Having never been a real cricket fan, even I was all choked up seeing the Proteas fall yet again in the face of World Cup adversity.
It’s been a tradition in our family to support South Africa in any given world stage, be it from netball (OK not netball) to the prominent game of rugby.
Yes, in 2010 I bought myself a Bafana Bafana jersey in support for our boys in the FIFA World Cup, hosted right here in the Republic. And recently I tried my best to support the South Africans in the Olympics, though with all my other commitments this proved to be a little challenging.
This year I switched off momentarily from rugby because I knew that the Proteas would need my full support and to my surprise a lot my rugby loving mates emulated me in this regard. And so we fell to the Black Caps and our captain courageous, AB de Villiers, wept in disappointment.
Seeing him like that hurt, but it also reminded me of a saying that I have encountered on numerous forums about South African sport in general: South Africans rely on passion too much.
Now in rugby I can see this statement as pretty accurate. It’s not to say that South Africa are the only rugby nation who rely on passion to get us through in games, but it is still a problem that we need to address.
Since Heyneke Meyer’s taken charge, the Springboks have only lost a total of two home games, and both of those games have been against the world’s premier side, the All Blacks. Now that in itself is a pretty great statistic when you take into consideration that teams like England, Wales, France, Scotland and Argentina have lost against numerous sides at home since the last World Cup.
Australia have lost against South Africa, the British and Irish Lions and New Zealand at home since then. Only New Zealand remain unbeaten at home.
But why? Are the All Blacks also a team that strive on passion? Most likely, yes. You’d do well to find a team that doesn’t play better at home than it plays in away fixtures, but I find that there is a tangible difference between how New Zealand and South Africa approach things in terms of mindset.
Now, as we all know, the team that plays at home wins the majority of the times. Naturally there have been plenty of exceptions to this rule, but overall it is the norm. I use South African teams in general as a prime example.
The Republic’s been through a lot and it continues to stumble in everyday life. Once divided, now united, rugby has become an instrumental facet of everyday South African life. People of all races and cultures have embraced the sport and embraced the typical South African psyche that goes along with it.
The teams that represent our country know this. They are fully aware that a large chunk of our population watch their games week in, week out. They are not in solitary confinement, they read everything we say and how we say it.
It is because of the undying demand for success and the pride of our rugby nation that our teams cannot tolerate losing a home fixture. Supporters pack stadiums to watch the Springboks, to carry the Springboks in pursuit of our never-ending quest to reclaim the throne from our fierce and respected rivals.
When South African teams fail to win, it’s understandable. When a South African team loses at home, then we want the coaches to be sacked, the players to be reprimanded, the groundsmen to be drilled and the stadiums to pay back the money.
It is the ultimate sin to lose on South African soil, every South African and his dog knows that. Our professional players fear the suburban streets of our cities whenever they lose a home game. The fans are just too furious.
The reason for this is passion, plain and simple. Passion in the first, second and third degree. If South African rugby had a currency it would be passion. No passion, no performance.
This mentality seeps through even to the highest of echelons in our sport and once again, the players know this. They know this because they were the furious fan once, they were the ones throwing tantrums in the face of the terrified tellie.
So, come game day when ‘die biltong lekker loop‘ and ‘die bier nie suur is nie‘, 60,000 spectators fill Ellis Park, eagerly waiting to see the Springboks deal with the All Blacks.
The players then play with all this in mind and it absolutely consumes them. Clear-thinking, open-mindedness and absolute, unwavering zen goes flying out the window. It is replaced with that fiery fury stirring in the belly. That fiery fury is not constipation, it’s the pride and joy of fifty million fans cheering you on on home soil.
For many years this has been enough. For many years we have defied the odds and we beat the teams that challenged us. Games like the Springboks versus All Blacks at Ellis Park in 2004 and 2013 (even though we lost) and 2014 are all great examples about how our teams lift when they know it’s now or never.
It happened in 2008 off the back of a heartbreaking home loss to the Wallabies in Durban, only to give back with interest in Ellis Park with a 53-8 victory. At home the Springboks have always been a major threat.
But now there seems to be a change brewing.
We can take it down a level and it will also ring true. The Bulls had become a force to be reckoned with in Pretoria in their golden years. The Sharks were outstanding in Durban last year and the Stormers have only lost five games at Newlands in the past 32 games.
What happened recently? The Bulls went down to the Brumbies in their semi-final in 2013 at Loftus, almost inconceivable. They lost to the Hurricanes this year. The Stormers lost to the Waratahs last year and now again to the Chiefs.
It doesn’t sound that bad, but coupling the recent All Blacks successes in South Africa with their franchises winning more often in the Republic and you get the steady sense that the whole ‘we play for pride and joy’ sword is slowly losing its edge.
Herein lies the difference between the way that Kiwi teams utilise their pride and the way how South African teams completely rely on it.
I have seldom seen an All Black team jog onto the field jumping around, fist-bumping, high-fiving or doing the funky chicken. No. They look focused and ready to take on whatever the world throws at them.
