into the victory pot, but getting on with the job without copping flak from HQ is one of the most important.
This is why SA Rugby president Mark Alexander and Jurie Roux, the chief executive, deserve kudos. When Rassie Erasmus was sounded out for the job, he was assured that he would get his way, whether it came to securing overseas-based players or changing the contract system.
“Just bring us the World Cup,” he was told.
Erasmus duly delivered and the celebrations have yet to die down after a wonderful week of walking on air. This is what sport can do, excellence on the world stage allowing us to celebrate vicariously. It was just the lift weary South Africans needed.
Rugby can’t afford to be smug about its position in the SA consciousness, but for other sports looking to draw from the win, the hands-off style of rugby’s bosses has much to recommend.
Teams must be nurtured and empowered by the suits, but coaching and management must be done by those who get their hands dirty. Even when this doesn’t necessarily happen, the best coaches provide a buffer between their players and head office.
This is partly the reason why Erasmus was able to engineer such a profound change in 20 months. So long as he did nothing outrageous, he could operate independently and without fear of interference.
The bosses also did a top job in shielding him and the squad from the noise that swirled around. When the Eben Etzebeth imbroglio threatened to bubble over, SA Rugby stepped in to placate complainants, acknowledging the rule of law and assuring respect for the outcome.
SA Rugby took the heat away from the Boks, as they did with the absurd social media storm over the supposed snub to Makazole Mapimpi that momentarily threatened to get ugly.
Race continued to be a theme around the Boks’ World Cup participation, even after the magnificent crowning of the new champions, but Erasmus has worked studiously at breaking down the pale middle-class stereotypes.
There were hopeful suggestions that the win would help heal this divided nation, but of course sport on its own cannot do this. Winning the World Cup can offer a salve to our daily grind, and Siya Kolisi can be an inspiration to many millions, but we shouldn’t garnish the great moment with outlandish claims.
Nonetheless, it was deeply encouraging to witness blue-collar workers and other ordinary South Africans in green and gold before and after the match, proudly wearing their colours. It signalled a profound switch in the zeitgeist; a sign that rugby might finally have transcended its long, often anguished history.
This team now looks a lot more like the country it represents. The win thus offers a grand opportunity for rugby to harness the goodwill and generosity that has flowed since last Saturday, with Kolisi statesmanlike in his summation of the outcome and his country alike.
Previous opportunities have been squandered.
The doomsayers must not be allowed to trample on this fervour. We must use the moment to build, and to be better.
All of us. – © Sunday Tribune
