Every 12 years, South Africa win the Rugby World Cup, it seems. That’s an All Black-matching three triumphs now, each different, distinct and important in its own way.
It was the sight of Siya Kolisi becoming the eighth man to lift the Webb Ellis Cup as captain that made this one so special.
Kolisi is the first black captain of the Springboks, and it takes only the vaguest grasp of a complicated political and historical situation to appreciate the significance of that. The trailblazer is now a champion.
John Smit, the last South African captain to win the World Cup, said this week that victory this time would be more significant than the iconic scenes of 1995 for the nation of South Africa.
Nelson Mandela and Francois Pienaar together on stage to lift the trophy is an indelible image for the game of rugby and the nation of South Africa.
Kolisi lifting the trophy matches it. He is the boy from the township sent to the independent school, who rose to captain his country. When Smit lifted the World Cup, Kolisi did not have a TV at home, so he watched in the pub.
He flew over his father, Fezakel, to Japan to watch this game – it was the second time he had seen him play for the Springboks (the first being his debut), and his first ever trip overseas. What a game to choose.
Only a few people – the Springboks’ team and staff – are directly touched by Kolisi’s leadership, but the achievements of this team under his and Rassie Erasmus’s watch speak for themselves.
It is a little over two years since they lost 57-0 to the All Blacks, and more recently than that they were eighth in the world rankings. The two have combined in spectacular fashion.
"He is a great leader on and off the field, and he has gone through a lot,” said the hooker, Bongi Mbonbami, of Kolisi. “Credit to him for staying in the fight and not giving up. He could easily have given up years ago, but he stayed in there.”
Initially, Kolisi’s game was weighed down by the captaincy, and he was happy to admit as much. But he has grown into the role, and it is clear he has the total devotion of his team and is a special leader – as Mbonbami’s words show.
There has been a genuine joy and unity about the Springboks at this tournament that was very evident as they celebrated both their tries in the final, then again at the final whistle.
They have pulled off that rare trick of getting better with each game through the tournament; the theory has been that their gameplan is simple, but there is nothing simple about defending with that level of organisation. Against England, they were superb.
From a low base, they have reached rugby’s summit – and in double quick time. Only time will tell the impact of this victory, and of the power of the image of Kolisi’s triumph, but the team were confident they can change a nation.
"You could see the reaction from the whole nation,” said Mbonbami. “We can't wait to get home to see our loved ones. We knew that this final means a lot to the country, and to us personally. You could see what 1995 and 2007 did, what kind of impact it had on the country.
"So, we hope we will have the same impact with this trophy. We can't wait. We are so excited to bring the trophy home. We are representing the whole nation that needs hope, and we really pray they get hope from this.”
Perhaps Kolisi and Erasmus’s greatest trick has been to recognise the issues South Africa faces, and embrace them in a bid to ground and strengthen the team – and give something back to the many communities they represent.
Francois Steyn, who won the World Cup in 2007 too, said that South Africa “is in a worse position now than it was then”.
“In South Africa it [pressure] is not having a job, it is having a close relative who is murdered,” said Erasmus. “Rugby should not create pressure, it should create hope. We have a privilege, not a burden.”
They have used that privilege to provide a beacon of hope.
”We have so many problems in our country, a team like this – we come from different backgrounds, different races – and we came together with one goal,” said the captain. “I really hope we have done that for South Africa, to show that we can pull together if we want to achieve something.”
They have achieved something – something that will be remembered much longer than 12 years, when they will no doubt win the World Cup again.