It’s a simple summation at first glance, they are here to play ball. That is where they have the edge. The All Blacks are undoubtedly energised by their fanatic fans, but there is no reliance on the energy they shower on their team. Yes, a contributing factor, but not the sole reason for success.
I believe that this is why they are always so composed during the last 20 minutes of a game. They focus, they think, they trust. South African teams panic because the heart just isn’t working at the moment. They don’t calm down and think about what it’s going to take to win, they think about the disappointment and the scorning they’ll receive when they lose. We saw this last year when Wales almost beat them.
Fellow South African Roarer, the wise Biltongbek, has said something in particular ever since I joined The Roar. He often says ‘South African teams and management fear failure so much that it makes us too conservative’. And it is true, but then we fans should take a little responsibility for that too.
In general, South African supporters are far too harsh on our players and management. Whenever they try something new and it doesn’t work, we blame them. Whenever they do the tried and tested and it doesn’t come off, we blame them. This is our mentality. We take things a little too far. It’s because we are too proud and passionate to accept that change requires time and execution.
We, as supporters, need to start giving our players and our management some breathing space and they need to start realising that while the passion of a nation can always carry a team, it cannot be the only thing that makes us a formidable rugby playing nation.
We need an open mind, we need to be clinical, we need adaptability, we need leaders in our teams who can calm our players down and remind them to stay focused.
Other nations can also learn from this as we are certainly not the only ones making this mistake.
splinter
Guest
Passion- Brains= LOSING
Ozee316
Guest
Yes I think Test rugby has an intensity that Club and provincial footy will never have because players are representing their nations. Fear? Love of country? Pride? Complex emotions. I do know top teams like the All Blacks hire sports psychologists and team managers to ensure these emotions are harnessed by players and used in the best way. In respect of the Springboks I have not seen any issues. They are formidable players and SA Super teams are beginning to win away from home. Winning a test match starts 7 days before with metoculous planning. That's why Super Rugby tours downunder are so important for SA teams. It builds character and mental strength to win on the road. The All Blacks coaches value highly the Super Teams' trips to the subcontinent. It's another argument against too many test matches per season. Mentally it is very draining for a player to 'get up' for a test match. Now they happen 14 times per season. This could have contributed to the loss to Wales. Mental fatigue is an issue. And training these mental skills through Super Rugby in a lower pressure environment is also very beneficial. They are like mini test matches. Bulls v Crusaders. Huge match for players on both teams.
Kia Kaha
Roar Guru
Nice article, Armand. Sorry about the cricket mate.
PaulT
Guest
Not long ago the AB's were called the big chokers. They looked at the issues, they changed their mental framework. They csm now avoid the seizures thst come from overwhelming emotion. The boks, any team, an sport, can do the same. Mental strength harnessed with the right training.
taylorman
Roar Guru
Very good Armand. I think you've got the psyches of the two very nicely. It's important to realise that it's not always this cosy in the All Black space. 98- 03 was a bit rough for us so a lot has to be said about the Henry and Hansen era's. They added another level of certainty in our game in that everything now 'works' whatever that is. Passion on the field can only get you so far. Passion in learning and discovering what opportunities are possible in this game is part of the AB psyche. No team at the top ever sits on its laurels. It always questions the status quo, searches for ways to improve, be the best so to speak. I don't think South Africa doesn't share that passion so readily. I think they believe things that have worked before will always work, provided the ingredients are right. Trouble is, sometimes it does, sometimes it doesn't. I think the NH sides also rely on passion carrying the day more than they perhaps should. Sometimes you see them so pumped up before the match and through the anthem that they're almost going to burst. Then come the end of the game and they're practically leaning on players. Everyone has passion for this game, I think it's just how you channel it.
Kiwi in US
Guest
Very good article. Growing up in 1970's NZ, we were warned of the bok as the greatest scalp in rugby, and to take it in SA in a test series was the holy grail. That those springboks were super human and could come back and win from anywhere. That their forwards were huge and their centers could slice up opposition from anywhere. I still regard the Bok that way. This All Black era is fascinating. The record speaks for itself. They have been tested so many times to the limit, and come away with a win, most every time. But it's not like they walk all over teams all the time. They are close hard fought encounters and sometimes they play below their expectations, but they still find a way. As they can win with brilliance one week, the next might be ugly. I think the conditioning these guys have now is incredible, coupled with a strong culture of team first driven by senior players, and knowing there is a legacy to uphold with the jersey, privileged to be part of and keeping it warm for the next guy.
Tim Reynolds
Roar Pro
It seems to me that the laager mentality did the Boers well in carving out a life in an inhospitable environment, and fighting off the Zulus and the Brits. And because the rest of the world had been shocked into a deep conservatism by two World Wars and a Depression, South Africa's dour conservatism was a relative strength. But the world changed in the 1960s, just as SA went into isolation, and it's going to take some time to catch up again. When it does South Africa could dominate like it never has before. You have at least 10 times NZ's pool of players and twice Australia's. Harness that, and that's why I think you've got to tolerate the short term pain of quotas, and you'll get the long term benefit that all of SA craves. Go for the short term approach of "picking the best" and the country will continue to see great sportsmen like AB DeVilliers crying at the lost opportunities.
