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100 Years of
Springbok Support
Written by Lucas in 2006 for Fifteen |
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South African rugby is celebrating the centenary of the Springbok
emblem. The leaping antelope has become synonymous with 100 years of
fierce tradition that stirs tremendous passion amongst supporters of
Springbok rugby.
Paul Roos could not have imagined that an inspired declaration in
1906 that his team would simply be known as ‘Springbokken’ would
develop into one of the world’s strongest sporting brands. In the
last 100 years there have been magnificent moments responsible for
some of the best sporting memories for followers of the green and
gold.
Ask any Springbok supporter a favourite memory or moment and
inevitably it is defined into three categories; tests, players or
personal contact or sometime all three together. These memories or
moments are also defined by time and certainly by rivalry; there is
pre-war and post war x 2, there is pre isolation and post isolation,
there is amateur and professional and then there is the famous
Springbok / All Black rivalry.
With the advent of the professional era and test rugby on a yearly
basis, some of the great feats of the past have become slightly
blurred yet they were the reasons why most of us today are so
passionate about the game. They defined the Springbok tradition and
set a lofty standard unmatched by any other in the amateur game.
There are nobody left that will remember Paul Roos from 1906 or even
Boy Morkel in the first series in New Zealand (1921) and maybe the
oldest supporters will remember Danie Craven, Flip Nel and Boy
Louw’s heroic feats from the unconquerable 1937 Springboks in New
Zealand – the so called best team to ever leave the shores of the
famous rugby country. Most memories will probably start past World
War II.
In 1949 an all new Springbok team with zero test caps between them
defeated the All Blacks 4-0 in what is so far the only white wash
ever to be suffered by that great rugby nation. Hennie Muller’s bryl
creamed hair, focused face and intense eyes in one of Springbok
rugby’s most famous photos (before the Murrayfield massacre in 1951)
reminds supporters what it meant to represent their country. Muller
was the epitome of Springbok commitment and rumour had it that the
Scots were ‘lucky’ to get 0 that day!
And so the memories become stronger, the 60’s produced some of the
Springbok’s best ever individuals; Du Preez, Hopwood, Gainsford,
Ellis and H.O. but not always the best results and in the seventies,
the world sporting isolation began to take its toll. Many supporters
today grew up on a diet of minimal test rugby, it was a rare and
very privileged occasion to witness a test and one generally had to
travel and be one of the lucky few who sat at the famous grounds
like Loftus, Newlands, Ellis Park and Kings Park for a first
account. The rest listened to radio and famous voices like Gerhard
Viviers describing every bounce of the ball in beautiful baritone
tones that sometimes fluctuated to alt depending on the crisis of
the situation.
With the advent of television, rugby and the Springboks was
transmitted into our living rooms. For the first time, voices from
far New Zealand became a picture all be it the muddy and tumultuous
one of the 1981 tour. This was test rugby at its best and the
circumstances surrounding this famous three test series shaped many
a supporter’s passion for the Springboks. These were men under
enormous personal pressure and yet it meant a great deal more for
them to represent their country for and against the Springboks than
politics or money.
Modern rugby was born right after one of the watershed moments in
Springbok rugby. Looking back, the Rugby World Cup triumph in 1995
will define an era of Springbok supporters. The momentous occasion
brought Springbok rugby closer to the majority of people in South
Africa and invoked the kind of passion seldom seen before. In the
100 years of history there was no greater moment than Francois
Pienaar receiving the trophy from Nelson Mandela wearing the blond
Afrikaner’s no6 jersey. Many of our current Springbok supporters
were born or re-born that famous day in June.
The last 10 years have seen significant changes to the game of
rugby; it is now a professional sport with a huge infrastructure and
massive support world wide. The Springbok has held its own with the
other great rugby nations and even though there has been and there
will be some trying times ahead, the supporters of the country, team
and game is amongst the most passionate around.
Memories and great moments are created every time the Springboks
play, every time a Springbok stop and talks to a supporter, signs a
cap or a ball and every time a gathering of people watch a game no
matter how far from the actual play. And that is the crux of being
both a Springbok player and a Springbok supporter. The one cannot
exist without the other and this relationship has become even more
important in this modern era.
We salute 100 years of Springbok rugby but we also salute 100 years
of the most passionate supporters any player or country can wish
for. Long may it continue!
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