South Africa's Rugby World Cup


South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa congratulates South Africa's captain Siya Kolisi.
The pride in Siviwe’s voice as he spoke of his country’s victory in the recent Rugby World Cup inspired me to search for news related to the topic. What I found in the sports section of the CNN and BBC News websites is a story refreshingly hopeful during what sometimes feels like a trend of “bad news.”
The Springboks’ victory over England in November, which won South Africa its third World Cup equalling New Zealand’s record, is “not just about rugby. It is about the social cohesion that the country is still trying to achieve 25 years after the end of apartheid” (BBC News, Johannesburg).
Siya Kolisi, the team’s first black captain, serves a symbol of hope for multitudes of South Africans. Siya’s remarkable journey out of poverty began with his birth “in a slum to teenage parents who could not afford to keep him just a year after the former president Nelson Mandela was freed following 27 years in prison” (CNN). Described as a tireless and humble leader, Siya addressed the people of South Africa after the match: “We have so many problems in our country. [The team] comes from different backgrounds and different races, and we came together with one goal that we wanted to achieve. I really hope we’ve done that for South Africa, to show that we can pull together if we want to achieve something.” 
In and of itself, South Africa’s third World Cup is a remarkable accomplishment that South Africans can surely be proud of. And when viewing the victory in the light of South Africa’s history and the current social and economic divides, the victory becomes even more meaningful in its message of hope.




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