RobC
Roar Guru
Thanks AvZ. An excellent read. What Boks need, is an excellent Read..
AussieKiwi
Guest
Interesting article thank you. It is a matter of learning how to channel the passion into positive results, I think. No team, including the ABs, are immune from the pressures of hopes and expectations, both their own and those of their supporters. Having said that, I can imagine that there are factors in SA that intensify the pressures on the players, as witnessed by the distress shown by the Proteas (that was heart rending for this Kiwi). The need to control high emotion is not limited to sports. In many fields, including performing arts as well as competitive sports, extreme feelings have to be controlled and channelled so they have a positive, not a negative, effect on performance. Eg a singer will perform terribly if he or she lets nerves, or the high emotion of the piece they are performing, affect their breathing or other technique. Not that it is easy, I guess that is why an army of sports or occupational psychologists are employed these days! Loosely connected to this discussion, I saw Will Genia on Rugby HQ last night, saying how he had stopped enjoying rugby over the last few years because of the amount of pressure. It showed in his form and on field demeanour I believe. Now that he has a baby, he realises rugby is just a game and not that important, he is enjoying his rugby again (and looking in better form too).
Charl
Guest
Boet, our country means something to us - it's not pride. it is love. A love that is bigger than win or lose. It runs in our veins. It is a feeling that I can touch with my hands. It makes my heart want to burst in my chest when I see them sing the anthem. it makes me cringe when I hear our leader. It makes people endure the unendurable. And the day our sporting teams don't show that emotion, I will shout for someone else. They are fine, just the way they are, win or lose. The only thing I have a gripe with are picking people on quotas, not on merit. That vloks my teams up. And that I am passionately angry about. But I will support AB and the boys through every single win or loss, because I know what it means to be a South African, every single day of our lives.
Harry Jones
Expert
AvZ, good to hear from you, boet. SA punches above its GDP per capita in sport (swimming, rugby, golf, cricket), I think, but I still get your point. Along with you points, I would add this trait: ferociously argumentative. Sample random conversation with typical guy from Paarl: Harry: Jeez I'm tired. Paarl: No. No man, you not tired. What you feel is the opposite of tired, but your brain, your thinking is messed up. You not tired. Harry: I'm half asleep, you doos. Paarl: Ja, no no no ja, you more awake than tired. People think they sleep when really they too awake. Harry: I'm happy you know my body more than me. Paarl: No, you not happy.
Hugo
Guest
ARMAND - well written, well thought out. I wince when I see the Boks with their eyes squinched and hands over the heart during the singing of the national anthem. The ABs and the WBs don't do this because they're not going to get all choked up no matter what trophy's at stake. True, the ABs have the harka, and that's performed with Maori passion, but not a nationalistic one. The ABs and the WBs are going to bust their buttons trying to win. But if they lose, they'll be crushed for a while, as will their fans, but then they'll go have a beer and next day, go to the beach. A loss will erk them but they're able to shrug it off because they don't feel the honour of their country has been besmirched. And that's the right way to feel about any game no matter how professional it is.
Jarijari
Guest
Good yarn, Armand, and maybe it still has something to do with missing two decades of international sport. Even after another 20 years and generation xs and ys of players, is there still angst from isolation that rubs off from coaches, managers and even fans and dads and mums? Is it an inherent characteristic in the national psyche? What I don't understand about AB is why he doesn't just go out and open or first drop and set about demoralising the bowlers. He's the most extraordinary batsman I've seen in more than 50 years of watching cricket and with his amazing eye and range of shots he could destroy both of those new balls. No matter if it doesn't pay off, in a lot of cases he's going to be out there much longer, put together some unbelievable scores and, in 21st century-speak, be a marketing giant for the game. From an Aussie point of view it's a national trait, for players or viewers, to go into a sports contest with a breezy confidence that quickly mutates into arrogance if you're winning, and if you're talking about the fans, well of course it's much uglier over drinks. As a grizzled old cynic but still a lover of great, competitive sport, I'm many years over the flag-waving. So I don't care who wins on Sunday, in fact I was hoping your guys would make it because they looked the best chance of beating Australia. But it will be a great outcome for cricket if the Kiwis win, except I might have to avoid a few mates from across the ditch for a while. They'll be unbearable. You'd think they'd never won anything. I was a young bloke, still chasing girls around the pub, last time we had the Bledisloe Cup. So I do still have a weakness for the Wallabies with their admittedly vulnerable scrum, which is nevertheless cynically preyed upon by freewheeling props bluffing gullible referees. And there's my poor old local rugby league team, the Wests Tigers, and I'm still wearing their 2010 finals t-shirt. Anyway, there was a fascinating discussion put together by some of your countrymen a few weeks ago, a fine history lesson and great insight into the Rainbow Nation and well worth a read for Roarers who missed it. Race quotas for South African rugby: Four Saffas chat
fiddlesticks
Guest
i think every nation thinks they are more proud than the next